BLOGS

As we created the yearly list of our best restaurants in the USA, we took several trips and indulged in plenty of food. Orcas Island off the coast of Washington State is reached after passing through Oklahoma City and Juncos, Puerto Rico. While we like seeing a fresh, exciting dining space open its doors, we are thrilled with kitchens still performing at their peak years later. Therefore, while some of our favorites only made their appearance this summer, others have been around for quite some time. The one thing they all have in common is delicious cuisine.

ABACÁ, SAN FRISCO:

Francis and Dian Ang and the staff at the Filipino pop-up Pinoy Heritage make every dinner feel like a party with pancit and lumpia, addictive beef tongue barbecue sticks and homemade longanisa, and a variety of platitos that change in line with the seasonal seafood and produce available in Northern California. Look for a QR code to access a "hidden" menu featuring some of the Ang family's favorite foods, such as balut and duck hearts.

ANAJAK THAI, LOS ANGELES:

Anajak Thai is 41 years old, but when Justin Pichetrungsi took over the Sherman Oaks cafe from his parents a few years ago, he thoughtfully and delectably expanded the Thai menu and natural wine selection. When you can get a table, order the whole grilled seabream in a deep green pool of tangy Nam Jim or the Southern Thai-style fried chicken. Alternatively, order something off the more adventurous omakase-style menu on the weekends or on Thai Taco Tuesdays to experience the restaurant's free-spirited atmosphere in one of the best restaurants in the USA.

ANDIARIO, WEST CHESTER, PA:

In 2017, Tony Andiario and Maria van Schaijik relocated from Phoenix to West Chester, Pennsylvania, where they settled close to her parents and in his home state. Other motivations are suggested by the restaurant the couple built the following year. For instance, Mr. Andiario arranges the spicy local radicchio in a tangle over thin slices of porchetta di testa and on top of a golden circle of chestnut crespelle. Or guinea fowl from Pennsylvania covered in a rich cream sauce made with regional mushrooms. Italian eateries are well-liked platforms for displaying local delicacies. Mr. Andiario goes further by convincing customers that this college town 30 miles west of Philadelphia is the best location for preparing Italian food, at least for the duration of a meal.

APTEKA, PITTSBURGH:

Finding the best restaurants in the USA where pierogi listicles are considered clickbait is not shocking. The vegan cuisine at Apteka is a unique twist, and the delight is that you won't miss anything. Don't miss the celeriac schnitzel; the co-chefs, co-owners, and life partners Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski use fermentation, inventiveness, and cultured nut milk as rich as crème fraîche to create dishes with depth, texture, and taste. Mr. Skowronski, a son of Polish immigrants who grew up visiting family in and around Warsaw with thriving gardens, had a part in influencing their produce-driven cuisine.

AUDREY, NASHVILLE:

This restaurant, which has his grandmother's name and is devoted to understanding and respecting Appalachian cuisine, is run by Sean Brock, who puts all of his culinary, intellectual, and historical passions into it. How does that appear? Some meals are created in a kitchen that resembles Noma, where, for instance, he isolates the flavor of leather britches, a type of dried snap bean, and makes a demi-glace out of it. He then uses this demi-glace to smooth a succotash made of nixtamalized hominy and a pickled form of the same bean. The meal is topped with an ember-roasted lion's mane mushroom. Every aspect of the restaurant, from the unique collection of outsider art on the walls to the staff's meditation space upstairs, has been influenced by Mr. Brock.

BACANORA, PHOENIX:

The caramel stands out at this neon-lit corner café. A corn tortilla is toasted to crisp and then liberally topped with salsa, queso fresco, ripe pinto beans, and chunks of beef Asada. But this location is far from an overnight success. The small Sonoran cuisine menu, supported by a sizable grill (no ovens or stoves) and chef Rene Andrade's unique ability to blend brightness, salt, and acidity, has almost no mistakes. He is the sort of chef who gives a side of beans the same kind of thought and attention that he does to a unique grilled yellowtail collar drizzled with tart chamoy, which shows.

BONNIE'S, NEW YORK CITY:

Cantonese food was trendy in the United States decades ago. It's no simple feat, but Bonnie's chef Calvin Eng makes everything appear brand fresh. He offers salt-and-pepper squid with a creamy sauce topped with garlic chives that he refers to as "Chinese ranch." A variation of cacio e Pepe uses fermented tofu in place of the strong sheep's milk cheese. His char siu McRib is a metaphor for the experiences of Chinese immigrant families in America, and you could probably write a dissertation on it. The fact that the dining room is crowded almost immediately after the doors open implies that Brooklyn is aware of what Mr. Eng is attempting to express.