During my yearlong travels as Eater’s national critic, I eat hundreds of meals to report on America’s dining culture as it changes and unfolds. At the beginning of 2018, it makes sense to stop and revisit some of the standout experiences that weren’t mentioned in other stories last year.

Since I toggle between a fork and a camera at dinnertime (I’ve come to love the double-duty of being my own photographer), I approached the task visually. Themes like trending cuisines and blockbuster openings often emerge among the 15 shots below. There are also glimpses of established restaurants that prove vital to their communities, and chefs whose cooking I found especially inspired. Mostly though, I flipped through reams of unedited images on my overcrowded photo-editing app and plucked out the pics that made me say, “Oh, right. Thatmoment. That food was a feat.”

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