As is the tradition at Eater, our closeout of the year is a survey of fellow food-writer friends. We asked the group eight questions about the highs and lows of San Francisco dining over the past year, and we'll be running two compilations of their responses (which are in no particular order) each weekday from now through New Year's Eve.
The Cavalier. [Photo: Patricia Chang]
Q: Sum up 2013 in one word.
Brock Keeling, SFist: Bathrooms. I stopped caring about the chefs and the food, and focused instead on the bathroom. I couldn't wait to drop my pants to pee once I stepped foot inside a new restaurant in 2013. Will it have cloth or paper hand towels? Low or bright lighting? Hand lotion!? Rich Table's loo, for example, is darling and very indicative of the restaurant as a whole, while The Cavalier's takes you on a journey through the hip tourist-frenzy of Hotel Zetta. In a nutshell, a bathroom is to a restaurant as a roast chicken is to a chef. Think about that the next time you're taking a long hard piss at Coi.
Tamara Palmer, Zagat: Beer.
Andrew Dalton, SFist: Hungover.
Anna Roth, SF Weekly: Porky.
Amy Sherman, Cooking with Amy: Small plates. (OK, I guess that's two words.) Get used to sharing, people. I think Japanese izakaya-style dining may finally be catching on. Places like Chotto and Izakaya Yuzuki should be on everyone's short list.
Mary Polizzotti, 7x7: Expensive.
Sarah Sung, UrbanDaddy: Booming.
Marcia Gagliardi, Tablehopper: Cronuts™.
Virginia Miller, The Perfect Spot: Cronut (unfortunately).
Lauren Sloss, Serious Eats: Uni.
Carolyn Alburger, Zagat and San Francisco magazine: Hearth.
· The Top Newcomers of 2013, Chosen by Friends of Eater [~ ESF ~]
· Food Experts' 2013 Restaurant Standbys [~ ESF ~]
· All Year in Eater posts [~ ESF ~]
