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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Back in December, Eater reported the arrival of Lyric Market, Houston’s newest food hall. Planned for the city’s Theatre District, early signs indicate that it’s going to be seriously awesome.

The project, a brainchild of real estate developer Jonathan Enav, is set to arrive at 411 Smith Street later this year. According to a press release, Lyric Center Market will occupy a massive 31,000 square feet, complete with an underground speakeasy, open-air terrace, and private dining rooms. Clark Cooper Concepts, the restaurant group behind eateries like Ibiza Food and Wine Bar, Brasserie 19, and Punk’s Simple Southern Food, has been tapped to help Enav curate a selection of diverse and exciting tenants inside the Market.

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The unfiltered, untreated spring water is a hit in Silicon Valley

Move over Soylent: Silicon Valley’s obsession du jour is raw water, or spring water that has not been filtered or treated in any way, according to a recent report in the New York Times.

It’s apparently flying off the shelves in San Francisco. But is it beneficial or safe? Here’s everything you need to know about raw water:

Check out raw water here