The Best Thing I Ever Ate

One of the questions that I hear most often is "What's the best _blank_ that you've ever had?" As such, inspired by Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, I came up with the following list, spanning a myriad of different food categories. I do intend on keeping things current, and plan on adding and updating entries as we go along. Do let me know if there's anything I missed.

	Abalone	Awabi (nigirizushi) at Go's Mart
	Agnolotti	Duck confit agnolotti, shaved foie gras, duck consomme at Saddle Peak Lodge
	Aloo Tikki	Aloo tikki cholle at Vik's Chaat Corner
	Ankimo	Ankimo at Go's Mart
	Artichoke	Crispy baby artichokes, remoulade, pepper coulis at Raphael
	Banana Cream Pie	Black bottom banana cream pie at Gjelina
	Bavarois	Coconut bavarois, coffee, thai basil, peanut croquant, chicory at Test Kitchen (Jordan Kahn)
	Beef Heart	Anticucho de corazon, rocoto Sauce at Test Kitchen (Ricardo Zarate)
	Beef Short Rib	Short rib, prime, braised 72h, raisin-peppercorn sauce at Citronelle
	Beef Tartar	Tartare of filet mignon and French fries at Central Michel Richard
	Beet	Beet cake at Blue Vervain
	Bibimbap	Dolsot bibimbap at Young Dong Tofu
	Black Beans	Black bean crème, frijoles moros soup, compressed apple, calvados, tropical mint at Playa
	Black Cod	Misoyaki black cod, furikake rice cake, pickled garden vegetables, encapsulated foie gras miso soup at Molecular Menu at AnQi
	Blood Sausage	Sangrecita, morcilla crostini, fried egg, jalapeno salsa at Mo-Chica
	Bo La Lot	Grilled beef wrapped in sesame leaves at Starry Kitchen Nights at Tiara Cafe
	Bone Marrow	Grilled bone marrow at The Spice Table
	Bonito	Bonito, lightly smoked with wild fennel, black tea at Manresa
	Brain	Calf's brain and scrambled egg with shaved white truffles at Per Se
	Branzino	Loup de mer, sungold tomatoes, mole verde at Test Kitchen (Walter Manzke)
	Brisket	Beef brisket alla Genovese, onions, ozette potatoes, parsley at Sotto
	Butter	Foie gras butter at Hatchi at Breadbar (Walter Manzke)
	Butterscotch	Macallan butterscotch, winter squash cake, toasted milk ice cream, malt at XIV
	Burger, Slider	Le burger, au foie gras et aux poivrons verjutés (beef and foie gras burger with caramelized bell peppers) at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
	Caesar Salad	Caesarin, Peruvian ceasar salad, grilled baby romaine, parmesan, huacatay anchovie dressing at Mo-Chica
	Camembert	Camembert | coing, camembert croquette, persimmon, quince purée, cherry vinegar, mâche at The Royce
	Cannoli	Cannoli at Test Kitchen (Zach Pollack, Steve Samson)
	Carbonara	Linguine alla carbonara, pancetta, eggs, black pepper and Grana Padano at Osteria Mamma
	Carrot Cake	Carrot cake, carrot sorbet, yuzu curd, cream cheese snow at The Dining Room
	Cassoulet	Rabbit cassoulet at Relate at Bistro St. Germain's
	Cauliflower	Fried cauliflower, fish sauce at The Spice Table
	Causa	Causa rellena, stuffed crispy causa, morcilla, rocoto aioli at Test Kitchen (Ricardo Zarate)
	Century Egg	Thousand-year-old quail egg, potage, ginger at Benu
	Ceviche	Ceviche crocante, halibut, leche de tigre, crispy calamari at Picca
	Chawanmushi	Chawanmushi at Urasawa
	Chicken Heart	Tokujo hatsu / special heart at Kokekokko
	Chicken Liver	Spicy chicken liver on toast with chicken cracklin' at Black Hogg
	Chicken, Roasted	Whole roasted black chicken, with piquillo pepper purée, fried chicken, stuffing at Sona
