2008 was a great year for the restaurant scene in DC. Don't get me wrong, DC has always had great ethnic food and delicious seafood, but this year marked the opening of a handful of great burger joints, a few tasty pizza ovens, and the rise of mussels and frites (to help absorb all those Belgian beers). Here's a few of my favorite dishes from this year; these are dishes that make me want to return to these places again and again. Most are from affordable, if not down right cheap, restaurants.
1. Vermont Pizza at Liberty Tavern (pictured)
2. Cheeseburger at Central
3. Parmesan encrusted calamari with snow peas at the Black Squirrel
4. Coletti’s Smokehouse Burger with village fries dipped in chipotle mayonnaise at Good Stuff Eatery
5. Crabcake Eggs Benedict at Hank’s Oyster Bar
6. Clam pizza at Pete’s Apizza
7. Palek Chaat at Rasika
8. Hot and Sour Squid Salad at Nava Thai
9. Fromage Bleu Mussels at Dr. Granville Moore’s
10. Braised short ribs, with a mole pipian sauce of pumpkin seeds at Oyamel
