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"  \u00BB MOST RESOURCEFUL RESPONSE TO A MAJOR STORM  When Donald Link realized that the sudden temperature swings during Hurricane Katrina had &amp;quot;cooked&amp;quot; the wine in the cellar of his restaurant, Herbsaint, he did what any practical, country-raised cook would do: He made vinegar. He now uses it at his new place, Cochon, to turn out some of the best pickled vegetables I&amp;#039;ve ever had--fresh and crisp, with a deep sense of place. My favorite use: the Bloody Mary, garnished with pickled okra and laced with some of its tangy jar juice. --Francine Maroukian \u00BB SECOND-MOST RESOURCEFUL RESPONSE TO A MAJOR STORM  Three years later--about six weeks ago--New Orleans was shut down by another storm, Gustav. With no deliveries and only minimal refrigeration provided by generators, chef John Besh drove into the countryside, from farm to farm, gathering whatever ingredients he could. For the next few days, his restaurant, L\u00FCke, opened for lunch serving only makeshift specials like rabbit-stuffed bell peppers in pecan sauce. He served 150 people the first day. --F. M.  \u00BB BACONIEST BAR SNACK Peanuts. Maple syrup. Some spices--cayenne and thyme. And bacon. All tossed together and roasted until the tacky bacon bonds with the crunchy peanuts, creating what may be the best beer nut in America, now being served at Redhead in New York&amp;#039;s East Village.  \u00BB MOST UNEXPECTED BENEFIT OF A SIXTEEN-YEAR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT  When the government spends $14 billion so you can walk to dinner, it&amp;#039;s stupid not to. The completion of Boston&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;Big Dig&amp;quot; reconnected the North End peninsula to the downtown area for the first time since 1959. The Italian enclave still holds all the red-sauce classics, but a wave of newer restaurants has brought new dishes, like the house special at Carmen Trattori: a bowl of briny Wellfleet clams soaking in pebbly hot-mustard cream sauce, set off by an earthy braised fennel undertow. --F. M.  \u00BB BEST REASON TO FLY JETBLUE  The hottest restaurant locale in New York may look like the kind of place where models do coke off the bathroom sink, but they&amp;#039;d never get it past security. That&amp;#039;s because it&amp;#039;s an airport food court. Only instead of Panda Express, a herd of chefs from great Manhattan restaurants have schlepped out to JetBlue&amp;#039;s JFK terminal to cook--Italian (one of Mario Batali&amp;#039;s crew), Mexican (a Rosa Mexicana vet), steak, tapas, and more--for the stopped-over, flight-delayed masses. \u00BB LEAST ANNOYING LOCAL-FOOD MOVEMENT EXAMPLE  At the Healdsburg Bar and Grill, in northern California wine country, beyond the expected whites and reds on the list, one section offers wines produced within five square blocks of the restaurant, starting at thirty dollars a bottle.  \u00BB MOST UNNECESSARY BUT SATISFYING MANIPULATION OF AN INGREDIENT  At Foxtail, a lavish new place in West Hollywood, garlic is fermented in a bath of soy for a month, during which it turns tar-black, loses its spicy harshness, and takes on a molasses-y flavor. It then becomes sweet aioli for dipping crispy, salty fries.  \u00BB BEST USE OF GOAT  At the Des Moines Farmer&amp;#039;s Market, Bill Niman of Niman Ranch was recently overheard saying goat was on the verge. Let&amp;#039;s hope. It&amp;#039;s lean and intensely flavorful--like a cross between mild lamb and pork. Chef George Formaro of the Gateway Market in Des Moines, whose recipes stretch the palates of the Plains, gets his from a herd raised by his brother-in-law, a Niman rancher, and makes tacos: braised, fall-apart-tender meat folded into hand-patted tortillas that soften the blow of chipotle-pepper salsa. --Jennifer Wilson  \u00BB MOST TOLERABLE EXAMPLE OF THE COMMUNAL-TABLE TREND  In the regional seasonal utopia that is Portland, Oregon, the community table is exactly that: a way of gathering people for the purpose of sharing an experience. But it isn&amp;#039;t all peace, love, and understanding. From her open kitchen at Beast, chef Naomi Pomeroy keeps a hard line: two seatings for a six-course daily menu &amp;quot;based on what sounds great, right, and true&amp;quot;--in other words, whatever she wants to serve that night. Don&amp;#039;t even think about asking for substitutions. --F. M. \u00BB MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE IN OMAHA  In a city not known for gastronomic diversity, Bosnian chef and owner Dario Schicke has opened Dario&amp;#039;s Brasserie, which serves twelve Trappist ales, five Lambics, and the Popeye Platter (left): a big melty tray of eighteen briny open-faced mussels--Omaha&amp;#039;s miraculous new trend--baked in a gratin of spinach, bacon, and cream and topped with smoky Gruy\u00E8re. Try it with the Orval, a hoppy and herbal ale from one of Belgium&amp;#039;s oldest monasteries. --J. W.  \u00BB BEST TRIO OF ROUND FOODS Here is what you need to order at Terroir, a new Manhattan wine bar: the fried mozzarella balls, the beet-risotto balls with Gorgonzola, and the veal-ricotta meatballs. \u00BB BEST REASON TO SKIP THE CONCESSIONS AT THE NEW YANKEE STADIUM The name Zero Otto Nove refers to the area code for Salerno, Italy, owner Roberto Paciullo&amp;#039;s hometown. At this Bronx pizzeria, he makes great pies in a woodburning oven--charred, bubbly crust, sweet tomatoes, fresh mozzarella. --John Mariani  \u00BB MOST SOPHISTICATED VERY SIMPLE COCKTAIL  Between the Sheets, at L2O in Chicago: \u00BE oz 10 Cane rum \u00BE oz Hennessey VS \u00BE oz Cointreau 1 oz lemon juice Shake, strain, serve up. Three liquors. Equal parts. Genius.  For more stories related to &amp;quot;Esquire&amp;#039;s Best New Restaurants, 2008,&amp;quot; including our chef, hostess, and tables of the year, please click this link. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/reviews/a5222/restaurants-other-awards-1108/>