My Year in Lists, 2024 — Theater & Food
Every play and musical I saw, every dinner party I hosted, and my favorite restaurant meals.
With just a few days left in 2024, I’ve finally had some quiet time to look back on the year and take stock of everything I’ve done (or didn’t).
If there’s a common thread in how things went across most aspects of my life, it’s that I was putting myself in situations where I felt I was out of my depth. Whether it was co-hosting dinner parties with professional chefs, getting to know film critics at NYFF, or going to a jazz festival with people who actually know a lot about the genre, I think that subconsciously, I wanted to spend time with people who take very seriously what I viewed as hobbies. Perhaps I’ll never beat the allegations of being a dilettante, but I want to hold my own.
(TL;DR: there was some mild impostor syndrome but it’s all good now lol)
What follows is a mostly skimmable list of my year in theater, eating, and drinking. Links are included if I wrote about them for this newsletter.
Theater
Last year I really, really got more into seeing plays (I’ve always been a fan of musicals). It was largely to take advantage of the cheap “under 30” discounts that I was soon to age out of. (Perhaps I will never again set foot in The Shed.) But I think I keep seeking them out because most new movies aren’t doing the types of stories I love: ordinary people figuring out the meaning of their lives1. But that’s the core of basically every play that makes it to Broadway or Off-Broadway, so it scratches that itch.
Two other reasons I’ve gone harder at the theater lately: it is an artform that I don’t know too much about, in terms of technical knowledge. I know a bit about all the moving parts that go into making a movie… so with the performing arts, there’s a better sense of mystery. And I’ve started to treat shows more like the movies: ideal if I can go with a friend, but going alone doesn’t stop me; I rolled solo for 14 shows this year.
Separately, I’ve figured out that my favorite musicals tend to be the ones where you’re clapping, but you feel bad about it. Something about the disparity in audience reactions, and the immediate externalization of that dissonant response, it does it for me.
Every Play and Musical I Saw This Year
I went to 43 shows, with a basically even split between plays and musicals/concerts. My ten favorites have a 🤩 emoji next to them. The shows I actively hated have a 🤬 emoji.
Once Upon a Mattress w/ Brian
Merrily We Roll Along w/ Robin 🤩
Tiger Beat (Reading) w/ Brian
Jelly’s Last Jam w/ Brian, David, Sam, Liane, Chloris
Days of Wine and Roses w/ Brian
Sleep No More (for Sam’s birthday) 🤬
In Harmony w/ Brian, Ashley
Mother Play w/ Jessica
The Effect w/ Amy
Water For Elephants w/ Grace
Uncle Vanya w/ Nika
Stereophonic w/ Grace, Angie, Hanna 🤩
The Heart of Rock and Roll w/ Laura
Three Houses w/ Brian 🤩
Lempicka
Staff Meal
What Became of Us w/ Brian (BD Wong and Rosalind Chao cast)
Illinoise w/ Amy 🤩
Titanic w/ Brian
Breaking The Story
Patriots
Follies in Concert w/ Brian
Cats: The Jellicle Ball w/ David, Sam 🤩
A Little Night Music in Concert
The Welkin w/ Brian
Family w/ Sara
Yellow Face w/ Brian, Liane
Teeth w/ Amy
Vladimir
Bad Kreyol 🤩
King Lear w/ Brian
Ragtime w/ Brian
Maybe Happy Ending w/ Amy
Sunset Blvd w/ Brian 🤬 [The second act opener is brilliant though.]
Walden
Gypsy w/ Shannon 🤩
Cabaret w/ Robin 🤩
Cult of Love
Our Town
Dinner Parties: Always Be Hosting
This doesn’t include ~11 more casual “housewarming dinners” where I just had a few friends over for food. (Rest of these are coursed out or very involved!)
Some of these links are just to the Google Docs I make for planning.
Dinner and a Movie Party: Past Lives
Dru & Ric’s: Phuc Dat Viet (w/ support from Brian)
Oscars Dinner Night One w/ Aaron
Oscars Dinner Night Two w/ Aaron & Eric
Italy vs Spain Round 2 w/ Aaron
Green Day / Improvised Dinner Party w/ Aaron
Euros Final Watch Party (English and Spanish snacks)
Tomato Dinner Party w/ Maya
Data Team Dinner Party w/ Eric
Dru & Ric’s: Truffle Dinner Party w/ Jackie
The American In Me (Ecuador/Colombia/Vietnam) w/ John Carlo & Aaron
Dru & Ric’s: Christmas Feast
Favorite Restaurant Meals
I really stepped back from dining out in the back half of the year. Honestly I feel tapped out of the restaurant scene these days. But I’ve had some good meals, especially when traveling!
This is only the best, most memorable of what I ate at a restaurant, the meals that I keep thinking about even now. Every single item on this list is highly recommended. Roughly in chronological order.
New York
Ha’s Dac Biet x Gem Wine Bar
Hav & Mar
Maloya
Sofreh (revisit)
Eyval (revisit)
Francie
Rolo’s
Yoon Haeundae Galbi
Rosella (five times lol)
Trout nigiri from Rosella.
Copenhagen (all my recs here)
JATAK
Kødbyens Fiskebar
Garfish from Kødbyens Fiskebar. Noma (Ocean Season)
Brussels
NYYÓ
Barcelona
Hermós
Lluritu (aka raor or pearly razorfish) at Hermós. La Mundana
Bar Brutal (revisit)
Bar But
Maleducat
Seville
Casa Roman
Lyon
La Mère Brazier (lunch menu)
Armada
Ayla
Café des Fédérations
Quenelle de brochet at Café des Fédérations. Troisgros (Menu “Ce jour-là”) aka the restaurant featured in Menus-Plaisirs Le Troisgros.
Paris
Le Châteaubriand
Early June
Le Servan
Newport, RI
The lobster roll at the Newport Jazz Fest
Bay Area
Taqueria Los Pericos (Santa Cruz)
Hue Restaurant (San Jose)
Parche (Oakland)
B Patisserie (SF)
Boston
Eventide
Favorite Cocktail Spots
No particular order.
New York
The Rockwell Place (perennial fave; had my birthday party here)
Chinato
Bar Contra
Farm One
Grand Army (revisit)
Brooklyn Kura (new space is beautiful)
Paris
Bar Nouveau
Barcelona
Stravinsky (revisit)
Oakland
Viridian
Wine List
I was drinking a lot of wine this year, a sure sign that I am now in my thirties. I don’t really like wine bars though, because the markup isn’t really justified by any value add. I’m a “crack open a bottle of wine with the homies” kind of guy. In June, I started tracking my wine consumption and since then, I’ve opened $1,800 worth of wine and sake (of course, I share the bottles, and sometimes the costs). Current cost of my “cellar” of 38 bottles is $930…
Some of my favorite sips of this year:
Red
Contino, Rioja Reserva, 2019
COS, Frappato, 2022
Tinto Tradicional, Fronton de Oro, 2022 [Canary Islands/volcanic wines go crazy]
Domaine de l'A Rouge, 2010
Romain Chamiot, Mondeuse, 2021
Orange
Florèz, "Kind of Orange", Viognier 2022
White
Terras Gauda, O'Rosal, 2023
There are some rare, welcome exceptions. Sing Sing and All We Imagine As Light come to mind. Not coincidentally, they rank high on my list of the best films of this year.