The 21 best dishes, dining events and restaurants of 2016, as chosen by our food writers

Best Reason to Scrape a Bowl: Shoyu tuna poke bowl from Da Kine Poke Truck
Da Kine Poke Truck

Poke tuna is quickly becoming the next local food trend; we've seen it popping up at Quickly Boba Snow, Sus Hi Eatstation and even Publix, but our favorite so far is the mobile version from Da Kine Poke Truck. Not only does the truck seem to show up just when we get a craving for plump, toothsome tuna chunks in a tangy soy-based sauce, but the truck also offers a wide variety of furikake – seasoning blends made with nori, sesame and various other ingredients – to give the accompanying rice just the right flavor boost. And even though the owner has referred to us as "the worst news source out there," we'd be happy to split a bowl with him any time.

Photo via dakinepoke/Facebook

Best Way to Eat Your Greens: Pozole Verde at Black Rooster Taqueria
1323 N. Mills Ave., 407-601-0994, Black Rooster Taqueria

How many times have we heard it: "Eat your greens!" Well, our new favorite way to follow the letter, if not at all the spirit, of the law is Black Rooster's pozole verde. A big hunk of slow-cooked pork shoulder swimming in a bowl of broth all zingy with roasted tomatillo, chile poblano, cilantro and lime, it's lush and meaty without being overpoweringly unctuous. And hey, it's garnished with radish and green cabbage – practically health food, right?

Photo via blkroostertaco/Instagram

Best Dessert to Instagram: Ka-ti Brick toast at KrungThep Tea Time
1051 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 407-733-3561 Krungthep Teatime

The ka-ti brick toast from KrungThep Tea Time in Winter Park is a relatively simple construction: cubes of thick-cut toast soaked in butter and condensed milk, topped with coconut ice cream and whipped cream, sprinkled with crushed peanuts, then drizzled with honey. The dessert makes for a dramatic presentation in and of itself, but if you position the sweet plate in front of the "K-R-U-N-G-T-H-E-P" marquee, then snap a pic with your smartphone, Instagram stardom is yours for the taking.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Secret Rooftop Restaurant: Eleven at Reunion Resort
7593 Gathering Drive, Kissimmee, 407-662-1000, Eleven at Reunion Resort

By day, the rooftop where Eleven is located is the hotel's pool deck (which, really, is unique enough for Orlando), but come dusk, the sliding glass wall opens to reveal an elegant space where some of Central Florida's best steaks are served. Whatever you order for your main, don't miss the roasted garlic app that spreads like buttah over toasted baguette, Cambozola cheese and confit cherry tomatoes. Views of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot fireworks are on deck post-dessert.

Photo via reunionresort/Instagram

Best Canadian Dish Available in Orlando: Valhalla Bakery's Nanaimo bars
2603 E. South St., 407-613-5968,Valhalla Bakery

Until butter tarts, muktuk, moose in a can, peameal bacon, Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and poutine decent enough to make a Canadian stand "on guard for thee" make their foray south of the 49th Parallel, Valhalla Bakery's Nanaimo bars will be the singular finest Canadian treat you'll find in these here parts. The dark-chocolate graham-cracker coconut crust layered with a top-secret vegan "butter" custard filling and topped in magical dark chocolate is best eaten with your hands. If forking it, flip it upside down to avoid any custard ooze. That's how Ryan Reynolds does it.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Dining Experience That Needs to Come Back to Orlando: Dinner in the Sky
Dinner in the Sky

In 2007, Dinner in the Sky elevated dining to new heights at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) show right here in Orlando, but after the concept made its rounds across the world, it never did return to our fair hamlet. We say it's, ahem, high time Orlandoans got the opportunity to be comfortably strapped to a leather seat (itself secured to a dining table, which is connected to a crane) and then lifted 180 feet into the air for an outdoor dining experience unlike any other.

