Nam prik noom, Renu Nakorn. My first taste of the delicious nam prik noom -- a chili dip served with crudite -- was at Lotus of Siam this year in Las Vegas. While it was delicious at Lotus, I preferred the dish when I had it at Renu Nakorn in Southern California. Lotus of Siam's roots were born out of Renu Nakorn, so the dishes were very similar with Renu Nakorn's spice level being perfect. I can't wait to eat this again. Renu Nakorn re-opened this year in a lovely space after being closed for several years and is well worth a trip if you're in Southern California. 13019 Rosecrans Ave near Hwy 5, Norwalk.

No-Knead Bread made by me. Until this year, I had never made a loaf of bread by myself. I'm not saying that the bread I made was perfect, and about 15 loaves later it's still not. But I will always remember that first taste of my first loaf of bread.

Kanom krok, San Bruno Thai Temple. Kanom krok -- the popular Thai dessert that is made of sweet coconut cream and batter in the equivalent of an Ebilskiver pan -- was a new taste to me this year. I tried kanom krok at several places, and my favorite bite was the one I tried first at this Sunday Thai temple brunch. 310 Poplar Ave at Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno. Sundays only, best to go around 11.30 or noon.

Butterscotch budino, Mozza. It was hard to choose just one bite at Mozza to feature, as it was one of my favorite places in Southern California this year. The budino is a perfect dessert -- a butterscotch pudding topped with salted caramel and served with rosemary pine nut biscotti. I'm not a fan of overly sweet desserts and this dish struck the perfect balance between sweet and salty. 6602 Melrose Ave at Highland, Los Angeles.

Mussel Salad, Bar Jules. Jessica Boncutter opened Bar Jules early this year, and I was lucky to spend many an afternoon there with friends enjoying the fresh, local and delicious food. The mussel salad pictured above is a perfect representation of the food that I loved here in 2008, and I can still remember the perfectly cooked mussels contrasted with aioli and simple boiled potatoes. 609 Hayes Street at Laguna, San Francisco.

Ankimo, Sebo. No taste deserves its own, completely separate, blog post more than the ankimo at Sebo. Thinking of evenings at Sebo this year makes me break into a wide grin. It's the combination of absolutely impeccable sushi, combined with the personality of the chef owners and the company that I enjoyed there. I never really understood the draw of ankimo, which is monkfish liver, until I tasted it at Sebo. While I still typically am drawn to the uni at Sebo over the ankimo, I have ankimo on the list for the sheer fact that it changed my mind and my culinary perspective. My dining partner and I were so exuberant about it one night that we convinced Loretta Keller, owner of Coco500, to re-open her already paid check to have an order of ankimo. She thanked us. 516 Hayes Street at Octavia, San Francisco.

Happy New Year, all. And here's to many, many great tastes in 2009.

Previous taste lists:
Top 10 Tastes 2006
Top 10 Tastes 2007

top ten tastestop ten tastes

Top 10 Tastes, 2008