This year, the New York Times Food staff continued its tireless (and happy) travels, visiting 33 states and eating more than 200 meals in search of the best restaurants in the country. That\u2019s a lot of dishes. But we did have our favorites \u2014 nationally and in New York City. We couldn\u2019t stop talking about tostadas, knife-cut noodles and gravlax, not to mention falafel jibneh, cachapas and blowfish tails. Here are our most memorable bites of the year. MARK JOSEPHSON<\/p>\n
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M SmokehouseSan Antonio, Texas<\/p>\n
Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It\u2019s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese \u2014 which runs as an occasional special \u2014 holds its own and then some (sides are $6 for 8 oz., $9 for 16 oz. and $15 for 32 oz.). PRIYA KRISHNA<\/p>\n
2731 South WW White Road, San Antonio, Texas; 210-885-9352; 2msmokehouse.com<\/p>\n
This second-floor strip mall restaurant is a step up for the chef and owner, Edgar Victoria, who built a local following cooking Mexico City-style street food at concession stands, food trucks and pop-ups. The unassumingly excellent restaurant is especially adept with vegetables, as shown in this springtime special: a crunchy tostada, handmade from nixtamalized heritage corn, paved with crema, queso and al dente coins of chopped asparagus. ($12) BRETT ANDERSON<\/p>\n
604 Gallatin Avenue No. 203, Nashville; 615-916-9684; alebrijenash.com<\/p>\n
San Mateo, Calif.<\/p>\n
At this location of the kalbijjim chain, there are knife-cut noodles, nested in a ferociously comforting bowl of beef soup, that I crave whenever the temperature dives. Slightly thick and chewy, this tangle of noodles wrestles with ribbons of eggs, so you can\u2019t tell where a noodle ends and a bite of egg begins. The slightly viscous beef broth lightly lacquers your mouth, and can be seasoned to your own taste with the small clay pot of sea salt on the table. ($24) ELEANORE PARK<\/p>\n
213 Second Ave., San Mateo, Calif.; 650-389-6689; daeho-kalbijjim.com<\/p>\n
The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears ($7). PRIYA KRISHNA<\/p>\n
408 North Pleasant Valley Road, Austin, Texas; mercadosinnombre.com<\/p>\n
Charleston, S.C.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s always a fish tempura on the ever-changing menu here. The chef, James London, says deep-frying is \u201ca great icebreaker\u201d to introduce diners to seafood they may not know, like blackbelly rosefish, white grunt and conger eel. When he can get them, the meaty blowfish tails fit that description to a T, yet with the familiar snap and brininess of prawns. And when he can\u2019t, the day\u2019s tempura is still a must-try, with its featherweight batter and some fried bits of bone thrown in \u2014 to gnaw on and help you imagine the creature they came from. ($24 to $28) PATRICK FARRELL<\/p>\n
252 Coming Street, Charleston, S.C.; 854-222-3949; chubbyfishcharleston.com<\/p>\n
Banh Chow Salad at MawnPhiladelphia<\/p>\n
As lacily crisp as a Parmesan tuile on the outside, and plumped by ground chicken and shrimp within, the savory coconut rice crepe is objectively the star of this \u201csalad.\u201d But the tangle of soft lettuces and what the menu calls \u201cbackyard herbs\u201d bring a lot to the plate: levity, structure and the thrown-together appearance of everyday Cambodian American home cooking, only with a chef\u2019s attention to details. ($18) BRETT ANDERSON<\/p>\n
764 South Ninth Street, Philadelphia; no phone; mawnphilly.com<\/p>\n