Photo Dinner in the Sky/ Website

Best Vegan Junk Food: Fakenit tater tots at King Bao
710 N. Mills Ave., 407-237-0013, facebook.com/kingbaoorlando

Clearly, not everyone who eats vegan is doing it to be healthy – we've seen some pretty kickin' vegan dishes that would give Chris Christie palpitations. These fried tots at the new Mills 50 bao hamlet are covered in tofu, fake bacon, roasted garlic and onion jam and sprinkled with scallions. Also, they're just $2.50, so if you wanted to also eat a Veganville bao for lunch (crispy tofu with ginger-pepper relish), your wallet would only be a smidge lighter.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Broth: Saigon Noodle and Grill
101 N. Bumby Ave., 407-532-7373, saigonnoodleandgrill.com

You know that pile of toppings (basil, jalapeños, bean sprouts) and the lazy Susan packed with sauces (hoisin, sriracha, chile-garlic paste)? You won't need them. Out of all the pho-bulous pho joints in this town, Saigon Noodle and Grill's pho broth needs no help at all. On its own, it's rich, perfectly seasoned and full of umami. Just pass the chopsticks.

Photo via saigonnoodlesandgrill/Instagram

Best Handheld Dessert: Brownies from George's Gourmet Cookies
501 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-1499,Brownies from George's Gourmet Cookies

You know how everyone in your office knows when there are leftover brownies from that board meeting? Everyone scampers like starved cats to the break room and descends upon the spoils, and then they're gone. If you find yourself so unlucky as to miss out, get to George's location on Lee Road and Orlando Avenue early enough to score one of the hefty handheld treats topped with caramel, marshmallow, chocolate drizzle and nuts, all for yourself.

Photo via iluvewinterpark/Instagram

Best Pink Drink: Good Vibrations at New Moon Market
2314 Edgewater Drive, 407-440-8147, New Moon Market

The drink of summer 2016, the one you're tired of seeing on every basic bitch's Instagram, is the Starbucks Pink Drink, a "secret menu" concoction of their strawberry açai refresher made with coconut milk instead of water, with strawberries and blackberries blended in. Bleah. We say New Moon's summer 2016 Good Vibrations juice, a blend of cold-pressed organic watermelon, pineapple, basil and lime, beats that goop all to hell. It's a prettier color, it tastes cleaner and more summery, and it's a LOT better for you.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Street Tacos: Carne asada tacos at Tortas El Rey
6151 S. Orange Blossom Trail, 407-850-6980

There are three basic requirements to look for in a street taco before you sit down: double corn tortillas, salsa roja strong enough to give you a small asthma attack and lengua on the menu. Tortas El Rey has all of these things, qualifying them for consideration. And their carne asada tacos are some of the best in town. For less than $3, you can buy one pocket of meat heaven at this remodeled Checkers drive-thru and have enough cash left to buy a medium horchata to wash it down.

Photo by Monivette Corediro

Best Tiki Drink: Shrunken Zombie Head at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, 1600 Seven Seas Drive, 407-824-2000, Disney World

It's sticky and sweet and fruity and just screams "I'm on vacation, bitches!" (the dangerous combo of three different aged rums, fruit juice and falernum means you better be), but the best part about this not-cheap cocktail, an homage to the tiki craze of the 1960s, is that you get to keep the vessel the concoction comes in – a ceramic shrunken head replica.

Photo courtesy of WDW

Best Disney Springs Snack: Cap'n Crunch ice cream at Sprinkles
1676 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, 407-560-9192, Sprinkles

First thing: Sprinkles is supposed to be a cupcake shop, not an ice cream shop. Second thing: Crunchy cereal mixed into ice cream shouldn't work. Third thing: Forget those other two things, because this is the flavor of the summer so far as we're concerned. The ice cream is dense as gelato, infused with that special brown sugar and butter flavor and studded with individual Crunch nuggets. It's so much better than their cupcakes that eponymous sea captain Horatio Magellan Crunch might commit auto-cannibalism if he got his cartoony little paws on a scoop.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Mediterranean Breakfast: Breakfast Plate at Park Café Bakery
400 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, 407-401-2088, Park Cafe Bakery

