The 100 best things we ate (and drank) this year (51-75)

Hamachi sashimi with sake | Avenues
Chef Graham Elliot Bowles and sommelier Aaron Elliott have made hotel dining cool again. Elliott's penchant for pairing courses with sake, as well as wine, suits chef Bowles's creations, such as razor-thin hamachi with slivered shiitakes, yuzu (Japanese citrus) cream and soy caramel. (Peninsula Hotel, 108 E Superior St between Rush St and Michigan Ave, 312-573-6754)

Crepe brunch | Kitchen Chicago Café
This shared-use kitchen that rents space to fledgling chefs has a hit on its hands with current Sunday brunch resident Vella Café. One bite of the peach compote–stuffed crepe with orange–honey–cream cheese and you'll hope Vella secures a full-time venue ASAP. (4664 N Manor Ave between Francisco and Leland Aves, 773-463-0863)

"Champagne and five types of shellfish" | Moto
What looks like a few grapes sitting on various varieties of clams tossed with king crab and crème fraîche is much more. In the hands of mad scientist–chef Homaro Cantu, these grapes have been carbonated, turning them into "champagne": When you bite into them, they explode in your mouth. (945 W Fulton Mkt between Sangamon and Morgan Sts, 312-491-0058)

Wood-grilled quail | Vie
Would you drive all the way to Western Springs for quail? You would if you tasted chef Paul Virant's version. The smoky, juicy birds arrive over nutty wild rice hiding ribbons of charred onions and tangy huckleberry sauce plucked from Virant's jar-jammed pantry. (4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, 708-246-2082)

Satan's Whiskers | Motel Bar
A lot of bars dug into the history books when creating their cocktail lists this year, but none quite so deep as these guys, who revived this classic mix of dry and sweet vermouth, gin, orange juice and bitters. (600 W Chicago Ave at Larrabee St, 312-822-2900)

Fool | Semiramis
We love almost everything this Middle Eastern café serves, but especially the fool—warm fava beans slick with olive oil and sprinkled with herbs. (4639 N Kedzie Ave between Eastwood and Leland Aves, 773-279-8900)

Hot-chocolate sables | Busby Bakes Cookies
Christine Busby has been making cookies since she was ten (when they won her a blue ribbon at the State Fair), but it's only this year that she started selling them online and at stores like Ukrainian Village's Just Baked. (www.busbybakes.com)

Latin hip-hop vegetable salad | First Slice Pie Cafe
We appreciate the fact that every time we buy this salad some money goes to First Slice, a hunger relief charity. But it's the Wu Tang–like list of ingredients—greens, grilled onions, pepitas, roasted corn and cauliflower, radish, scallions, queso blanco and the delicious "mojito" dressing—that keeps us coming back. (4401 N Ravenswood Ave at Montrose Ave, 773-769-4226)

Apple fritter | Old Fashioned Donuts
The most. Insanely. Delicious. Doughnut. On. The. Planet. (11248 S Michigan Ave between 112th Pl and 113th St, 773-995-7420)

Mezze platter | Naha
We know this simple platter of Armenian staples—including baba ghanoush, spiced beef and delicious, fragile feta crisps—is meant to be shared, but we always end up eating it all by ourselves. (500 N Clark St at Illinois St, 312-321-6242)

Vanilla bean sponge cakeand Dover sole | Alinea
If you haven't heard of Alinea, you probably don't give a shit about food and aren't reading this anyway. By now, every adjective from groundbreaking to enthralling has been used to describe chef Grant Achatz's molecular gastronomy. This year, two dishes make our list: butter-poached Dover sole with lemon-poached cauliflower and fresh banana slices with powdered lemon rind, parsley, capers and brown butter; and pastry chef Alex Stupak's vanilla bean–speared sponge cake in tonka-bean foam with pulverized freeze-dried cherries. (1723 N Halsted St between North Ave and Willow St, 312-867-0110)

Banana leaf–steamed tamale | Maiz
The combo of lard-injected masa (cornmeal) and a tender banana leaf used for steaming means that this is one silky-smooth pork tamale. (1041 N California Ave between Cortez and Thomas Sts, 773-276-3149)

