2019 Eating and Drinking

In 2011 I started the Day Zero Project and one of my items was to eat at 101 new restaurants in 1001 days. I easily accomplished that task and since then I have continued to log where I’ve been on a yearly basis.

Traditionally, restaurants have (mis)treated coffee as a cheap commodity somehow disconnected from the whole dining experience. How many times have we had bad brews served in the end of a really nice meal? The reasons for such a gap in quality are many, but we are happy to say things are finally changing. Ancoats Coffee supplies some amazing bars and restaurants in Manchester and other parts of the UK and we learned how a new generation of chefs and business owners with a different mindset are pushing for Specialty coffee and educating customers.

Beyond an end-of-meal drink
One of the main reasons behind the rise of Specialty coffee in restaurants is demand. More and more people expect to find good coffee when out for a meal and there are enough good cafes around for customers to know when they are getting a “bad brew”. “In the past you might have a cup of coffee after a meal because it was something you grew up with. It was bad coffee, but that was it”, comments Michael Cley, one of the owners and chef at Elnecot – Ancoats Neighbourhood Bar & Kitchen. “Now people have more coffee and at whichever time of the day. That’s a very good reason to serve a decent product.”

Check the best restaurants of 2018. This is a simple list of restaurants, bars, breweries, coffee shops, etc. I’ve gone eating and drinking at for the first time (no repeats).

