December is coming to a close, and we’re here joining the slog of year-end lists. During 2024, we invited over 50 guests to dish at The Gullet table. We’ve shared stories about honoring those lost with recipes, learning to love to cook again, and the recurring role of a meal over a lifetime. Some of our favorite tales live at the intersection of food and friendship, of newness and nostalgia, and routine and revolt. To celebrate, we’ve called all of our guest Gulletiers and illustrators back for a virtual banquet. The spread? The most memorable things we’ve eaten this year—delicious, disgusting, and everything in between. Thanks for chewing and spewing with us—it’s been a blast serving you food stories every week. May Lady Delish be on your side in 2025!
United States
California
• Anchovy Bar in San Francisco. Pintxos to rival Spain’s, anchovy toast, anchovies in purgatory, halibut crudo, smoked trout pasta, a tomato salad with an awesome crunchy topping, great wines. An incredible meal. So glad we hustled from the airport to make our reservation. I didn’t realize it was our last opportunity to go before they closed for months for renovations. —Adara Blake
• Jja jang myun and mapo tofu from House of Joy in La Crescenta. —Ruthy Kim
• Shank & Bone’s signature phở in San Diego. The bowl is large, and the broth is sooo great!!! —Kefan Shi
• On the mornings that I don't play tennis, I walk to Little Flower, where I am greeted with mild derision. I order a pretzel roll (if you call it a bun they will correct you) and tear it to pieces on my neighborhood hot girl walk. —Nora MacLeod
• A roasted chicken from Rory's Place, Ojai. Yum. —HyunJung Yi
Maryland
• A Sunberry Point oyster from Dylan's Oyster Cellar in Baltimore. Fresh from the waters of Northumberland Strait, Prince Edward Island. —Samara Breger
New York
• Sungold Tomato Sundae and Fenelår (separately) at Houseman. —Jessica Grindstaff
• Avocado, Mango and Corvina Ceviche at Kausa. —Violeta Encarnación
• I'll never forget dinner at the closing night of Gaskins, everyone's favorite Hudson Valley restaurant that sadly closed its doors this November. After so many memories and meals at this special place, it all came down to the final order: the burger and fries – with extra portions of the garlic aioli. —Danny Bradley
• The Olive Branch Martini at Winona's! With olive oil washed gin, vermut blanco, Castelvetrano olive and lemon oil. It was on their happy hour menu for $10, which made it taste even better. The bartender was so friendly I didn’t even notice my date was late. —Gleetz
• Fellow Traveler’s side of fried tofu. This was added to an otherwise, like, pretty good salad (okay, the lemon garlic dressing was more than pretty good). The tofu was simultaneously soft yet firm, had a super crunchy breaded outside, and was just shy of alarmingly salty. —Lauren Ward
• Watermelon soft serve at Bread and Butter (now Dolly's) in Ocean Hill. —Sam Bolen
• I cooked a very memorable pork chop while in Phoenicia, up in the Catskills. That piece of meat was out of this world. I bought it from the Tremper Hill Farm Market and improvised the recipe with some wine, oil, and a few spices. I will never forget the excellent selection of meat products that market has. —Carlos Miranda
• Makanek Batata at El Cedro. Deliciously sweet with an incredible pomegranate punch and savory, perfectly sized and seasoned meatballs and crispy potatoes that melt in your mouth as you chew. —Gaby Gignoux-Wolfsohn
• I had dinner with my good friend Greg at a new place in Hudson with a sign that simply and mysteriously said “Restaurant.” The meal at Restaurant (Manor Rock) was wonderful, and because it was so new and basically empty, the owner, Ivy, gave us extra special care and attention like the two little princes we are. —Justin Khan
• I tried my first princess cake, thanks to my dear friend Diana, who hunted down the best one in NYC from Aquavit. —Lauren Holmes
