Time for the requisite end-of-year reflections. It’s been a year of learnings; we learned it’s hard to write a newsletter with full time jobs. We learned we will never be truly happy until we own one of these signs. Court learned that rain can cook pasta (and Jersey still has the best crimes), mustard Skittles are better than they sound, and the cherry pepper relish is the secret to the best sandwich from Jersey Mike’s. Gaby learned she could bake 15 cakes and 50 cheddar scones in a single weekend, that Raising Cane’s absolutely fucks, and that her wedding desserts will be made by the pastry team at King. So for the final Sifted of 2023, we gathered our best bites from this year, plus some reccs to help float you into the next one.
And, as a holiday gift from Sifted, we’re sending out an original recipe tomorrow — if you were lucky enough to attend one of Gaby’s pop-ups this year you know you will absolutely not want to miss it — so make sure you’re subscribed and maybe even send it to a friend who loves sweets. They’ll love you for it.
RECC CENTER
Gaby’s Reccs
What’s cooking:
Italian rainbow cookies, my favorite kind of cookie. Well, the ones I make are. So many versions are beautiful, but also dry, cakey and lacking almond flavor. Mine are the opposite of all those things. Almost every year I don’t realize I’m missing either red or green food coloring until it's too late, and because I always eyeball the division of the dough, I end up with one thick layer and another minuscule one. But they’re also rich, chewy and ultra-almondy, so I think it evens out. Watch me make mine here.
I’ve been ripping chunks of soft, buttery, chocolate-studded panettone from my annual From Roy loaf all week long. It quite literally melts in your mouth as is, but I also like to dunk pieces into hot coffee and toast slices in a cast iron pan for a few minutes. My friend even french toasted hers…
What I’m reading/watching/consuming:
My secret santa at work got me a copy of Blood in the Garden, and thank god for that, because now my months-long stretch of not touching a book is finally over!
On my radar:
I’m in awe of Paris Starn’s cinnamon bun tower. I want to serve it for dessert at my next party and let people pull pieces off of it.
My annual gingerbread architectural feat (stay tuned for photos). This is the only gingerbread recipe I’ll use because even though no one eats the house, I insist on making it edible—and delicious, at that.
Superb Mexican food while in California for a few days. The espécial at La Super-Rica in Santa Barbara narrowly missed my Best Bites of the Year and their tamales are simply perfect, including a sweet cinnamon-laced one that tastes like molten snickerdoodle batter. I immediately Googled how I could recreate it at home, but this looks easier and just as satisfying.
What I’m reading/watching/consuming:
Even though Christmas is over, everyone knows you’re allowed to watch Christmas movies until New Year’s Day. And might I suggest a viewing of “Christmas In Connecticut” before the season ends?
On my radar:
Another narrow miss from my BBOTY list: the bread and Podolico butter from Bread & Salt. Somewhere between cheese and butter, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever tried and thank god it’s not easier to come by (though I am extremely tempted to order some online). And speaking of foods I want to spend too much money on, every day I ask myself why I haven’t placed orders from here and here.
BEST BITES OF THE YEAR
Gaby’s Bites:
1. The Anthony & Daughter from Anthony & Son
Anthony and Son this Anthony and Son that. Nobody shuts up about this damn place! All I’ll say about it is that since having it for the first time 2 weeks ago, I’ve been back 3 times. I really like the chicken Caesar lettuce wrap, a true handheld salad, but the one that keeps me coming back is the hero stuffed with prosciutto, burrata, arugula, fig spread & balsamic.
A lot of you guys talk shit about the feast of San Gennaro. Sure, it’s crowded and yes, a lot of the food is overpriced and not very good. But if you can weave your way through a crowd (as all true New Yorkers can) and you know which spots are worth stopping at, it’s the best. I usually go for a steak, mozzarella and caramelized onion sandwich, but this year I stood at Umbertos Clam House’s outdoor bar and ate a plate of buttery, briny, just-broiled baked clams. 10/10 experience.
3. Seared halloumi at Maydan in DC
I went to DC for the first time this year. As a New Yorker, DC, Philly and Boston are sort of all the same place to me, but the meal I had at Maydan was shockingly incredible. I loved that everything from the pita to the ribeye was a little crunchy and smoky from being cooked in the restaurant’s fire pit. The best bite, though, was a slab of halloumi in a tiny, square cast iron skillet, that, despite being drenched in hot, sticky honey, had an impossibly thin and crispy crust.
4. Sticky bun at Cafe Mutton
The food at Cafe Mutton is god tier, but the first time I ate there I had a potato chip omelet, the pancakes and a sticky bun and I couldn't move for two days. The last time I was in town, I grabbed just the sticky bun to go for breakfast one morning, and my god, it's still the best there is. The dark, sticky caramel, the soft, stretchy dough… eating one of these is a transcendental experience.
5. Gingerbread bundt cake by yours truly
Fall was Pumpkin Crumb season and now winter is all about the Gingerbread Bundt. I’ve made 10 of these already this month, and have an 11th in the oven now. The soft and spicy gingerbread cake is really the perfect texture — it’s the kind of cake you want to eat for dessert as much as you do for breakfast — but the brown butter caramel frosting really sends the whole thing into another universe. I love biting into the thin, crackly layer it forms as it cools.
I’m feeling really nice this weekend, so I’m going to share the recipe with you guys tomorrow (which gives you time to make sure you’re subscribed and to procure a bundt pan if you don’t already own one).
Court’s Bites:
1. Rosa pizza at Pizzeria Bianco
We re-routed an entire day of a road trip to eat here (worth it) and the unexpected star of the table was the Rosa with Parmigiano-Reggiano, pistachios, red onions, and rosemary, a combination that forever altered my thinking.
Speaking of pizza, this one makes a case that spicy, acidic chutney belongs on every single one, ranch be damned. This meal was worth every Lactaid.
3. Every damn dessert at Superiority Burger
Let me be the umpteenth person to add SB to a “best of 2023” list, but god did the desserts ruin me for all other restaurants’. The date shake is heaven sent, every cake is a revelation, and the pearl pie feels like somebody reached into the depths of my brain to scratch the exact textural itch I crave in a dessert.
4. Fish sausage slider at Rosella
Pure ingenuity goes into this little sandwich. The team at Rosella thoughtfully assemble each dish (the ceviche is beyond good) and this is no exception. Originally designed to use “scraps” from their sushi bar fish, it tastes about as far from leftovers as you can get. And do not underestimate the simple beauty that is a Hawaiian slider roll.
5. 3 perfect bites in New Mexico
Yes, this is cheating but it’s too hard to pick. It’s a 3-way tie between spiced lamb tucked into a buttery crisp dosa at Paper Dosa, blue cornmeal pancakes dipped in both maple syrup and red chile sauce at Los Poblanos Ranch, and a knockout self-assembled bite of roti, plantains, and the best oxtail I’ve ever had at Jambo Cafe. Of all the DDD-approved spots we ate at on our road trip, this one restored my faith in Guy Fieri.