House-made lamb sausage | Prairie Grass
We were sad to see chefs Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris leave the Ritz, but we're more than happy to fill up the gas tank to check out their new suburban spot. Not surprisingly, the food rocks. Especially this lamb sausage, which the chefs jazz up with candied fennel and serve over a bed of grilled, seasonal veggies with a dollop of goat cheese and balsamic reduction. (601 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook, 847-205-4433)

Crispelle | Gabriel's
Before chef Gabriel Viti expanded into Cuban and Mexican with Miramar and Pancho Viti's, respectively, his eponymous fine-dining spot secured destination status with dishes such as the crispelle: tissue paper–thin Italian crepes bursting with spinach and taleggio cheese atop velvety Parmesan sauce. It's as rich as the regular diners. (310 Green Bay Rd, Highwood, 847-433-0031)

Banh mi | La Banh Mi Hung Phat
Ditch the sandwich-seeking crowds at nearby Ba Le and head for this Vietnamese gem, where the bread is baked on-site, and the meats are roasted next door at barbecue spot Vin Phat. (4942 N Sheridan Rd between Ainslie and Argyle Sts, 773-878-6688)

Tempura soft-shell crabs in prawn stock | Narra
At his latest venture, chef Eric Aubriot offers a pair of greaseless, impeccably crispy soft-shell crabs with a dipping bowl of rich—yet creamless—prawn bisque flavored with kafir-lime leaves, garlic and sweet Thai chili paste. We'll be there when soft-shell crab season returns next spring. (1710 Orrington Ave, Evanston, 847-556-2772)

golden margarita | Frontera Grill
Leave it to our local Mexican food king to master the 'rita. All we know is that once we're sipping one at Bayless's bar, we stop noticing the horde of tourists waiting for their blinky red-light things to alert them that their two-hour wait is over. (445 N Clark St between Hubbard and Illinois Sts, 312-661-1434)

fried chicken | Lux Bar
This crispy, juicy, rosemary-scented fried chicken is even better for the fact that it's unexpected in this otherwise glam 'hood. (18 E Bellevue Pl at Rush St, 312-642-3400)

Moqueca do mar | Cuatro
Brimming with littleneck clams, mussels, diver scallops, tender grouper and juicy butterflied shrimp, this Brazilian-style fish stew seamlessly balances sweet coconut and bright tomato flavors. Sides of garlicky fried green plantains and coconutty white rice seal the deal. (2030 S Wabash Ave between Cullerton and 21st Sts, 312-842-8856)

Margherita pizza | Caponies
Trattoria Harlem Avenue, the city's most overlooked strip of Italian joints, is home to some of the best red sauce around. Consider this perfectly sauced thin-crust pie, lightly charred around the edges and glistening with olive oil. (3350 N Harlem Ave between School and Roscoe Sts, 773-804-9024)

Porterhouse | Keefer's Restaurant
We don't really go for the unseasoned slabs of meat at lots of steakhouses around town, so we love this perfectly salted and peppered prime cut, topped with a fat chunk of melting maître d' butter. (20 W Kinzie St at Dearborn St, 312-467-9525)

Rouladen | Laschet's Inn
In Chicago, German food that doesn't come with a side of shtick and a feathered cap doesn't get much love. Still, those who know their lebkuchen from their Thuringer seek out this classic rouladen. Made of thinly sliced beef rolled around mustardy pickles and served with brown gravy, purple cabbage and fluffy spaetzle, it's a great way to warm up on a cold night. (2119 W Irving Park Rd between Hoyne and Hamilton Aves 773-478-7915)

Spicy tofu soup | So Gong Dong Tofu House
Known as sundubu jigae to Koreans, this soft tofu pottage is a spicy beef broth–based soup loaded with tender morsels of seafood, beef strips or stewed pork. This true sundubu house dishes up eight takes on the most fiery, complex meal-in-a-bowl we've found. (3307 W Bryn Mawr Ave between Spaulding and Christiana Aves, 773-539-8377)

Decaf coffee | Swim Café
It's nice and all that the coffee Karen Gerod chose for her charming cafe—Madison's Just Coffee—is made with organic, free-trade, shade-grown beans. But the reason we love it is because the decaf has all the flavor and richness of regular. (1357 W Chicago Ave between Ada and Noble Sts, 312-492-8600)