When Jiko first opened, the Kenyan coffee barbeque apple jicama flatbread was an instant favorite. It left the menu, returned slightly tweaked (and not quite as good), then left again. Nothing compared to the original.
Jiko's filet mignon with red wine sauce over mac and cheese was absolutely amazing. I often ordered the coffee braised beef short rib with the mac and cheese subbed in - also wonderful - though the original short rib has changed sauces and preparation many times, and for me none have matched the original. A bottle of pinotage with the meal and throw in a pressed pot of Kenyan coffee at the end - the original Jiko was #1 for me.
Other favorites of all time?
- Queso Fundido at San Angel Inn
- Rainforest Cafe's Chicken Chimichanga appetizers
- Maya grill's original bread and pesto oil dip service (pre-2005)
- Concourse Steakhouse french onion soup and prime rib
- Artist's Point when it first opened had a selection of game meats such as venison, bison, and ostrich - the ostrich was absolutely wonderful!
- Chef Art Smith's chicken and cheddar drop biscuits
- Sebastian's in 2019 until the Pandemic closure - for that brief time, they overhauled the menu and were a proper sit-down restaurant - the jerk chicken with dark rum glaze over cilantro rice with pull apart rolls and guava butter was excellent. I had a new regular restaurant to add to my list! Then I returned in 2021 to find it had gone 'family style' - the pull apart rolls were still there but served cold and old, all the meats were dry and flavorless and vegetables all overdone like they came out of cafeteria trays - and no more jerk chicken. I had a new restaurant to wipe off my list!
- Liberty Tavern ooey gooey toffee cake