This simple Tijuana-style taco is an exhilarating and satisfying snack that I\u2019ve gone back to several times off duty. The tortilla is toasted in the dripping fat from the vertical spit, filled with thinly sliced pork that\u2019s lavishly spiced and frizzled at its edges. Two salsas move through it \u2014 one creamy, white and mellow, the other theatrically, radiantly hot \u2014 and as they mix in places, they animate each bite a little differently. ($3.75) TEJAL RAO<\/p>\n
700 Cypress Avenue, Los Angeles; no phone; instagram.com\/taqueriafrontera<\/p>\n
Whole Trout at JudithSewanee, Tenn.<\/p>\n
At the end of a rewarding meander through the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee is the Nashville chef Julia Sullivan\u2019s lovely side hustle, near the University of the South\u2019s sprawling campus in the woods. Mountain trout finds its way onto many menus in the Deep South, but few are as lovely as hers. A plump, expertly butterflied whole trout arrives in a buttery-tart beurre blanc, all showered in scallions. It\u2019s an alchemy of pristine fish, textbook technique and a majestic setting. ($42) KIM SEVERSON<\/p>\n
36 Ball Park Road, Sewanee, Tenn.; 931-203-2737; judithtavern.com<\/p>\n
Dungeness Crab Rice at TomoSeattle<\/p>\n
Brady Ishiwata Williams has created a perfect vignette of Pacific Northwest cuisine in a bowl. The Dungeness crab meat is ballasted with richness from brown butter and dashi. Strawberries that have been cooked down with fennel and onions (and jarred in season for year-round use) bring a pitch-perfect sweet note. Far from an afterthought, the rice is the prized koshihikari cultivar that has been put through the haiga process, which imparts the nuttiness of a brown rice while keeping a white rice texture. A shot of lemon juice to finish brings a fresh, lively acidity. This could have been twice the size, and I\u2019d still have wanted more. ($28) BRIAN GALLAGHER<\/p>\n
9811 16th Avenue Southwest, Seattle; no phone; tomoseattle.com<\/p>\n
Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
The sumptuous texture comes from jibneh, the mild Middle Eastern cheese that also mutes the falafels\u2019 flavor just enough to make them ideal vehicles for dollops of dill yogurt and trout caviar. The dish is so good you\u2019ll wonder why someone hadn\u2019t come up with the idea sooner. ($19) BRETT ANDERSON<\/p>\n
417 Morse Street Northeast, Washington, D.C.; no phone; lashukran.com<\/p>\n
Providence, R.I.<\/p>\n
Ssam dishes in Korean cuisine come with wraps, typically broad, leafy lettuces, and often center on pork or beef. At Gift Horse, an inventive seafood spot devoted to New England\u2019s catch, the focus is fish, either kept whole or cut and arrayed in a long column of plush little slabs, dredged, coated with evaporated milk and crusted in panko, then popped into hot oil, so you get crunch beyond the lettuce. This is presented on a delightful and immense clawed platter, for sharing, with rice, peanut ssamjang bearing its streak of fermented funk and heat, and a bounty of pickles. The chef Sky Haneul Kim, who ran the kitchen here for two years and developed this dish, moved to South Korea this fall, but her imprint on the menu remains. (Market price) LIGAYA MISHAN<\/p>\n
272 Westminster Street, Providence, R.I.; 401-383-3813; gifthorsepvd.com<\/p>\n
Khanom krok, the popular Thai street food staple, is the best way to kick off breakfast at Tanzie\u2019s. It arrives at the table looking like five halved, jiggly eggs topped with thinly sliced scallions, sweet potatoes or corn. These squidgy pancakes possess a sweet enough undercurrent, and a texture play like no other: Coconut milk imparts a creamy center, and the whole thing somehow still manages a light crust on its exterior. Served warm, and requiring fewer than three bites, the dish has been described on the restaurant\u2019s Instagram account as \u201csmall sizes with a big hug.\u201d ($12) ELEANORE PARK<\/p>\n
