Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Potpourri

21 Jan 2026

The Year in Delicious: Top 10 Bites of 2025

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2025 was one for the books. Navigating the aftermath of the Eaton Fires while rejiggering life beyond a nine-to-five was immensely challenging at times. I remember more than a few middle-of-the-night wake-ups and lots of wandering in the sun without a destination in mind. Displacement was especially disorienting, and my heart goes out to my Altadena neighbors still in the muck. I’m fortunate to be on the other side now — and grateful as hell to be here.

Through all of the year’s ups and downs, communing with close friends and family over shared meals kept my spirits high. I have always believed in the healing and connecting powers of food, and this year really drove it home. Thanks to all the homies who showed up and out.

Without further ado, I present to you my top 10 dishes of 2025, well into January 2026. (What is time but a tool of colonizers?) Check out the archives for all my favorites since 2017, when I started keeping track: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Happy New Year, Gastronomy gang.

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Duck Liver, Pear, Cilantro at Ki in Los Angeles, California

The Year in Delicious: Top 10 Bites of 2025

One of the most memorable tasting menus of the year was at Ki in Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo. My favorite course was served near the start of the meal in a whimsical glass hen vessel. I couldn’t get enough of the liver’s richness balanced with the juicy sweetness of the Asian pear. I took my time savoring every bite.

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Black Metal Pappardelle at Estrano pop-up in Los Angeles, California

‘Twas the night before Halloween when chef and homie Diego Argoti and his crew took over the sidewalk in front of Alma’s Cider in Virgil Village for an Estrano pop-up. The best dish of the night included wide-as-a-belt squid ink pappardelle paired with soy sauce tripe, confit chicken gizzards, ma la butter, tarragon, and furikake dukka. I found a quiet spot around the corner, festively outfitted for dia de los muertos, and slurped in peaceful bliss.

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Venison Tartare at Seline in Santa Monica, California

When I think back on my dinner at Dave Beran’s Seline in Santa Monica, I can’t help but smile. Yes, the food (Upper Michigan memories with a California sensibility) was delightful, but the highlight was seeing the chef in his element — coolly steering the ship in a cookbook-filled open kitchen. My favorite course of the night consisted of a preserved cherry and pistachio one-biter paired with venison tartar and savory granola —playful and delicious.

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Restaurant Review

10 Jan 2026

The Best Dishes I Ate in Quy Nhơn

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Consider this post a roaring endorsement for visiting Quy Nhon on your next trip to Vietnam. The Astronomer and I booked our stay based purely on vibes, and it turned out to be ideal for pristine waters, vibrant regional cooking, and palpable local energy. Located halfway between popular beach destinations Nha Trang and Da Nang, Quy Nhon is a prominent vacation spot for Vietnamese people, but is still under the radar among international tourists. The beauty of Quy Nhon is in its balance, so let’s keep this letter of recommendation between us, okay?

The weather was sunny and steamy during our stay, but that didn’t stop me from strolling the wide streets and coastline in the mid-afternoon while locals were napping or relaxing in the shade. After lunch, I often sent The Astronomer and June back to the hotel in a cab so that I could meander the streets at a leisurely pace. Discovering these little figurines underneath a bonsai tree (hòn nam bộ) reminded me of my grandpa; he used to travel to Quy Nhon often while in the merchant marines.

Quy Nhon’s culinary scene is tremendous. While I recognized many of the dishes and dining formats, some nuances, including the use of local ingredients and the abundance of unique sauces, made eating here a novel and exciting experience. I barely scratched the surface of regional specialties during my five-night, six-day stay.

Here’s a rundown of the best dishes I ate in Quy Nhon (see IG stories for the geotag of all the locations mentioned in this post):

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Restaurant Review

02 Jan 2026

The Best Dishes I Ate in Saigon

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Last summer’s trip to Vietnam was nothing short of wonderful. Our two-week stay in the country began and ended in Saigon, with a six-day side trip to Quy Nhon in between. We’ve been meaning to return to Vietnam for the past 14 years, but it took Cousin Jimmy’s wedding to finally make it happen. Coincidentally, it was also the 50th anniversary of when my family left Vietnam following the war. The timing and occasion seemed poetic in some way.

Whether traveling domestically or internationally, I usually arrive with an ambitious spreadsheet of restaurants or specific dishes that I need to try. For Vietnam, I had two reservations at Michelin-starred spots, a short list of old haunts to revisit, and a few family commitments to attend. Otherwise, our calendar was free to wander and eat whatever looked good.

Following our nose and good sense did not lead us astray once. Here’s a rundown of the best dishes we ate in Saigon:

As much as Vietnam has advanced on all fronts, I love that the most efficient way to obtain the local currency remains exchanging crisp Benjamins at a local jewelry store. While in the heart of District 1 to change our dollars into dong, we stepped into a random noodle shop for a bite to eat; see IG stories for the geotag of all the locations mentioned in this post.

Even though we were smack dab in tourist central, the crowded dining room and bustling operation signaled that these porky noodles were going to be solid. The Astronomer and I shared a bowl with kidneys, livers, wide rice noodles, and broth served on the side, while June’s bowl had thin egg noodles, ground and sliced pork, and no green flecks in sight. Both bowls hit the spot.

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