Culinary Resolutions

Setting some intentions for my bites in 2026

As we dive into this new year, I’m thinking about the year in the rear view and how I’d like to approach 2026. I’d say 2025 was a success. We learned what it was like to live in a new neighborhood (Bed-Stuy), and navigated life with a baby (Cecilia).

Now we are in a bit of a groove and it’s time to set some intentions.

Going out to eat is now much more premeditated than our child free life. We need a babysitter. Babysitters costs money. So how are we going to spend that time?

1 - Get off the “hot new restaurant” treadmill

As I covered in my recent love letter to Smithereens, restaurants often take time to settle into a groove. It’s worth the wait. Listen, I will go to Bistrot Ha. Don’t get it twisted. Ha’s Snack Bar was fantastic and the word of mouth on their follow-up is strong to very strong. I just don’t have to bend myself into a pretzel to get their tomorrow. And we certainly no longer have the ability to show up at 445pm in the hopes of getting back in there at 8pm. And when we do go to Bistrot Ha, chances are they will be in even more dialed and we’ll be all the better for it.

2 - Queens Queens Queens

Every time I go to Queens, I’m like, why don’t we go to Queens more? It is probably the deepest culinary bench in the 5 boroughs. Saranrom Thai’s Yum Pla Duk Fu Salad: crispy fried shredded catfish with a spicy and tangy mango salad was one of the first things I ate in 2026 and I’ll be hard pressed to top it with another salad this year. From Thai in Elmhurst, Indian in Jackson Heights, and seafood in Astoria, I need to be spending more time in Queens. I’d love to get a big group and finally go to Abuqir.

3 - Get ambitious in the kitchen and take more risks

I love to cook, but I find myself reaching for the greatest hits. I’ve probably made Molly Baz’s caesar salad (or Cae Sal as she calls it 🙃) more times lately than I’d like to admit. While I love it and the homies love it, it doesn’t flex any muscles. I’d love to try new things. One of the more satisfying things I’ve done in the kitchen was grilled razor clams. I had to ride my bike to Aqua Best to ensure the quality of the clams, watch YouTube videos about cleaning them thoroughly, and then grill them with the general care and sense of urgency like I was in The Hurt Locker. No one likes chewy seafood.

Making sure the clams aren’t over

This year, I have my eye on new chicken preparations, short ribs, and lamb chops. I plan on taking a knife skills class courtesy of a generous gift from my mother-in-law Cathy and I might have some evenly cut scallions for the first time in my life.

My friends Greg, Maysie, and Charlie, are my north stars. They are unafraid. Greg will painstakingly recreate the lasagna from Rolo’s on a random Sunday. Maysie will jerry rig a homemade trompo (!) for home al pastor (see below) and Charlie will confit the living heck out of a duck. We’re lucky to have a range of cook books in the house from Elena, lots of A-Ro, and Matty Matheson. Let’s get weird.

A trompo underway

4 - Drink very good wine at home (for less than you’d spend in a restaurant)

When I’m cooking these dishes. Let’s take advantage of not having to pay the babysitter surcharge and the restaurant markup to drink some good wine at home. Keep in mind that a bottle you buy for $50 in the store is likely to cost you ~$110 - $140 dining out.

I don’t even want to know what this would cost in a restaurant

5 - Get spontaneous

While there are so many new spots I want to try along with places to return to like Briscola or Le Veau D’Or, let’s inject spontaneity into our day. Tiffany and I were walking home and noticed the cafe by our house was selling jerk plantain patties. We gave them a try and guess what, they were delicious! There will be some fails in this approach, but the rewards outweigh the let downs for sure.

Do you have any culinary resolutions for 2026? Let me know in the comments!