	Chicken Sandwich	Fried chicken sandwich, spicy B&B pickle slaw, rooster aioli at Son of a Gun
	Chicken and Waffles	Wood & Vine fried chicken & waffles, house-made waffle, maple roasted squash at Wood & Vine
	Chickpeas	Slow cooked chickpeas a la Catalan, sauce romesco, coriander at Ubuntu
	Chile Relleno	Chile relleno, farci avec une duxelle et servi avec une sauce de chèvre et d'ail at Rivera
	Chili Fries	Chili-cheese fries with onions at Volcano Burgers
	Churros	Chu-don't-know-mang, pound cake cinnamon churros, with malted chocolate milk and vanilla ice cream at A-Frame
	Clam	Humitas, Baja surf clam, red bell pepper, queso ranchero, fresno chiles, chives, lime pesto at Playa
	Clam Chowder	Clam chowder, with green curry, lemongrass, pancetta, coconut milk, and toasted sourdough at A-Frame
	Congee	Westlake rice porridge, hangar steak, rock shrimp, soy-cured Egg, cilantro at Mission Chinese Food
	Consommé	Oxtail consommé, mushroom royal, black truffles at Test Kitchen (Alain Giraud)
	Coq au Vin	Coq au vin, braised organic chicken, market vegetables, thyme roasted potatoes, Burgundy jus at La Poubelle Bistro
	Corn	Chipotle corn, lime butter, queso Oaxaca at Playground
	Corn Dog	Corn pups, two short dogs, Anson Mills corn batter, mustard at Short Order
	Corned Beef	Corned beef, appenzeller churro, red onion, pastrami syrup at ink.
	Cotton Candy	Lychee cotton candy at The Slanted Door
	Crab	Kani miso korayaki at Urasawa
	Crab Cakes	Jumbo lump crab cakes, with Pommery mustard sauce and coleslaw at Gulfstream
	Crème Brûlée	Crème brulee, strawberry at Test Kitchen (Walter Manzke)
	Crudites	Crudite, urchin bottarga and seaweed at Alma Pop-Up
	Curry, Japanese	Pork cutlet curry, crispy fried kurobuta pork loin at Fat Spoon
	Deviled Eggs	3 devil eggs, porky, chive, truffle at Test Kitchen (Shelley Cooper)
	Dorade	Dorade royal "au plat", fennel, zucchini, eggplant, "Riviera jus" at Patina
	Dosa	Masala dosa at Annapurna Cuisine
	Doughnut	Buttermilk toasted coconut doughnut, mascarpone ice cream at Grace
	Dover Sole	Dover sole | endive, dover sole à la poêle, crunchy endive bergamot lemon, cauliflower mushroom charred truffled leeks at The Royce
	Duck Confit	Arroz con pato, duck and rice, traditional Peruvian dish from north of Lima at Test Kitchen (Ricardo Zarate)
	Dumplings, Non-Traditional	Chinese spring chive crystal dumplings, Alaskan king crab, shrimp, Kurobuta pork at WP24
	Eggplant	Roasted eggplant, bulgur, charred cucumber and tahini at Alma Pop-Up
	Engawa	Halibut fin sashimi at sugarFISH
	Fish and Chips	Fish & Chips at The Parish
	Flatbread Sandwich	The bäco at Lazy Ox Canteen
	Fluke	Fluke, spinach, vinaigrette, shallot, chive at Wolvesmouth Underground Dinner
	Foie Gras, Cold	Moulard duck "foie gras terrine", Tokyo turnips, pickled ramps, black truffles, garden mâche and toasted brioche at The French Laundry
	Foie Gras, Hot	Foie-gras "en papillotte" and radish bouillon (« radis-foie ») at Guy Savoy
	Fried Chicken	Marinated fried chicken in duck fat brown butter potato salad at LudoBites 2.0 at Breadbar
	Fried Green Tomato	Fried green tomato, tabasco aioli at Wolvesmouth Underground Dinner
	Fried Oyster	Gougere, slider fried oysters, tartar sauce, bacon & arugula at Little Bear
	Fried Rice	Arroz chaufa de mariscos, mixed seafood, peruvian fried rice, pickled radish at Picca
	Frog	La grenouille, la cuisse en fritot à la purée aillée eu au coulis de persil (crispy frog leg, garlic and parsley coulis) at Joël Robuchon
