![]() ![]() The mezze brunch board at Lulu in West Berkeley is a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds. and, on chilly nights when I can’t make it down to San Jose, the one that haunts my dreams. ![]() It’s the most unique bowl of ramen I’ve ever eaten in the U.S. Modeled after Tokyo’s famous “Jiro-style” ramen, each super-sized bowl comes topped with extra-thick chunks of braised pork belly, an alarming amount of deliciously softened pork fat, and, most arresting of all, a preposterously large mound of bean sprouts, cabbage and raw garlic. Buta MAX ramen at Ramen ChampĪs I embark on my annual ritualistic fattening for the winter months, the dish I find myself thinking about all the time is Ramen Champ’s Buta MAX ramen - a bowl of noodles that is as audacious and extreme as its name. Inspired by Tokyo’s legendary Ramen Jiro, the Buta MAX at Ramen Champ in San Jose comes overloaded with decadent toppings. The dish I keep coming back to is the churrasco chapin mixed grill plate, with its well-charred steak and sausage, fried plantains, queso fresco, seasoned rice and piping-hot tortillas - the perfect bit-of-this-and-that lunch or dinner. Now that the Aguilar family has opened a full-blown restaurant in El Cerrito, their tender, jiggly tamales still rank among the most delicious in the Bay, but I’ve been especially enamored with their expanded selection of homestyle Guatemalan entrees. I’ve been an Antojitos Guatemaltecos evangelist for going on four years now, from back when it was just a little tamal cart I’d sometimes stumble upon, when the stars aligned, just a block away from my house. Churrasco chapin at Antojitos Guatemaltecos Here they are, then, presented in roughly the chronological order in which I ate them: The churrasco chapin is one of the very typical traditional Guatemalan plates that diners can find at Antojitos Guatemaltecos, a new restaurant in El Cerrito. In many cases, I returned to them again and again. Some were from brand new restaurants others were simply dishes I tried for the first time this year. Instead, when I look back on 2023, these were the meals that brought me the most happiness. But a good meal can provide us with comfort, nourishment and a sense of community that helps us get through hard times.ĭespite the headline, this list doesn’t necessarily purport to identify the “best” version of any particular cuisine or dish. I don’t think it always does, really - not when the problems and differences we face are so profound. Whenever tragic things are happening around the world, food writers like to bring out that old saw about food bringing everyone together.
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