In New York, when we talk about the year in food, we talk about the year in restaurants, because who has the time (or counter space) to cook? (You do? Can we come over for dinner?) Also, one of the enduring pleasures of life in NYC is, obviously, a leisurely meal in a peaceful restaurant. And for those whose incomes don't have much room for dining, 2009 was a pretty good year, with more high-quality restaurants opening at a lower price point, and (sadly for us) the death of the obscenely overpriced menu gimmick, which attained apotheosis when Steven Colbert luxuriated in the $25,000 Golden Opulence Sundae at Serendipity 3. Anyway, who's got room for one more listicle?
Click on the images for our best and worst dining and drinking developments of this foul year of our Lord 2009. In order: Best Upscale New Restaurants We've Actually Tried, Other Best New Restaurants (Or So They Say), Biggest New Restaurant Belly Flops, Saddest Closings, Most Indifferent Closings, Best News, Worst News, Favorite New Bars, Best New Bars on the UES to Take a Relative with Moneys, and, lastly, Favorite New Development (for Purely Personal Reasons). What did we forget?
