Every year around this time, Google Trends releases its top searched recipes of the year. In 2023, there was a surprise: TikTok trends dominated the list as usual (lasagna soup, cottage cheese), but there was also a dish that will never again make an appearance on the list. It was Coronation Quiche, a cheesy, vegetarian number that celebrated Britain’s newly crowned King Charles. That quiche might have flooded the internet this year, but I didn’t have one bite of it. Even if I had, and even though I have a thing for cheese, it’s highly doubtful that Coronation quiche would have made it onto my list of the best dishes I got to eat in 2023. I’ve eaten in literally hundreds of restaurants and tasted a thousand dishes; now is my moment to look back. Last year, my theme was butter; this year, I gravitated towards birds, in particular a glorious, bacon-butter roasted chicken at Dovetale in 1 Hotel Mayfair in Central London. (It’s been a great year to eat chicken — shout out to the rotisserie options at Bebe Bob in London and whole roasted bird, at Sailor in Brooklyn, New York.) Meaty duck featured in exquisite stuffed pasta at another new hotel restaurant, Cafe Carmellini in New York, and also in an intense game bird sauce for pasta at a fantastic East Village joint, Foul Witch. Although in my job as a restaurant editor, I primarily focus on new and new-to-me dining spots, there are a couple innovative dishes on this list from established hangouts that had to feature on my roster. One of the very best came courtesy of chef James Lowe at Lyle’s in London for a very delightful reason: Though he has been cooking for a couple decades, he hadn’t served tuna. The fish “is ubiquitous around the world, on menus everywhere. But it’s the first time it’s been fished off the coast in the UK since the 60s,” he says. “To be cooking for 20 years and all of a sudden have an ingredient I haven’t cooked with, it’s great fun.” In fact, so unfamiliar was a whole tuna to the chef that he and his team had to watch YouTube videos to master the art of butchering a 200-plus kilo (more than 440 pound) fish, a procedure that took over five dining room tables the first time they tried it. The dish he settled on for the fall, while the fish was in season, was sublime tuna belly alongside a toast that was topped with fatty scrapings from the bones; you’ll find more details below.

In the dead of winter, citrus gives our plates one big zap of color and flavor. We deserve this in excess.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A romance that united sports and music fans, a celestial wonder that drew millions of eyes skyward and a spiritual homecoming for some Native American tribes were just some of the moments that inspired us and brought joy in 2023.

Buenos Aires was in the throes of Southern Hemisphere springtime, with bold, budding purple jacaranda trees lining the boulevards. Genial locals filled up the sidewalks and plazas and flocked to countless city parks. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift was gearing up for her first concerts ever in Argentina, and the media and fans were in a frenzy.

AUSTIN, Texas — Business travel being to travel what business writing is to literature, drawing a bit of elegance out of a business trip can sometimes take effort. Now that several of us had moved on to Austin after all useful nuggets had been mined from the conference we had been attending in Houston, key diffewwrences quickly made themselves known between this, the state capital, and the purposefully commercial city we had just vacated. “Keep Austin Weird” is the official slogan of the Austin Independent Business Alliance, and the city seems to be on a collective mission to reach that sensible objective.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Joyce Loaiza lives alone, but when she returns to her apartment at a Florida senior community, the retired office worker often has a chat with a friendly female voice that asks about her day.

Maybe you’ve heard about the ascendant restaurant scene in Puerto Rico. Most people haven’t: The island is still principally known as a highly convenient place for sun and beaches, with no passport required for U.S. citizens, and the food scene is often relegated to what’s convenient to cruise ship ports.

Hiking wasn’t my primary concern when I RSVPed to a destination wedding in an architecturally stunning town in central Mexico.

Some of the best and most comforting dishes take a long time to cook. With time more precious than ever during the holiday season, meals can add an extra level of pressure. But smart hosts know that a make-ahead plan, with a slow-cooker assist, can be the key to a memorable, relaxing meal.

Pancakes are the superstar of the breakfast table — at least my breakfast table. A little sweet, a little eggy, a little salty and a touch buttery, they combine all the flavors people love in the morning (well, it’s missing bacon, but you can serve that on the side). And, with this week’s recipe, Butter-Toasted Oat Pancakes, you can also add toasty and nutty to the list.

Las Vegas may be jokingly called Disneyland for adults, but there are plenty of spots along the Strip that can attract and entertain anyone regardless of age.

It seems like everyone spent their summer vacation in Italy this year. Call it “The White Lotus” effect, lumped in with pent-up travel demand. Like all vacation destinations that go viral on TikTok, once too many American tourists get there, it’s not fun or cool anymore.

Potlucks, cocktail parties, family gatherings and happy hours all require noshes and nibbles as well as libations. Now’s the time to make a plan.

Most would agree one of the best parts of being on vacation is getting to try unfamiliar foods and cuisines and realizing, with the right recipes, you can re-create those tastes at home.