If you know me, you know I love food. At the end of each year, I like looking back at some of the most memorable meals of the previous 12 months. This includes not just the food, but friends, family, and funny circumstances that involved the eating of it. And so, without further ado, here are the top ten most memorable meals of 2023.

#10. La Torre Imperial at Isla del Mar in Omaha

Vivian and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with lunch at Isla del Mar, a Mexican seafood restaurant down in the heart of South Omaha. We usually have lobster somewhere in the mix, which we had this time in the form of some sushi rolls. The main dish, however, was ceviche, specifically “La Torre Imperial” for me. It’s a tower of fish ceviche with aguachile shrimp, cooked shrimp, breaded shrimp, octopus, avocado, cucumber, red onion, tomato, and “sauce of the house.”

Our anniversary came in the midst of a frenzied week of VBS at Wildewood, but this was a nice, refreshing break from it all in the middle of the day.

#9. Casey’s Pizza

Casey is a gas station in the Midwest that for some reason has become noteworthy for carrying pizza, so much so that Hannah was quite shocked to learn they also had gasoline. it’s become a frequent go-to place to grab pizza for dinner when we have to have a family movie night or something quick to eat when coming home from the park. Aaron even noticed a sign for their “Pepperoni, Pepperoni, Pepperoni” Pizza and immediately wanted to have one. If you haven’t gotten pizza here before, check them out. (And that includes the breakfast pizza.)

#8. Vivian’s Charcuterie Board

Our annual Cheese & Hors d’oeuvres Party has been a tradition for some time now, and every year our friends bring over any number of fun, bite-sized things to eat. This year, however, Vivian went hog-wild with her contribution of a massive charcuterie board. It was actually set into a stone baking pan, and every square inch of the thing was packed with nuts, olives, crackers, cheese, and meats — so dense and so neatly arranged that it was hard to take in all at once. We didn’t get anywhere close to eating it, either, but that only meant lots of leftovers to take with me to work (in the form of an insane trail mix).

#7. Lunchbreak with Vivek

Vivek Ramaswamy has been holding numerous campaign events across Iowa this year, and all four of the ones I’ve attended have had food. The first was “Cake with Vivek” in Treynor. Then in October, I had pulled pork with my dad when we saw Vivek in Glenwood. In December, I got to have pizza with him again at Barley’s in Council Bluffs (with enough to take home leftovers).

The most memorable occasion, however, was when he came to The Gathering Room in Council Bluffs and had nachos. I went there with Hannah, who was able to meet him afterward and even stay for a press conference. I wasn’t entirely sure how much of the politics Hannah will remember of this year, but she referred to the event with Vivek afterward as “that nacho place.” (And I even thanked Vivek personally for the nachos, which were great.)

#6. Valentine’s Day Lunch at Graley’s

We had a cold and rainy Valentine’s Day this year, and Vivian and I enjoyed it over lunch at Graley’s in downtown Papillion. They’re known mostly for ice cream, but during the winter months they have such things as savory “hand pies,” soup, and hot cocoa, which made for the most cozy and relaxing lunch together.

Honorable mention: That evening, we had a fun little dinner at Village Inn with the kids, which was nearly empty and somewhat memorable as our meals of burgers and chicken fried steak managed to get dropped on the floor (and then quickly replaced and comped).

#5. Vivian’s Non-Stop Ramen Obsession

Vivian has frequent food obsessions year by  year, and 2023 was undoubted the Year of Ramen. I’m not sure when it started, though she wanted to have Ramen both for our sushi anniversary and then again on her birthday. Then throughout the rest of the year, she’s been making various recipes almost constantly from YouTubers she follows online, with requests from the local Asian grocery store for ingredients on her birthday and at Christmas.

Whatever the reason, the Ramen she puts together at home are quite lovely and delicious. Even the one made with peanut butter.

#4. Jen’s Birthday Pho Crawl

The 27th Street corridor north of O Street in Lincoln has a large Vietnamese community, and as such has multiple Vietnamese restaurants where you can get more than your fill of Pho. Our friends Phil and Jen had planned some kind of “Pho Crawl” along this street for years, and they finally had one for Jen’s birthday. We wound up going to three different restaurants, trying three bowls of Pho along with a few other unique Vietnamese, including a frittata thing and some Vietnamese iced coffee (which you can see impressed Vivian in this photo).

#3. Family Reunion in Cedar Rapids

This year, we had a long-awaited family reunion in Cedar Rapids, with uncles, aunts, cousins, and others we hadn’t seen in years (and our kids certainly didn’t remember). There were several memorable meals over this weekend, including one at the Flying Weenie, another at a Hy-Vee café, and one at the Machine Shed in Des Moines on the way home, as well as the picnic lunch at we had at Cedar Valley Park on Saturday.

I think the most memorable of the bunch for me was the little Maid-Rite down on 1st Avenue Downtown. It’s an old-school loose-meat sandwich place that is apparently a staple of Iowa fast food, but it was fun to eat down there when we first arrived in Cedar Rapids. It’s even located right along the Lincoln Highway, whose history I bored Vivian and the kids with multiple times over the trip.

#2. Matt’s Steak & Potatoes Birthday Dinner

Vivian kept asking what I wanted to do for my birthday, so I had no idea she’d had a plan. Then she balked at my sudden suggestion of tacos down in Papillion, and when I asked if she had something else in mind, Aaron blurted out, “IT’S STEAK!”

in this case, it was a tasty rib-eye steak with mushrooms and roasted garlic along with and a loaded baked potato on a side. Very much my favorite meal!

#1. Jack’s 80th Birthday Dinner

Vivian’s dad turned 80 years old this year, and he celebrated the way that he likes best — grilling out on the driveway. .This year, he had rib-eye steaks for us along with some truffle mac and cheese and some shrimp on top, making for some lovely turn-and-turf. We ate out on the porch and had a lovely time celebrating another year with him.