• The most rejuvenating cheeseburger at The Sandcastle on Fire Island. It had been a whirlwind day of spontaneous travels and exploration capped by a mile or two walk in the sand. We made it to the restaurant just after sunset—depleted but in good company and good spirits. I remember enjoying the late-summer breeze off the ocean with a margarita when the food arrived and when I tell you this burger hit, I mean it hit. It was a house blend patty topped with arugula, onion aioli, cheddar, and tomato jam on a brioche bun, and after such a packed day, that first bite felt like a well-deserved reward. It seems so odd to describe a burger as "refreshing" but something about that combination of flavors had breathed life back into me that evening. —Christian Ort
• Chocolate Guinness Cake at Vinegar Hill House with my friends Doug and Greg! —Rubyn Wasserman
• Phô from Pho Che on Northern Boulevard in Flushing. —Nadia Kossman
• The meatballs at Julia's Local. Every time I go, it feels like the chef shifts the recipe to his current interests, and it's been such a fun surprise to see what seasonings and sauces he serves them in. The side dish also changes with the season. The balls are only served on Wednesdays, along with another special treat, Henning’s popovers. —Greg Kozatek
New Jersey
• Lobster Benedict at Turning Point! While the lobster was obviously the leading player, each supporting actor—the toasted English muffin, the plum tomato, the smoked bacon, and the sliced avocado were all applause-worthy and made each bite delicious. However, the lemon cilantro hollandaise sauce may have stolen the show, with its tart, bright flavor receiving a standing ovation from my taste buds. —Felicia Fitzpatrick
Missouri
• The Tantanmen Brothless Ramen from Menya Rui in St. Louis! Insanely flavorful and spicy. Perfect for a winter day with friends. —Racheal Bruce
North Carolina
• During summer vacation, I took a trip to Asheville. I visited an amazing Italian restaurant called Strada. —Changyu Zou
Washington DC
• Impromptu late lunch at Tsehay in Adams Morgan with beautifully cut stewed vegetables and exquisite shiro butter. —Holly Richards
• Anytime I’m visiting the ritzy part of DC that I derisively call “Upper Northwest,” I use it as an excuse to stop into Franco-Japanese pastry shop Saku Saku Flakerie for a savory or sweet treat (or three). Delights from this past year included a miso smoked salmon quiche, a zaatar gruyere croissant, tahini chocolate swirl cookies, and a pistachio paste-filled croissant that actually stopped me in my tracks as I ate it walking down the sidewalk. —Stephanie Rudig
Rhode Island
• A dessert from the Metacom Kitchen pop-up at Scales & Shells in Newport in November... it was a slow-roasted apple with lime leaf ice cream and masala spiced graham cracker streusel. Unreal. I’m also recommending a recipe for Massaman Curry & Coconut Meatballs I made from Kasim Hardaway’s Substack. —Cassie Kliesch
• I was blown away by the grilled calamari at Palo in Providence. The potatoes soaking under the hot cherry pepper & caper sauce were everything! —Franco Zacha
• The chicken thighs in traditional mole from Dolores in Providence. Extremely juicy chicken in such a flavorful sauce. Dolores is a restaurant where you can experiment with anything on the menu, and it's probably a hit! And when the beans and rice on the side are also excellent, you know this is a prime Mexican spot. —Michelle Perez
• A lunch I had last spring at Nicks on Broadway in Providence. My daughters and wife are all Irish step dancers, so March is very busy, but I snuck away from the festivities so I wouldn't miss my friend Derek's St. Patrick's Week menu. It's Irish perfection, especially that brown bread. Sláinte! —David Dadekian
• The apple turnover from Oak Bake Shop in Providence. It's crispy and flaky. The soft puff pastry bursting with apples and pastry cream. They’re only made on Thursdays and are definitely worth the wait. —Herberto Da Silva
• Bluefin Tuna Steak Frites! This was a Mr. Tuna pop-up event, “Tuna Steakhouse” at the Courtland Club in Providence. —Bethany Caliaro
• The restaurant I kept crawling back to during 2024 was The Slow Rhode. It's the kind of place where you don't have to compromise on good vibes for good food. Imagine taking the first bite of a meatloaf that the bartender describes as "life-changing" while your favorite old-school Missy Elliot track plays. In that moment, all is right in the world. —Kitty Arruda
International
Auckland, New Zealand
