100 best things we ate and drank this year (in no particular order)

Grown-Up Pop Tart from Southport Grocery & Café

Photograph: Brendan Lekan

68. Grown-Up Pop Tart | Southport Grocery & Café
Do you know how many times we’ve debated whether this breakfast standout is worth braving Southport’s stroller brigade, this always-packed café’s guaranteed wait, the elbow-athon when maneuvering through the cramped space and the sight of an endless parade of Uggs? Many, many times. And every time, the “Pop Tart” wins out. Toasted brioche folded around gooey mascarpone cheese, warm berry preserves and vanilla-roasted walnuts is a powerful thing. 3552 N Southport Ave (773-665-0100). $5.

69. Grapefruit mojito | Crust
While you may have spent last summer perfecting your tan, we spent ours deciding which vodka infusion at this organic pizzeria was the best. The strawberry-woodruff was both fruity and woodsy and the cucumber-mint was as refreshing as a dip in a pool, but the grapefruit-bergamot was hands-down the best mojito we had all season. And believe us, we tried them all. 2056 W Division St (773-235-5511). $9.

70. Cassoulet | Brasserie Jo
Some people fear the cold. But we see it as chef Jean Joho’s signal to roll out his Monday-night plat du jour, a slow-cooked cassoulet packed with confit duck leg, double-smoked bacon, pork shoulder, sausage, white beans and garlic cloves that have been cooked in goose fat. It’s a meatstravaganza that can temper the chilliest of Chicago nights. 59 W Hubbard St (312-595-0800). $21.95.

71. Venison burger | May Street Market
After eating half our body weight in ground beef while researching this year’s Burger issue, the last thing we wanted was another patty. But as time went by, we were suddenly craving the standouts of the competition, and this tender, rich venison burger was the first one we ate to break our veggie-filled detox. 1132 W Grand Ave (312-421-5547). $12.

72. Corn dog | Squire’s Dog Haus, Lake County Fair
It’s a hand-dipped dog, deep-fried and handed over by a veteran fry daddy who knows about such things. As if that weren’t enough, there’s a tractor pull and mutton bustin.’ If you don’t know, you gotta go. lakecountyfairassoc.com. Seasonal.

73. Pierogi | Smak-Tak
If you can find a better comfort-food dish than oniony, potato-stuffed dumplings swimming in melted butter, we’ll eat it. But until then, we’ll head for this Polish Highlander standout for plates of these pierogi. 5961 N Elston Ave (773-763-1123). $7.

74. Carne en su jugo | Birrieria de la Torre
Look away, vegetarians—the name of this classic Mexican soup translates to “beef in its own juices,” which is exactly how we like our beef, thankyouverymuch. The ultrarich broth (think a smidge lighter than straight-up stock) gets a ladleful of red kidney beans, bits of crispy bacon and hacked-up skirt steak. Squeeze in some lime, fold in the freshly made tortillas, and you, my friend, have perfection in a bowl. 6724 S Pulaski Rd (773-767-6075). $8.

75. Banofi pie | TipsyCake
The owner of this bakery is Australian, but it’s this British concoction that we’re bloody bonkers for. The classic pie’s name hints at the banana and toffee flavor, achieved by a combo of bananas, cream and boiled sweetened condensed milk (a.k.a. dulce de leche). Rich doesn’t begin to describe it. 1043 N California Ave (773-384-4418). $25.

76. Berkshire pork tonkatsu | Takkatsu
Every culture has its own take on a fried cutlet—the Germans call it schnitzel, Texans call it chicken-fried steak—but this Japanese version uses fancy-schmancy Berkshire pork (a high-end breed that results in marbled, luscious meat) and is extracrisp and greaseless thanks to its panko bread crumb coating. 161 W Wing St, Arlington Heights (847-818-1860). $21.95.

77. Crispy chicken thigh | Avec
You can always count on three things to be on chef Koren Grieveson’s menu at this still-hot Mediterranean small-plates spot: chorizo-stuffed dates, tallegio focaccia with truffle oil and a crispy chicken thigh. The prep on the latter is ever-changing, but recently the perfectly juicy chicken arrived with roasted delicata squash, honey-poached chestnuts and shaved apple. Go try this version before it shape-shifts again. 615 W Randolph St (312-377-2002). $9.

Bacon Bloody Mary from Sepia

Photograph: Kate Cole

78. Bacon Bloody Mary | Sepia
The mind-boggling thing about the buzz this West Loop newcomer garnered this year is not how widespread and unanimous it was. Rather, it was that it got such high marks months before it rolled out brunch and started infusing vodka with bacon to create this brilliant, smoky twist on the Bloody Mary. 123 N Jefferson St (312-441-1920). $10.