The best thing I ate: Winter squash thumbprint cookies with pomegranate jam, Leah & Louise’s Jasmine Macon
Part of a pastry box created along with Wentworth & Fenn, Macon’s winter squash thumbprint was delicate but sturdy, not too dense, just perfectly moist and appropriately crumbly as a thumbprint should be. The flavors were sweet and hearty, honoring the flavors of the squash, keeping sugar at a minimum. The pomegranate jam added enough tang and sweetness to the cookie to balance the overall taste, making them an addictive one-bite cookie. Macon, pastry chef at Leah & Louise, knows how to make a chef-driven cookie taste wholesome and homey but still indulgent and luxurious.
The best thing I drank: Rusty Gold hard cider, Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery
The Stayman Winesap hard apple cider is not an overly sugary sweet cider, making it enjoyable to drink more than one without feeling overindulgent or fearing a sugar-induced hangover headache. The cider is infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, cloves, and star anise making it perfect drinking in the fall outside by the fire but still appropriately balanced to enjoy year long as is or mixed in cocktails.
Travis Mullis, contributor
The best thing I ate: A5 Wagyu nigiri, O-Ku Sushi
Though expensive and gone in one bite, this lightly seared piece of Japanese beef topped with truffle oil, cilantro aioli, and fried onion is a perfect example of O-Ku’s commitment to high quality sourcing and balance of flavors.
The best thing I drank: Keep off the Grass, Billy Sunday
This cocktail that brings together tequila, green bean, lime, dill, and absinthe is as playful and inventive as it is delicious, and proof that Billy Sunday is one of the best cocktail bars in the city.
Anita Skogland, wine writer
The best think I ate: Mixed Mushroom Soup, Lam’s Kitchen
This dish from the Stallings restaurant is packed with a mix of mushrooms. It has an umami flavor, it is delicious, and it’s vegetarian.
Peter Taylor, photographer
The best thing I ate: Your Farms, Your Table catering
Normally we would have traveled or gone out to a fancy restaurant for our 10-year wedding anniversary, but, you know, Covid. We ended up having Chef Sam Diminich come to the house to cook us a meal. It was 6 or 7 or 8 courses, we lost count, and was one of the greatest dining experiences we’ve ever had. Sam cooked in our kitchen and we sat at the kitchen island talking with him the whole time. The food was all top notch and the company was exceptional. We couldn’t have had a better milestone anniversary experience. In fact, it was so good, we repeated it again the next month for Lesley’s birthday and included her mother.
The best thing I drank: Fubu, Leah & Louise
This cocktail was damn good, easy drinking. It had unexpected flavors and was perfectly balanced. I’m not usually an egg white cocktail drinker, but this one made me a believer.
Kristen Wile, editor/founder
The best thing I ate: Leah’s Cabbage, Leah & Louise
Named for executive chef and owner Greg Collier’s late sister and grandmother, Leah & Louise is rich with inspiration from family. Leah’s Cabbage has been on the menu since opening day, with tender cabbage in a smokey, flavorful broth that reminds me of the Hungarian stewed cabbage my grandmother often made.
The best thing I drank: Perfect Pear, Vana
Amanda Britton’s cocktail menu at Vana brings the same complexity as sister concept Bardo. Britton is clearly well aware that the phrase “you eat with your eyes first” also applies to drinking, as this cocktail is a festive stunner with a deep red wine floater and soaked pear that makes for a bold boozy bite to finish the drink. Bourbon, brandy, ginger, pear, bitters, and the red wine float create an incredible cocktail that changes as it passes over your palate.