	Gargouillou	Into the vegetable garden...their natural juices at Manresa
	Gazpacho	Watermelon gazpacho, Japanese octopus, Pedro Ximenez at Patina
	Goat	Slow roasted G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), pickled mango at Sunny Spot
	Grouper	Pan roasted black grouper, artichoke, sunchoke, Maine pink shrimp, black lentil puree, smoked lobster vinaigrette at Joe's Restaurant
	Guacamole	Guacamole (prepared tableside) at Oyamel
	Haam Sui Gaau	Glutinous dumpling with diced pork at Koi Palace
	Hamachi	Hamachi, Vietnamese style at LudoBites 6.0 at Max
	Har Gow	Steamed shrimp dumpling topped with XO sauce at Koi Palace
	Hazelnut	Hazelnut milk, frosted celeriac, Tennessee whiskey, wood ice cream at XIV
	Heirloom Tomato Salad	Heirloom tomato salad, Santa Barbara sea urchin, soy caramel at Patina
	Herring	Salade d'hargens, smoked herring, fingerling potato salad at Church & State
	Honeydew	Dessert (honeydew from Shizuoka) at Imahan
	Horchata	Agua de horchata at La Casita Mexicana
	Hummus	Hummus with tahini at Cleo
	John Dory	John Dory fillet, poached in Malabar black pepper-citrus butter, cannelloni beans, marin velouté, crunchy sauce at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire
	Kabocha Squash	Le Kabocha, en symphonie soyeuse au foie gras et gingembre (delicate kabocha pumpkin veloute on foie gras custard with ginger) at Joël Robuchon
	Kale	Sautéed kale, broccoli leaf, garlic & chili at The Gorbals
	Kamatoro	Kama toro / tuna collar at Urasawa
	Karaage	Awabi "karaage" at Urasawa
	Kebab	Koobideh (luleh kabob) at Raffi's Place
	King Crab	King crab legs, Tabasco butter at Son of a Gun
	Kohada	Kohada at Nozomi
	Lamb	Lamb, rack, raw-cooked vegetables, jalapeno-cumin sauce at Citronelle
	Langoustine	La langoustine, truffée et cuite en ravioli avec un émincé de chou étuvé (truffled langoustine ravioli with stewed cabbage) at Joël Robuchon
	Lobster Roll	Lobster roll, celery, lemon aioli at Son of a Gun
	Lobster, Cold	Lobster | pomegranate, slow poached lobster, coleman's farm butter lettuce, sweet onion, pomegranate hot and snow at The Royce
	Lomo Saltado	Lomo saltado at Mario's Peruvian Seafood
	Mango	Mango bavarois, sugar plums, star anise, pistachio at Patina
	Matzoh	Bacon-wrapped matzoh balls, horseradish mayonnaise at The Gorbals
	Minestrone	Wild fennel minestra, mustard greens, farro, Calabrian chilies, egg at Sotto
	Mole	Tres moles con puerco at La Casita Mexicana
	Morel	Trapped funghi, morels, sesame praline, spring alliums, mushroom sabayon, cardamom, homemade coffee oil, ginger at CR8 Purotekuta
	Mousseline	Poached egg, potato mousseline, Santa Barbara prawn, chorizo condiment at LudoBites 5.0 at Gram & Papas
	Mushroom	Dobin mushi (matsutake) at Urasawa
	Olives	Olives all'Ascolana at Scarpetta
	Onion Rings	"Beer batter" onion rings at Burger Parlor
	Ono	Ono ceviche, coconut milk, tomato, cilantro at Test Kitchen (Elderoy Arendse, Ori Menashe)
	Oyster, Cooked	Butter poached Kushi oyster, tapioca cream with Spanish caviar and fresh yuzu at Alex
	Pad Thai	Pad Thai, market version w/ sweet radish, peanuts, tofu & dried shrimp at Night + Market
	Panna Cotta, Savory	Soymilk panna cotta, Santa Barbara sea urchin, geoduck clam and fresh wasabi at Ibaraki Benefit Dinner at Breadbar
	Papaya	Papaya at Urasawa
	Papaya Salad	Green papaya, crispy taro, rau ram, fried shallots, peanuts at Test Kitchen (Jordan Kahn)
	Pastrami	Saul's pastrami at The Dining Room