• I ate some Malaysian food at Bunga Raya this year that was so good it felt like discovering Malaysia. We love our Chinese, our Thai, our Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese, but don't sleep on Malaysia. —Sean Rameswaram
Canada
• Poutine from La Banquise in Montréal. —Chiara Xie
• Lemon and pistachio cannoli from Rizzo’s House of Parm in Ontario. It superceded the tiramisu, which is a total upset. I'd like to say this changes cannoli for me, but Rizzo’s is just aberrant. Made to order. Light. Very low sugar. Perfection. —Yezball
• Hands down, chicken jerk poutine at Tropical Joe’s in Toronto! A friend recommended it to me, and ever since, we’ve been hooked, going back for it again and again. The boneless chicken and melted cheese are smothered in a rich, curry-flavored sauce, making it the most unique poutine I’ve ever tasted in Canada. The perfectly balanced spices keep you coming back for bite after bite—it’s absolutely irresistible! —Alex Chen
Galway, Ireland
• The “Creamy Dreamy Galway Tea” from Cupán Tae, with a splash of half & half. My friend and I shared the last of his tin, and it was only after we drank it all that we realized it had been out of stock for years! —Madison Tom
Istanbul, Turkey
• Balik ekmek from Super Mario Restaurant. —Heedayah Lockman
England
• Crispy pork belly basil rice from Kinkhao Cafe. It's a Thai place based in Exeter. The aesthetics of this restaurant are so unique and the pottered plates are beautiful. —Oliver Li
• Kimchi Faceplant sandwich from Chatsworth Bakehouse in London. —Wendy Wood
France
• A whole chicken (poulet boucané), smoked for hours over sugar cane, bought at a roadside shack on the road to Le Diamant, Martinique. Once it was ready, the woman who owned the shack asked if we wanted "sauce," which is a heady Caribbean mix of chicken jus, onions, local peppers and white pepper. —Rebecca Orchant
• Foie gras with savory granola cracker from Chantoiseau in Paris. —Alex Smith
Mali Losinj, Croatia
• A warm bowl of house-made fish brodo (fish soup) at Konoba Silvana. A delicate, sweet taste of the Adriatic. This recipe reminded Wally (my partner) of his mom’s kitchen, the dish she would make when they were on the island together. —Mike Fish
Oaxaca, Mexico
• A molcajete chock full of local meats, and cactus, quesadilla filled with huitlacoche, and soup with chochoyotes (little masa dumplings!), with a ginormous glass of mango agua fresca to wash it down. All new-to-me flavors at a place called Casa Mook that blew my tits off! —Colin Verdi
Siracusa, Sicily
• The camera always eats first, and oh, did it eat at the little sidewalk cafe called ColaPasta. Both my phone and my tastebuds went wild for their fresh bruschetta and vegan pesto pasta! —Zach Laks
Tokyo, Japan
• Kaisen donburi (Tokujo supreme course with extra crab, double extra sea urchin, double extra salmon roe) from Nihonbashi Kaisen Donburi Tsujihan. —Ryan Bush
Made by hand
• Spinach-cheese pie, my sister's specialty. But now I am making it myself, because I’m 2112 kilometers from home. Every time I bake it, it reminds me of my sister, whom I miss very much. —Alexa Bartle
• Vanilla lime wedding cake that I baked by myself for our wedding party. I made this cake for my significant other and my friends and family. The most important ingredient is love. —Olga Aleksandrova
• My friend Bo is a fantastic cook and this year he debuted a salad dressing that delivered the best bite of 2024. It was so flavor-packed that it made you think there had to be more than just lettuces in the bowl. When I finished my plate, I immediately told him that the dressing could tentpole a restaurant—reason enough to keep people coming back. So sad for everyone who doesn’t know Bo, this is only available at his apartment in Clinton Hill. —Todd Clayton
• Congri (my favorite type of rice & beans). Made by my grandma, who refuses to eat at the dinner table with us, or on the normal plates. Instead, she eats a few minutes before, on a smaller, worse plate. And with a special set of uglier silverware. And instead of drinking out of a glass like everyone else, she drinks out of a plastic Mickey Mouse cup. Because suffering is love. And legitimately, nobody makes congri like her. She always sends me to the airport with a tupperware full of it. —Emma Jane Gonzalez
