This is the first post by Andrew Knowlton, Restaurant Editor at Bon Appétit magazine, for the Huffington Post. Andrew's blog, The BA Foodist, was nominated for a 2009 James Beard Award.
Dear BA Foodist,
What was the best budget restaurant dish you ate in 2009? Like you, I keep up with the latest hot spots and trends in dining out. But unlike you, I'm not paid to eat, so can you keep it under $10?
Regina Carbonell, Queens, New York
Dear Regina,
It's tough to pick just one. There's so much delicious restaurant food out there, and--lucky for diners--so much of it is affordable. With that in mind, here are the 10 best value dishes I ate this year--priced at or under $10.
The Foodist's Top Restaurant Dishes for $10 or Less
1/ Tristar strawberry salad with mozzarella, balsamic, mint, and gray salt; $9; Roberta's, Brooklyn
2/ Cathead (house-made buttermilk biscuit with fried chicken and a slice of cheddar); $6; Big Bad Breakfast, Oxford, Mississippi
3/ Arista sandwich (roasted suckling pig with broccoli rabe, Italian long hots, sharp provolone, and natural jus); $8; Paesano's, Philadelphia
4/ Enchilada Salvadoreña with tongue; $8; Tu Casa, Portland, Maine
5/ Spicy pork rinds; $5; The Publican, Chicago
6/ Filipino Maharlika pork sausage with caramelized onions; $6.75; Wurstkuche, Los Angeles
7/ Buttermilk fried quail with Tabasco butter; $10; Holeman and Finch Public House, Atlanta
8/ Blue crab crostino with jalapeño and tomato; $10; Locanda Verde, New York
9/ Tin roof sundae (vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, frosted peanuts, and Maldon salt); $6; Humphry Slocombe, San Francisco
10/ Pimiento cheese sliders; $6; Cochon Butcher, New Orleans
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