	Peas	Peas all around (tout petits pois) at Guy Savoy
	Peasprouts	Sauteed peasprout at Newport Seafood
	Pig Ear	Pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg at Animal
	Pig Tail	Pig's tail, lettuce, herbs at The Spice Table
	Pig Trotter	Pied de cochon, spicy aioli at Test Kitchen (Neal Fraser)
	Pizza	Roma tomatoes, onions, feta, mozzarella cheeses, garlic olive oil, lemon zest & juice and cilantro at Cheese Board Pizza Collective
	Pommes Purée	Black truffle potato purée (purée de pommes de terre à la truffe noire) at Guy Savoy
	Pork Belly	Braised kurobuta pork belly with braised red cabbage & green curry at Bar Charlie
	Pork Jowl	Corned pork jowl salad, black trumpet vinaigrette, chicory and lettuce stems and leaves at Commis
	Pork Rillettes	Rillettes, pork, pickles, mustard, toast at The Tasting Kitchen
	Pork Shoulder	Maya puerco pibil sous vide, banana leaf braised pork shoulder, Peruvian potatoes at Rivera
	Pork Tenderloin	Grilled pork tenderloin, squash, chestnuts, bacon, violet mustard at Test Kitchen (Neal Fraser)
	Pot de Crème	Butterscotch pot de crème, salted caramel ice-cream at Wood & Vine
	Pot Pie	Chilean pot pie at Pan Am Room
	Pot Roast	Jar's signature pot roast, carrots, caramelized onions at Jar
	Potato Chips	Papas salsa verde, Kennebec potatoes, avocado, chiles serranos, micro cilantro at Playa
	Pretzel	Spretzel, mustard dipping sauce at Cooks County
	Quesadilla	Foie gras quesadilla, crispy cabbage, juniper berry oil at LudoBites America at Casa Pulido
	Rabbit	Rabbit, bacon n onion muffin, Swiss fondue, green apple, mustard greens at Wolvesmouth Underground Dinner
	Ragù	Hand cut maltagliati, pork ragù, scallion, Gruyère at Fraiche
	Ramen	Taiwan ramen noodle, Nagoya style spicy noodle soup served with beef and pork, Asian chives, and dried red chili at Sashi
	Rice Porridge	Kinoko zosui porridge of rice and egg at Aburiya Toranoko
	Risotto	Mushroom risotto, topped with shaved summer truffles at Patina
	Roe	eggs (flatbread) at Saison
	Sabayon	Lime sabayon, cucumber ice cream, cashew macaroons, white chocolate, jasmine at Red Medicine
	Salade Lyonnaise	Frisee aux lardons et oeuf poche, frisee salad with lardons, poached egg, bacon vinaigrette & toasted brioche at Bouchon
	Salmon Tartar	Le Caviar, tartare de saumon aux jeunes pousses de shiso (salmon tartar with shiso sprouts) at Joël Robuchon
	Salpicon	Salpicon, piquillo pepper & mandarin orange at Lazy Ox Canteen
	Salsify	Tree in the forest: confit of salsify, crispy maitake mushrooms with garlic & herbs at Bistronomics Lucky 13 at Breadbar
	Salt Cod	Bunelos de bacalao, fried salt cod and potato at Test Kitchen (Walter Manzke, Perfecto Rocher)
	Sangria	Basque sangria, Floc de Gascogne, flavors of sangria, freeze-dried fruit at Test Kitchen (Michael Voltaggio)
	Sausage, Asian	Sai krok Isaan / sour Isaan sausage, grilled fermented pork sausage, w/ bird eye chile, cabbage at Night + Market
	Scallop, Raw	Hokkaido scallop, nasturtium blossoms, crispy rice cracker at Providence
	Schnitzel	Sweetbread schnitzel with potato salad at Stefan's at L.A. Farm
	Scrambled Eggs	Black truffle (French) scrambled eggs at LudoBites 8.0 at Lemon Moon
	Sea Bream	Sea bream, almond and orange, fennel jam at Manresa
	Sesame	Goma aisu kurimu at Urasawa
	Shabu-Shabu	Premium wagyu beef (from Japan, grade A5) at Kagaya
	Shawarma	Duck "shawarma", Israeli couscous and organic corn salad at Taste of Beverly Hills (Momed)
