NYC 2010 Year in Food, The Best and Worst

Eddie Huang and the beverage thatfelled Xiou Ye

Despite (or because of) America's terrifying economic freefall, 2010 was another year of indulgence in NYC. A year when we said yes to caffeine, alcohol and sugar, sometimes all at once.Four Lokotook the country's teenagers (andone restaurant) by storm, serving up three cups of coffee's worth of caffeine and two beer's worth of alcohol in a concoction that tasted like Robitussin and Fun Dip and came in a can that looked like it was designed by Willy Wonka. What wasn't to love? Oh right,the blackouts,the injuries, the deaths. The governmentmoved quickly, first withstates banningthe concoction one by one and then theFDA neutering italtogether, and deli ownerswere thankfulthat they were no longer forced to sell the drinks to teenagers on their way to schools.NYU mourned, as did anyone who believed it was the inalienable right of anyone over the age of 21 to buy, chug and quickly vomit up the beverage if they so chose. Thankfully, for anyone legal who missed it, the drink can live on in the living rooms ofanyone who feels like mixingmalt liquor and an energy drink with Jolly Ranchers and a caffeine pill. And there'salways Craigslist! Orwhipahol.On top of all this, we were also introduced to theDouble Down, andcat shit coffee.(Jaya Saxena)

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What the hell happened this year, besides Neapolitan pizza EVERYWHERE and locally-sourced EVERYTHING? Honestly, it's all a blur. Some bars and restaurants opened, other closed; a few of themdeserved to go, others maybeshouldn't have opened in the first place. The Man scolded you aboutsalt,drinking,sugar, and cracked down on sanitary conditions—requiring restaurantsto post letter gradesfrom the Health Department. Williamsburg's Southside boomed with excellent new bars and eateries, while the East Village and the Lower East Side mourned the loss of some beloved institutions. We've tried to make some sense of it all here; click through for a look back at (deep breath!) thecraziest trends in oral consumption, thebest new bars, theworst new bars, ourfavorite new restaurants, themost disappointing new restaurants, thebiggest abominations, thesaddest closings, thestupidest manufactured trends, thebest actual trends, thebest trend-bucking, thegreatest gag, mostcontroversial change in dining, and thecoolest-looking coffee shop.

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