Sam Sifton Names Best New Restaurants, Dishes of the Year

As most readers are acutely aware, we are approaching the home stretch of year end wrap-ups. And filing a big one today, clocking in two days later than Adam Platt, is Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton. First up, Sifty lists his 10 favorite new restaurants of 2010, noting that Torrisi Italian Specialties was particularly "awesome," but also giving shout outs to the mostly expected subjects: ABC Kitchen, Casa Lever, Maialino, The Breslin, Recette, Fatty 'Cue, Osteria Morini, Kin Shop, and Colicchio & Sons. Meanwhile Sifton also calls out 15 "dishes of uncommon excellence and flavor"—with this sweet pictorial guide— including the burgundy snails at Ma Peche, the duck rice at Nuela, and Jonathan Benno’s cavatelli with razor clams at Lincoln.

To buttress Sifton's efforts, the Times staff compiles a list of the best inexpensive new restaurants of the year, including Northern Spy Food Co., Pies 'n' Thighs, the Commodore, BaoHaus, and Mexicue. For more Year in Dining goodness, check back here all week long.
· A Critic’s Choice of Restaurant Newcomers [NYT]
· Critic’s Notebook
Dishes That Earned Their Stars [NYT]