Because of the recency effect, I can't help but think mostly of our fall haunts when naming favorites. It's hard to believe that two vegetarians would choose a restaurant called Prime Meats as the year's most beloved spot, but there's plenty on the menu to keep us happy. Also gratifying is the same warm, laid-back vibe we love so much from older sibling Frankies Spuntino. Our top bar of 2011 is a no-brainer. Henry Public is sun-filled and sleepy during weekend brunch but dim and packed on any given night. No matter what time we visit, we walk out proclaiming it our favorite bar. I love the ancient cash register, the knowledgeable bartenders, and the old-timey decor. Wonderful meals were also had at the following new restaurants: Tertulia (tapas, West Village), Barboncino (pizza, Crown Heights), Danji (Korean, Hells Kitchen), Chuko (ramen, Prospect Heights), Edi & the Wolf (Austrian, East Village), and Buvette (French, West Village).
I expanded my culinary horizons first with ketchup (to think I missed out on 31 years of fries without this condiment!) and then the wild world of beets. They aren't the slimy, stinky vegetable I had imagined them to be. I probably would have tried them earlier had it not been for restaurants' penchant to pair them with goat cheese, which I find vile.
My tastes in liquor have evolved quite a bit: in college you would find Bartles and James wine coolers in my fridge if you peeked inside. I graduated to cosmopolitans and chocolate martinis, then shaken gin cocktails. This past year I developed a strong preference for spirit-forward drinks. No fruit juice. No sweet liqueurs. Preferably with rye whiskey.
Bill Cunningham New York was one of the few movies we saw on the big screen (we're theater-averse), and well worth it. It's available on Netflix instant and hulu for free (for US residents) - now you have no excuse not to watch it. I've finally come around to Wilco after years of indifference; I still can't stop listening to The Whole Love. (Admittedly, I haven't kept up on new albums.) And Michael Crummey's epic novel Galore, set in Newfoundland and spanning decades, kicked off my whale obsession. 
Personal highlights of 2011 included a trip to Paris, a promotion, our move from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and the incredible real-life bonds I began to form with several gals thanks to blogging. (That striped dress is apparently my warm-weather staple. How embarrassing.) In 2012 I hope to make a triumphant return to marathoning and start graduate school (I'm registered for entrance exams in January, eeek).My fondest memories from 2011 include seeing myself On The Street and in print, ferrying out to Governors Island for the Jazz Age Lawn Party and the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, visiting the Rockaways for the first time, burning myself out on macarons, and leaving my heart in San Francisco.
Thank you for your readership this past year. You have no idea how much it means to me.
Photo credits: Prime Meats, Henry Public, Tertulia, Barboncino, Danji, Chuko, Edi & the Wolf, Buvette, beets, whiskey, Bill Cunningham.
9 comments:
yay, Kate, on graduate school!! Remember when I posted that I needed to start classes too? I registered for my pre-reqs and I start 1/3! I love your 2011 round up. Hopefully we can cross paths in 2012!
What a whirlwind year. I hope 2012 is even better. And I'm with you on the new Wilco album; The Whole Love is the first truly great Wilco record in a loooong time. And thanks for steering me away from Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot; your bad review, coupled with a very boring first forty pages, made me move on to more worthwhile reading this month.
Such a great recap of the year. I am going to have to check out your restaurant suggestions. It was great meeting you this year. I look forward to following in 2012 and supporting your return to marathoning! Happy New Year!
So honored to have made your list, this new friendship is definitely on my list of favorites for 2011 too! Congrats on grad school, I can only imagine you will do wonderful things with all that new knowledge!
PS, I can't believe you're just coming around to ketchup AND Wilco! We still have so much to learn about each other!
So funny how many similar posts we have—polo, San Francisco, the Rockaways, etc.!
Where are you thinking about going to grad school? I just finished and while it was hard, it was definitely one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. -LR
Happy New Year Kate! Looks like you had a fantastic year. I can't wait to see what you eat, drink, and do in 2012 :) Good luck with graduate school, I'm sure it will be a huge success. xo
Such a great year! I'm jealous you went to the Jazz Age Lawn Party. I hope I can go one year... my fiance's brother lives in New York and he wants to go visit him, so I should plan it around this. :)
What a fantastic year! So happy I discovered your blog this year (and that our paths crossed in those most unlikely of ways!). Cheers to new discoveries and adventures in 2012!
Kate, I am just finally catching up and am so excited to hear you are starting graduate school! Yay!
I also visited Prime Meats in 2011 and hold it in high esteem. So delicious! I loved reading the roundup. Here's to another great year!
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