• My parents and I were on a post-college graduation trip in the South. My parents are Chinese, and they hadn’t really had Western-styled food for a long time. At some point, they grew tired of fried chicken and sandwiches and just wanted to have home-cooked Chinese food. However, the Airbnb we were in didn't have a kitchen, and it was pretty hard to find an authentic Chinese restaurant in Georgia. So we bought ingredients from a supermarket and just threw them on a grill in a park. We made northern Chinese-style barbecue (grilled lamb with cumin, chili, and a variety of Chinese seasonings) with tons of seafood, corn, and sweet potato. The corn really hit! It was so good I almost swallowed my tongue. This wasn’t the most delicious food I ate this year, but the process of making it was incredibly fun. My parents and I argued about the best ways to cook each dish, which I will always remember. —Cara Wang
• Gluten-free latkes made by my housemate Cheri and me! I'm used to my latkes falling apart while I'm making them, but these turned out absolutely perfect. We enjoyed them with applesauce. —Sophie Foulkes
• This year, I discovered an unexpectedly simple taste through my penny-pinching college experience: butter noodles. The first bowl wasn’t anything special or tasty—just spaghetti with butter—but then I added onto it—fusilli pasta, chicken broth to cook the noodles in, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese—until it turned into a comfort food that I come back to even when I’m not feeling particularly frugal. —M.L. Moore
• Recently, I attended a cookie swap party as a plus one. Although I just brought some store-bought cookies, I was fortunate to sample a huge variety of both store-bought and homemade cookies with friends. My favorite was a vanilla and nutty fig jam swirl (I’m a Fig Newton fan). Variety is the spice of life, and sharing it with loved ones is the cherry on top! —Linda Liu
• A "friendsgiving'' potluck feast in Barcelona. One of my friends here is from Texas. He and his boyfriend host a gorgeous Thanksgiving meal each year where we all bring a dish. I made a sweet potato salad with feta and cranberries, which was mighty tasty if I do say so myself. —Jon McCormack
• Narciso (my partner) is a bit of a wizard in the kitchen. He improvised Cornichon Mac & Cheese (adapted from a box of Annie's) as a way to get me to eat when I was being a bit of an indecisive brat (not in the cool Charli XCX way). Who knew that creamy cheese sauce bolstered with butter and fancy cheese, leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and diced bits of cornichons were the key to getting a Midwestern girl down from a hanger-induced rage? —Meredith Miotke
• My mother's mutton curry. I think about it every single day. —Sanika Phawde
Sundries
• Painterland Sisters Skyr Yogurt—Meadow Berry Flavor. WTF IS SKYR? It's an incredibly smooth Icelandic yogurt. Like the other Icelandic icon, Bjork, it doesn't make sense how good it is. I don't know these girls who make this yogurt, but I wish I did, so they could share the Skyr secrets. —Kelsey Padgett
• Trader Joe's Dill-icious Salad Kit. Adding avocados or chicken fingers or both makes this amazing trash salad even better. —Derya Hanife Altan
• I went through a somewhat brief, but potent ajitama (soft-boiled ramen egg) enthusiasm phase this spring. Few things feel cozier. —Jessica Daly
• Our Thanksgiving, a three ring circus crammed into a NYC apartment. My grandmother brings “Swedish” meatballs, despite us being more the Irish Catholic type. She makes small meatballs from scratch and douses them with the secret sauce: Saucy Susan’s Peach Apricot Glaze. —Claire Wyman
An extra special thank you to Violeta Encarnación1, who incorporated 22 dishes from the banquet into this week’s illustration. See more of her work here.
Violeta Encarnación is a Cuban, award-winning illustrator based in New York City, known for her vibrant, storytelling-driven visuals across traditional and digital media. Her work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, Sports Illustrated Kids, and The Washington Post. Violeta’s art often explores our connection to nature and each other, inviting viewers to reflect on these relationships.