Must-Have Dishes

After ranting about mediocre meals in my last post, I started thinking about the dishes that I have delighted in and look forward to having again and again. I can't include them all since it would take too long, but here is an excerpt of that list which fills my daydreams, in no particular order:

• Crusty, New York style cheese pizza at Za (except Friday and Saturday nights)
• Chewy, elastic crust and clean flavors of the Pizza Margherita at either A16 or Pizzeria Picco
• Beautiful fettucine and homemade salsiccia at Vivande Porta Via
• Asian chicken salad with shredded white meat chicken, cold iceberg lettuce, peanuts, fried noodles, and sesame vinaigrette at Sushi House
• Fragrant, intoxicating Kobe beef pho at Bong Su
• Tender, melt-in-your-mouth Shaking beef made with Filet Mignon at either Bong Su or Tamarine
• Seared foie gras with Monterey squid (with extra bread for the verjus sauce) at Piperade
• Pumpkin foie gras pot de creme at Bushi-Tei
• Pork belly with grilled scallions at CAV Wine Bar
• Anything on the menu at Terra, Canteen, or Picco
• Thick, juicy pastrami on rye with French fries and cream soda at Katz's
• "Dictator's Special" (potatoes, two types of sausage, curry sauce, and sauerkraut) at Hallo Berlin
• Chef's tasting menu with wine pairing at Le Bernardin
• Beer sausage with grilled onions and spicy mustard at Rosamunde
• Fried bone marrow with caviar and beet sorbet at Coi
• Moules Mariniere with Frites and a bottle of crisp white wine at Plouf
• Steak frites with a bottle of lusty, spicy Rhone wine at Florio or Acme Chophouse
• Racy, spicy Hunan scallops at Hunan
• Chicken foie gras ravioli and baby back ribs at Oola
• Steak taco and ahi tuna burger at Pearl
• Quesadilla made with homemade tortillas at Villa Corona
• Kurobuta Pork tonkatsu at Yuzu
• "Egg, bacon and toast" at Silk's
• Kaiseki at Kaygetsu
• Omakase sushi at Sushi Sam's
• Carnitas at Tres Agaves
• Sacripantina at Stella Pastry Caffe
• Hot & sour heirloom tomato consomme and foie gras PB&J at Frisson

I am now thoroughly starving. Better not go grocery shopping in this state.