1453 Dwight Way, Berkeley, Calif.; 510-326-4199; tanziescafe.com<\/p>\n
Charleston, S.C.<\/p>\n
Pitch-black with a nubbly bark, these plump cuts look like the slag byproduct of some old industrial process \u2014 which in a sense they are, emerging from an offset smoker out back and an overnight bath in hot tallow. But a quick flick of a knife reveals the ruby-red luxury inside, all silky, minerally and melting with marbled fat. The chef Hector Garate\u2019s mastery of barbecue (he describes his style as \u201cTexas techniques with Puerto Rican influences\u201d) is no secret in these parts, and these beef cheeks are his most persuasive claim to fame. ($16) PATRICK FARRELL<\/p>\n
2366 Ashley River Road, Building 1, Charleston, S.C.; 843-225-0436; palmirabarbecue.com<\/p>\n
Jersey City, N.J.<\/p>\n
In Bangladesh, the bottle gourd is so beloved, there\u2019s a folk song, \u201cSadher Lau,\u201d devoted to its praises. It\u2019s a delicate vegetable, with a gentle sweetness, quick to bloom into flavor and juicy enough to require hardly any oil for cooking. The chef Nur-E Gulshan Rahman harvests hers from the parking lot behind Korai Kitchen, the small, inviting restaurant she runs with her daughter, Nur-E Farhana Rahman, casting its lone bright light on an otherwise sleepy block. The freshness of the lau stands out in this unfussy dish, alongside tender shrimp and an extravagance of chiles. (Part of a $95 prix-fixe menu) LIGAYA MISHAN<\/p>\n
576 Summit Avenue, Jersey City, N.J.; 201-721-6566; koraikitchen.com<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need to try all 10 cachapas on the menu to believe you\u2019ll be satisfied regardless of which you choose. All feature Frank Cachapas\u2019s exemplary, hot-from-the-griddle corn cakes and an oozing portion of queso de mano, a fresh Venezuelan cheese. Relax and enjoy yours at one of the many shaded tables in the parking lot outside this food truck. The service bests what\u2019s found at many brick-and-mortar restaurants. ($11.99 to $18.99) BRETT ANDERSON<\/p>\n
8645 Northwest 61st Street, Doral, Fla.; 754-317-3435; @frankcachapas.<\/p>\n
Round Top, N.Y.<\/p>\n
The ancient Nordic dish gravlax is an exercise in simplicity, nothing more than salmon cured with a combination of sugar, salt and dill. Often, different versions are indistinguishable. But at this rustic spot in the Catskill Mountains region, the chef, Henning Nordanger, elevates gravlax to an entirely new level. Augmenting the cure with juniper, Mr. Nordanger manages a rare, mind-bending complexity in each tender slice, served with thin toasts of housemade Danish brown rye and a mild mustard sauce. ($20) ERIC ASIMOV<\/p>\n
1507 Heart\u2019s Content Road, Round Top, N.Y.; 518-622-0021; juliaslocal.com<\/p>\n
Chaas Aguachile at MirraChicago<\/p>\n
I\u2019m over the endless riffs on hamachi crudo, or at least that\u2019s what I thought until I had the fine slices of yellowtail at Mirra, soaked in a lime-spiked buttermilk, hot and tangy with a garlic and serrano achar, and tucked under a delicate crunch of nopales, ginger and curry leaves. In a bite, the chefs Rishi Kumar and Zubair Mohajir brought together flavors from India and Mexico for something really fresh and delicious.($19) TEJAL RAO<\/p>\n
1954 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago; 773-729-6214; mirrachicago.com<\/p>\n
Wok-Fried Crispy Pork Intestines With Dry Chile at Northern CuisineChampaign, Ill.<\/p>\n
