Dec 2: Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

Going to restaurants is one of my absolute favorite things to do. It's one of the reasons I adore living in New York because there are endless possibilities, even though I often just end up going to the same ones over and over.

Trying to pick the best restaurant experience I had is tough. There have been so many great ones. I went to the 21 Club with my roommate during Restaurant Week for some old school New York. We ate steak and drank fun drinks, even though we were sure the restaurant could tell we were second class citizens in terms of the dining scene. But experience wise, one that stands out happened pretty recently. And it was more about the company then the food, though that was excellent too.

Good old Kim and Dan were in town so we decided to go to brunch. As usual, no one had any idea where to go, so I decided to have us try something new so we went to the Cornelia Street Cafe. After a bit of a wait in New York City sunshine, we were seated in Siberia, way in the back of the restaurant, which i attributed to our large party size. It was cozy—white walls, wooden tables and the pleasant noise of humming restaurant chatter. Then the fun started in a game this group calls winning the order. You can read an exhaustive list of rules here. However, this particular time was the last game of the trip so it was time to get serious. The hilarity that can be contributed to this game is ridiculous. Everyone takes a long time to decide and tries to keep their order a secret, lest they be disqualified. My order was, the always classic, huevos rancheros. I had once ridiculed this dish because of its funny name, but that was before I had tried it. This particular version centered on a large flour tortilla, topped with fluffy over medium eggs, black beans, cheddar cheese, creme fraiche and salsa. Thought it is considered a heavy breakfast, it didn't feel that way because of the fresh salsa. It's my new favorite brunch order. And this time it won. Some would disagree, Kim tried hard with her eggs Benedict, but I knew I was victorious when everyone conceded that if I finished every bite, I had the win. Some may disagree that this happened, but it DID. My only win, if that doesn't make for the best restaurant experience for the year, I don't know what does.