I can't believe it is the end of the year, but it is time for some end of the year lists! Every year we talk about our favorite meals, movies, days, the works. The best part of making these lists is that at first we can only think of a thing or two, but inevitably by the end we have way more than 10 that we loved. The Boy and I are all about travel and food, so I love looking back at some of the great memories we made and stuff we ate. What were your favorite meals this year?

10.Pink Door Bruschetta

 If you come visit us in the summer, we are taking you to Pink Door. I didn't think it was anything that fancy or overblown, but we had yummy Italian food out on the patio with a gorgeous view of the sound. It's a stone's throw from Pike Place Market, so we finally found a good place to take our visitors when they come. And you can't fight bread, tomatoes, basil, and vinegar. Always good, and it made for a really lovely summer date with a big pregnant lady.

9. Our Lobster Roll

 The first day of our weekend trip to the Bay Area should have been a terrible day. When you wake up your 19 month old at 3 AM to get on a plane, eat out over and over, and only get him a nap when driving down the coast, you have not earned a pleasant dinner time. And yet, I would say this was one of the best days in our marriage. We played on a beach, and then we headed to one of our old favorite places to take visitors (makes sense now that we are visitors ourselves, right?). The sandwich was as delicious as we remembered,  The Boy and The Bub drew our first picture as a family of four, and we settled dinner walking near the beach while the sun went down on the Pacific Ocean. I loved everything about this day, and it was so sweet to go to old places from our old life and see how far we have come.

8. Mkt vs Staple and Fancy

 Ethan Stowell became our favorite Seattle chef this year. We wet to one of his restaurants for my birthday and the other for a random date night. Both places had delicious food but they didn't feel as uppity or fancy as I thought they would. Both were really comfortable (Mkt. is cozy. Super tiny), and we had great dates both places. Also, great raw fish plates both places, and that is really what life is about right now for us. It's like season 13 of top chef- crudos freaking everywhere. So I can't choose. I love them both.

7. Thanksgiving Veggies

 Did I ever think parsnips, beet, and brussel sprouts would top my list of favorite foods? Never. Never ever. But this business was delicious. Plus, all the different root veggies, once roasted, looked so beautiful together. Like the rainbow to offset all that Thanksgiving beige. I will get the recipe from him and post it here, then you can send me thank you gifts.

6. Scallop Tacos at Crab Fest

 One month after The Baby Bear was born, we took at impulse trip to Port Townsend Washington. Rather than being sad that we were missing Applefest at home, we packed everyone up and went to Crabfest. Like Applefest, with way fewer crafts and infinitely more seafood. We stood in line for the crab and corn (the corn was SO GOOD) long enough for a breast feed, but my favorite from the day turned out to be weathervane scallops, bacon, and cabbage in a taco shell. Turns out when you buy right from the fishermen, they know how to make it good, because damn. We were already so full, but that taco was sweet and salty and all the good things at once.

5. Rarotonga Dream Breakfast

 In my dream world, this is breakfast everyday. Fresh fruit and sweet bread. Bonus if I can have my toes in the sand like we did here. I wish being a fruititarian could be a healthy, Earth-sustainable choice, because I just might do it.

4.Father's Day Brunch  at 1760

 We spent Father's Day weekend on an impulse trip to San Francisco, and we mostly ate food we have missed since moving north. Oh the Chairman, I will never get over your sandwiches. We did try something new, 1760, for breakfast on Father's Day, and though it wasn't the most kid-friendly (no high chair, so we looked at lots of helicopter pictures), the food was crazy good. We had our first hipster avocado toast, but our favorite were these one eyed jacks, which were quail eggs and bacon inside a piece of toast. So so good (and nice to have an actually great holiday this year).

3. Leap Day Lunch 

 The Boy took a surprise day off on Leap Day and our awesome babysitter was coming, so we took a surprise date to Toulous-Petit, which is one of our faves in Seattle, even if it is a little dorky. The big bonus was that we just ordered the perfect things, because both of our salads were so delicious. If you go there (and you might, it's a pretty solid tourist spot), try the steak or shrimp and avocado salads. Perfect day.

2. Pork Tacos

 We started going to Pecado Bueno for pork tacos for the first time this year. They are so delicious- why have we been putting turkey in our tacos all our lives? So, The Boy started making his own carnitas, and they are so good. Also, a crazy long process. But so stinking good. And it feeds three of us for days of taco wonderfulness. Definitely my favorite new treat from this year. This is his last batch, and he has definitely perfected it now.

1. New Year's Eve Dinner in New Zealand

I didn't think this meal counted for this list, but we are going to count it since it was after last year's list, and it was probably the best meal we ate all year. First, it wins for sheer coolness of being somewhere fancy for New Year's Eve across the world from our normal haunts. Second, it wins for having an exceptionally delicious oyster 2 days before I found out I was pregnant and couldn't eat oysters for 9 months. Every part of the meal was delicious, especially a sea food saffrony number. Bonus- I got two desserts because they misunderstood the Boy and thought it was my birthday, and we are too socially awkward to correct them. It pays off again! Sad that the peak meal of 2016 was technically in 2015, but there you have it.

I hope you all have lots of good food and adventures in 2017!