	Shima Aji	Shima aji at Urasawa
	Shrimp Cocktail	Jumbo shrimp cocktail at Hank's Oyster Bar
	Shrimp, Cooked	North Carolina coastal shrimp and Anson Mills grits at Ratcliffe on The Green
	Shrimp Toast	Shrimp toast sandwich, herbs, Sriracha mayo at Son of a Gun
	Snail	Escargot, country sausage, green tomato, black eyed pea at The Vagrancy Project
	Soba	Buckwheat soba at Okaryo
	Soft Shell Crab	Soft shell crab, scrambled corn, Old Bay, vanilla-crab jus at The Dining Room
	Somen	Somen noodle with bottarga at Matsuhisa
	Sope	Isla de Cedros abalone chorizo sope at Test Kitchen (Javier Plascencia)
	Spaghetti	Spaghetti, tomato & basil at Scarpetta
	Spanakopita	Spanakopita at Cleo
	Spring Roll	Nem nuong cuon at Brodard
	Squash Blossom	Alchemic chemistry, 79 at CR8 The Art Of
	Squid	Baby Monterey squid, Chiang Mai pork sausage, candlenut, mint, rau ram at Lukshon
	Steak	True Japanese 100% Wagyu Beef From Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, Filet Mignon 6 Oz at CUT
	Sweet Potato	Sweet potato, romaine ribs, turmeric, beer, baby shrimp at Red Medicine
	Sunchoke	Sunchoke soup, black truffle, olive oil at The Royce
	Taco, Non-Traditional	Pork belly tacos, Fuji apple slaw, jalapeño relish at Black Hogg
	Tamago	Tamago at Natori
	Tamale, Non-Traditional	Tamalli Chateaubriand, wild-mushroom duxelles dumpling, filet mignon, chipotle béarnaise at Playa
	Taro	Acra, graded taro roots blended with herring, green onion, bell pepper, onion, garlic, black pepper and parsley at Test Kitchen (TiGeorges Laguerre)
	Tempura	Ebi tempura at Urasawa
	Tiradito	Tiradito de jurel, Japanese aji carpaccio, garlic, ginger lemon sauce at Test Kitchen (Ricardo Zarate)
	Tiramisu	Tiramisu at Osteria Mamma
	Tofu	Black bean tofu with beets & Tokyo scallions at Bar Charlie
	Tomato	Momotaro tomatoes at Totoraku
	Toro	Otoro (nigirizushi) at Kyubey
	Torta, Non-Traditional	Chorizo piquillo goat cheese torta at Wolvesmouth Underground Dinner
	Tortilla	Tortillas florales, housemade nixtimal tortillas, "Indian butter" at Rivera
	Tres Leches	Tres leches cake at Gulfstream
	Trifle	Yuzu banana trifle, mountain berries at Lazy Ox Canteen
	Tripe	Omasum tripe, shrimp, yellow chive, lovage at Benu
	Truffle	Black truffle, explosion, romaine, parmesan at Alinea
	Tuna, Cooked	Maguro "spare ribs" at Kyubey
	Tuna Tartar	Cru (bluefin tuna tartar) at Saison
	Turbot	"EcoPez" turbot, fungi, seagrass, ash oil at Test Kitchen (Michael Voltaggio)
	Turkey Burger	O.C., turkey burger, herb sauce, sprouts, marinated carrots, avocado, provolone at Burger Parlor
	Unagi	Unagi, summer truffle, crushed potato, quail egg at Providence
	Uni, Sushi	Uni / sea urchin roe at Urasawa
	Veal	Marcho Farm nature-fed veal, "lasagne de langue de veau," toybox tomatoes, globe artichoke, romaine lettuce and Castelmagne "mousseline" at The French Laundry
	Venison	Filet de chevreuil, loin of venison, roasted market vegetables and fall fruits at Bocuse d'Or USA Benefit Dinner
	Vitello Tonnato	Vitello tonnato, veal eye of round sousvide for 12h@51°c, salsa tonnata and celery at Il Grano
	Waffle	Crisp sourdough waffle, black cherry and mascarpone, balsamic caramel at Muse
	White Chocolate	White chocolate cube, orange blossom cream, coriander, pistachio, sake at XIV
	Wontons	Pork chili oil wonton+Szechuan-style shredded potatoes at Starry Kitchen Nights at Tiara Cafe
	Xiaolongbao	Lobster coral xiao long bao at Benu
	Yakiniku	Outside rib eye at Totoraku