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NYC 2010 Year in Food, The Best and Worst

By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 28, 2010

Modified Dec 28, 2010

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Eddie Huang and the beverage that felled Xiou YeDespite (or because of) America's terrifying economic freefall, 2010 was another year of indulgence in NYC. A year when we said yes to caffeine, alcohol and sugar, sometimes all at once. Four Loko took the country's teenagers (and one restaurant) by storm, serving up three cups of coffee's worth of caffeine and two beer's worth of alcohol in a concoction that tasted like Robitussin and Fun Dip and came in a can that looked like it was designed by Willy Wonka. What wasn't to love? Oh right, the blackouts, the injuries, the deaths. The government moved quickly, first with states banning the concoction one by one and then the FDA neutering it altogether, and deli owners were thankful that they were no longer forced to sell the drinks to teenagers on their way to schools. NYU mourned, as did anyone who believed it was the inalienable right of anyone over the age of 21 to buy, chug and quickly vomit up the beverage if they so chose. Thankfully, for anyone legal who missed it, the drink can live on in the living rooms of anyone who feels like mixing malt liquor and an energy drink with Jolly Ranchers and a caffeine pill. And there's always Craigslist! Or whipahol. On top of all this, we were also introduced to the Double Down, and cat shit coffee.

 

Jaya Saxena

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By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 28, 2010

Modified Dec 28, 2010

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What the hell happened this year, besides Neapolitan pizza EVERYWHERE and locally-sourced EVERYTHING? Honestly, it's all a blur. Some bars and restaurants opened, other closed; a few of them deserved to go, others maybe shouldn't have opened in the first place. The Man scolded you about salt, drinking, sugar, and cracked down on sanitary conditions—requiring restaurants to post letter grades from the Health Department. Williamsburg's Southside boomed with excellent new bars and eateries, while the East Village and the Lower East Side mourned the loss of some beloved institutions. We've tried to make some sense of it all here; click through for a look back at (deep breath!) the craziest trends in oral consumption, the best new bars, the worst new bars, our favorite new restaurants, the most disappointing new restaurants, the biggest abominations, the saddest closings, the stupidest manufactured trends, the best actual trends, the best trend-bucking, the greatest gag, most controversial change in dining, and the coolest-looking coffee shop.

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2010 bars

2010 dining

2010 restaurants

John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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