1. Ba Bar — Seattle, WA
2. Canon — Seattle, WA*
3. Tavern Law — Seattle, WA
4. Needle & Thread — Seattle, WA*
5. Tougo Coffee Co. — Seattle, WA
6. Iron Goat Pizza — Steven’s Pass Mountain Resort
7. Stateside — Seattle, WA
8. Zig Zag Cafe — Seattle, WA*
9. Storyville Coffee Company — Seattle, WA
10. Buckley’s in Belltown — Seattle, WA
11. Scuttlebutt Brewing Company — Everett, WA
12. Catch 122 — Vancouver, BC, Canada
13. Local — Vancouver, BC, Canada
14. Bridges Restaurant — Vancouver, BC, Canada
15. Wake n’ Bakery — Glacier, WA
16. Milano’s — Glacier, WA
17. Chair 9 Woodstone Pizza & Bar — Glacier, WA
18. Joe’s Coffee — Maple Falls, WA
19. Jacob’s Noodle and Cutlet — Kamloops, BC, Canada
20. Village Idiot — Revelstoke, BC, Canada*
21. The Taco Club — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
22. Mackenzie Outpost — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
23. Revelstoke Mid Mountain Lodge — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
24. Mackenzie Common Tavern — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
25. Old School Eatery — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
26. Rockford Wok | Bar | Grill — Revelstoke, BC, Canada*
27. Craft Bierhaus — Revelstoke, BC, Canada*
28. River City Pub at Regent Inn — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
29. The Modern Bakeshop & Cafe — Revelstoke, BC, Canada
30. The Wolf’s Den — Golden, BC, Canada
31. Eagle’s Eye Restaurant — Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, BC, Canada
32. Peak’s Grill — Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, BC, Canada
33. The Riverhouse — Golden, BC, Canada*
34. Whitetooth Mountain Bistro — Golden, BC, Canada
35. Whitetooth Brewing Co — Golden, BC, Canada
36. Golden Taps Pub — Golden, BC, Canada*
37. Whiskyjack Lodge — Lake Louise Ski Resort, AB, Canada
38. Kuma Yama Ramen & Sushi Bar — Lake Louise Ski Resort, AB, Canada
39. Bill Peyto’s Cafe — Lake Louise, AB, Canada
40. Baker Creek Bistro — Lake Louise, AB, Canada
41. The Eddie Burger + Bar — Banff, AB, Canada
42. First Tracks Cafe — Banff, AB, Canada
43. Mad Trapper’s Saloon — Sunshine Village, AB, Canada
44. Maple Leaf Grill — Banff, AB, Canada
45. Banff Sweet Shop — Banff, AB, Canada
46. Good Earth Coffeehouse — Banff, AB, Canada
47. Canmore Brewing Co — Canmore, AB, Canada*
48. Grizzly Paw Brewing — Canmore, AB, Canada*
49. Magpie & Stump — Banff, AB, Canada
50. Block Kitchen & Bar, Banff, AB, Canada
51. Carlito’s Pizza — Banff, AB, Canada
52. Whitebark Cafe — Banff, AB, Canada
53. St. James Corner — Calgary, AB, Canada
54. Ramen Spot — Richmond, VA
55. Greek on Cary — Richmond, VA
56. Restaurant Adarra — Richmond, VA
57. Swan Dive — Richmond, VA
58. El Pope — Richmond, VA
59. Mix — Richmond, VA*
60. Idle Hands Bread Co — Richmond, VA
61. Taste (Grove Ave) — Richmond, VA
62. Easy Tiger — Austin, TX
63. Little Woodrow’s — Austin, TX
64. Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina — Taos Ski Valley, NM
65. Bumps Market — Taos Ski Valley, NM
66. Black Diamond Espresso — Taos Ski Valley, NM
67. The Bavarian Inn — Taos Ski Valley, NM
68. Historic Taos Inn — Taos, NM
69. The Alley Cantina — Taos, NM
70. Abe’s Bar & Grill — Arroyo Seco, NM
71. Taos Cow — Arroyo Seco, NM
72. Taos Mesa Brewing — Taos, NM
73. 192 at the Blake — Taos Ski Valley, NM
74. Hotel Saint Barnard — Taos Ski Valey, NM
75. The Gorge Bar & Grill — Taos, NM
76. Le Petit Cafe — Taos Ski Valley, NM
77. Hondo Restaurant — Taos Ski Valley, NM
78. Maiko Sushi Lounge — Austin, TX
79. Rustic Tap — Austin, TX*
80. Tiny Boxwoods — Austin, TX
81. Cafe Medici — Austin, TX*
82. Rainey Street Food Trucks — Austin, TX
83. The Drafting Room — Austin, TX*
84. Icenhauer’s — Austin, TX*
85. Anthem — Austin, TX*
86. Lucille — Austin, TX*
87. Tiny’s Mike & Cookies — Austin, TX
88. Torchy’s Tacos UT — Austin, TX
89. Zilker Brewing Co — Austin, TX*
90. Lazarus Brewing Company — Austin, TX*
91. Chairlift — Richmond, VA
92. Hickory Tavern — Columbia, SC
93. The Haven Coffee House — Columbia, SC
94. Tiny Victory — Richmond, VA
95. Benny Ventano’s — Richmond, VA
96. Perch — Richmond, VA
97. Brunch — Richmond, VA
98. Soul Taco — Richmond, VA
99. Billy Jack’s Shack — Richmond, VA
100. Shiplock Brewing Company — Richmond, VA*
101. Fatty Smokes: A BBQ Joint
102. Beaudevin Wine Bar — Charlotte, NC
103. M Shack — Jacksonville, FL
104. Cirus Vodka Distillery — Richmond, VA*
105. Wolfe’s BBQ — Marion, VA
106. Fish Hawk at The Tides Inn — Irvington, VA
107. Terrazzo — Xlendi Bay, Gozo, Malta
108. The Boathouse — Xlendi Bay, Gozo, Malta
109. Horizon Bar & Restaurant — Żebbuġ, Gozo, Malta
110. Cafe San Martino — Citadel, Gozo, Malta
111. Pirates Galley — Xlendi Bay, Gozo, Malta
112. Ta Karolina — Xlendi Bay, Gozo, Malta
113. Ta’ Frenc — Xagħra, Gozo, Malta
114. Posh Turkish — Mosta, Malta
115. Trattoria AD 1530 — Mdina, Malta
116. Caffe Luna Palazzo Parisio — Naxxar, Malta
117. The Harbour Club — Valetta, Malta
118. Crystal Palace — Rabat, Malta
119. Bacino Cafe — Birgu, Malta
120. Carmen’s Bar — Ghar Lapsi, Malta*
121. Giannini — Valetta, Malta
122. TWA Hotel — Queens, NY
123. Switch Popup Bar — Richmond, VA*
124. Poor B0y’s RVA — Richmond, VA*
125. Bonney & Sons Seafood and Produce — Sandbridge, VA
126. Sandbridge Island Resturant and Raw Bar — Sandbridge, VA
127. Blue Pete’s — Sandbridge, VA
128. Baja Restaurant — Sandbridge, VA
129. Milion — Buenos Aires, Argentina
130. La Cocina — Buenos Aires, Argentina
131. Gran Café Tortoni — Buenos Aires, Argentina
132. The Capital Beer — Buenos Aires, Argentina*
133. Ol’Days Coffee — Buenos Aires, Argentina
134. A la Pipetuá — Colonia del Sacremento, Uruguay
135. Parrilla Peña — Buenos Aires, Argentina
136. Cervecería Peña — Buenos Aires, Argentina*
137. Green Eat — Buenos Aires, Argentina
138. Pizza Cala — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina
139. Dublin South Pub — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina*
140. Merken — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina
141. Ku — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina
142. Domingo — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina
143. Bar Graeff — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina
144. Patagonia Piscis — San Martin de los Andra, Argentina
145. Jauja Restaurant – Bariloche, Argentina
146. Telesilla Punta Princesa — Cerro Catedral, Bariloche, Argentina
147. Manush — Bariloche, Argentina*
148. Belek — Bariloche, Argentina*
149. Kosten Beer Bar — Bariloche, Argentina*
150. Tage — Cerro Catedral, Bariloche, Argentina
151. Konna — Bariloche, Argentina*
152. Alto El Fuego — Bariloche, Argentina
153. Café Delirante — Bariloche, Argentina
154. La Alpina — Bariloche, Argentina
155. Osaka — Buenos Aires, Argentina
156. Full City Coffee House — Buenos Aires, Argentina
157. LAB Training Center and Coffee Shop — Buenos Aires, Argentina*
158. Buller Pub & Brewery — Buenos Aires, Argentina
159. NAMA — Richmond, VA

See 2018.