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Alta CA, Trou Normand, Souvla, More Make Bon Appetit's Best of 2014 List

Many of Andrew Knowlton's favorite bites of the year came from SF.

Alta CA
Alta CA
Patricia Chang

Andrew Knowlton knows from restaurants: as the roving restaurant editor for Bon Appetit, he spends his year dining out all over the country. And while Tosca Cafe was the primary beneficiary of Knowlton's love this year, placing at #4 in his annual Best New Restaurants stakes, he's got some excess affection to share via a listing of his 46 favorite dishes of 2014. They include:

  • Fried beef tendon puffs at Alta CA
  • Crispy milk-braised celery hearts at Hard Water
  • Trou Normand's Domaine de Montreuil reserve Calvados
  • Souvla's French fries
He also digs "smelt on menus" and "all kinds of stuff on toasts," two things we have no shortage of in these parts.

Of course, that much dining out also yields some annoying trends, and many of the things that Knowlton says he's over definitely apply to the Bay Area dining scene, including deviled eggs, oysters, carrots with yogurt, "uni-exploitation," the concept of paying for reservations, and being told how to order. Time to take notes, y'all.