When it comes to cooking pork intestines, faint-heartedess rarely pays off. (You could say the same about eating them.) This restaurant near the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign prepares them fearlessly, blasting them in a fiery wok until they are as dark and crunchy as the first shavings from a lamb gyro that has been turning on a spit for hours. Each ring of gut is browned so quickly that it\u2019s still tender inside, soft enough to drink in the smoke of dried roasted red chiles. Aside from sliced onions and bright green chiles, there\u2019s not much else to it \u2014 this is rustic northern Chinese cooking, made without fuss but with a great deal of skill. ($19) PETE WELLS<\/p>\n
404 East Green Street, Champaign, Ill.; 217-607-1299; instagram.com\/northerncuisineusa<\/p>\n
Ben\u2019s Bowl at D\u014dgonWashington, D.C.<\/p>\n
The chef Kwame Onwuachi is known for bringing a sense of place to the plate that goes beyond ingredients to plumb into history and how a city shapes its people. Here he tips his hat to Ben Ali, the Trinidad-born founder of Ben\u2019s Chili Bowl, a chain that got its start on U Street in 1958 serving half-smokes draped in chili. In Mr. Onwuachi\u2019s homage, lamb shoulder is braised past resistance in a crush of curry spices and chicken stock, then picked warm and whipped until the fats turn to velvet. Flattened and crisped, it\u2019s an astonishment of density and richness. ($32) LIGAYA MISHAN<\/p>\n
1330 Maryland Avenue Southwest, Washington, D.C.; 844-860-2741; salamanderdc.com<\/p>\n
The Duchess is one of the more unusual restaurants I\u2019ve visited. It\u2019s very much like a neighborhood pub (wood-paneled walls, beers on tap, ball games on the tube) but the food reflects the Pacific Rim heritage of Kiko Fejarang, the chef and an owner. Her shrimp and corn patties were savory delights \u2014 breaded, crisp and spiced with a sort of aioli made with dinache, a Chamorro chile paste. Feathery light, they tasted like the platonic essence of their ingredients, a beautiful balance of textures and flavors. ($13) ERIC ASIMOV<\/p>\n
1000-1002 West 36th Street, Baltimore; 410-525-7000; theduchessbaltimore.com<\/p>\n
Guaca-mol With Tortilla and Asiento at PopocaOakland, Calif.<\/p>\n
The guaca-mol here is lush with herbs, seasoned ever so sharply, then covered with smoked egg yolk. It\u2019s a marvel on its own, but part of the magic of the dish is the wonderfully pudgy Salvi tortilla that accompanies it, still hot from the comal and shining with crispy beef asiento. ($17) TEJAL RAO<\/p>\n
906 Washington Street, Oakland, Calif.; 510-457-1724; popocaoakland.com<\/p>\n
Seattle<\/p>\n
For a plate that presents in several tones of muted brown, the flavors of the chef Kevin Smith\u2019s meat pie really sing. Into a hot-water pastry made with lard goes buttery lamb that has braised for 12 to 16 hours, and a korma gravy, made with garlic, ginger and chile pur\u00e9e cooked in butter with chopped onions, cream and toasted ground almonds. It\u2019s punched up with cumin, fenugreek, nutmeg and cinnamon. To finish, the heady gravy is drizzled over the pie, bringing together a dish that\u2019s cozy and exhilarating at the same time. ($45) BRIAN GALLAGHER<\/p>\n
5107 Ballard Avenue Northwest, Seattle; (206) 644-8041; beastandcleaver.com<\/p>\n
Waukee, Iowa<\/p>\n
Ahilia and LT Bhramdat are medical professionals who started their organic farm in the mid-1990s on the outskirts of Des Moines, aiming to encourage healthier eating and farming practices in their community. While the farm-fresh ingredients change with the seasons, a delicious late-spring sampler plate was representative of what you\u2019ll find if you drop by for lunch: slow-cooked chicken and navy beans in coconut-tomato sauce, potato chutney, gumball-size falafel, all drawing on the cooking of the owners\u2019 native Guyana. Mark your calendar: Lunch resumes when the farm reopens to the public on Mother\u2019s Day weekend. ($17.95) BRETT ANDERSON<\/p>\n
32513 Ute Avenue, Waukee, Iowa; 515-987-3561; ltorganicfarm.org<\/p>\n