The Biggest Dining Surprises of 2009

Right before the end of 2009, a panel of restaurant figures were asked what the biggest dining surprises were in 2009. Here’s what they had to say:

Michael Mina: “Street Food”

James Oseland, Saveur: “That Americans could cook at home. And do a pretty amazing job of it.”

Eva Hagberg, Eater PDX: “Matt Lightner’s bringing his silent kitchen-cooked molecular gastronomy to Castagna, and with that to Portland.”

Lesley Abravanel, Eater Miami: “The amount of high-end restaurants opening in Miami despite the abysmal economy.”

Kat Odell, Eater LA: “Not sure if this is really a surprise but I’ve had a lot of fun exploring the SG valley…lots of ethnic eats.”

Amanda Kludt, Eater NY: “I was surprised by the Gordon Ramsay implosion. And that Top Chef Masters did as well as it did.”

Morabito: “The last days of Frank Bruni as an anonymous critic. He wrote some great reviews and then published, for my money, the year’s best food book.”

Lucchesi: “The high caliber of Top Chef contestants Bravo scored on this past season. Another season of Hoseas might have sunk the brand, but instead, you got Beard nominees and a Michelin-starred chef giving the show new legitimacy.”

Via: Eater