"Mediterranean" cuisine spans a vast tract of the globe, but the delightfully healthy morning spread offered at Hannibal Square's Park Cafe & Bakery will be as familiar to Turks as it is to Greeks: black and green olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, jams, honey, Nutella, almonds, meats, dried apricots and more cheeses dutifully arranged on a pretty platter, with a basket of fresh-baked Turkish bagels (simit) and an omelet served with sausage (soujouk) to boot. It's all meant to be enjoyed with Turkish tea, though capping your breakfast off with a demitasse of Turkish coffee is entirely apropos.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Way to Survive Long Lines at Universal: Frozen Butterbeer
Wizarding World of Harry Potter, 6000 Universal Blvd., 407-224-4233 Universal Orlando

Literally nothing sounds worse than sweltering in line for two hours waiting to ride Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts, but at least there's one consolation: that blended butterscotch concoction with the creamy, foamy "head" known as frozen butterbeer. And we're not telling you to do this, but the stealthy addition of an airplane bottle of Baileys would make queuing up even sweeter.

Photo by Jennifer Huber

Best Place to do an Uma Thurman Impersonation: Morimoto Asia
1600 E. Buena Vista Drive, 407-939-6686, Morimoto Asia

OK, chances are if you don a yellow jumpsuit and wield a Hattori Hanzo samurai sword around Morimoto Asia, you'll likely incur the wrath of Disney security and the FBI. But if you're the type to fully commit to a cosplay role, or go balls-out for Halloween, there's no better place to get your Beatrix Kiddo on than at Morimoto Asia. Bound up the rail of the grand stairway as you slice, dice, leap and twirl your way to a face-to-face with your very own personal O-Ren Ishii. Or just get a table and enjoy the sticky ribs. Whatever.

Photo by Rob Bartlett

Best Prescription for Living: The Sanctum Café’s Bowls
715 N. Ferncreek Ave., 407-757-0346, The Sanctum Café

Some people eat to live; some live to eat. The Sanctum Cafe is that rare restaurant that can keep both happy. The green and grain bowls tick every health-food box: organic, non-GMO, locally sourced, vegan, gluten-free; no preservatives, dyes, artificial sweeteners or hydrogenated oils. (Obviously few things in life are 100 percent, but the Sanctum goes as far as it can on all of those fronts without getting cost-prohibitive.) On the other hand, the bowls assembled from such pure ingredients manage to be beautiful, filling and incredibly delicious – a riot of colors, textures and flavors. If food is medicine, we'll happily take ours.

photo via thesanctumcafe/Instagram

Best Place to Talk Brexit Over Curry: The Viceroy Chipshop's Curry Club
407-456-7890, Viceroy Chipshop's Curry Club

There's nothing more British than Indian food, and expats craving the curries found in merry ol' England now have an outlet in which to enjoy Brit-style kormas, tikka masalas and, yes, even fiery (and very Indo-British) balti roshan thanks to the Viceroy Chipshop's Curry Club, run by chef Paul Skingley and his wife, Jennie Lynn. The gang gathers every two weeks (check their Facebook page) at various venues across the city to eat and chat about matters across the pond. One thing you won't hear is "Do you want that mild, medium or spicy?" The curries are prepared the way they're supposed to be.

Photo via theviceroychipsopscluborlando/Facebook

Best Reason to Invest in Shout Wipes: Diner en Blanc
Orlando.dinerenblanc.info

Rule No. 1 when attending a flash-mob outdoor dinner party where guests are required to bring their own food, wine, tables, chairs and utensils, and dress head to toe in white? Why, pack the Shout wipes (or Tide pen or what have you), of course! After all, you want this exclusive "all-white" affair in October to be one to remember for its epicurean fancy, not the wine blotch or splatter of beef bourguignon on your designer vestments.

Photo via dinerenblancor/instagram

Best Gastronomic Russian Roulette: Omakase quickfire at Dragonfly Robata
Dragonfly Robata

Roughly translated as "trust the chef," omakase dining is a series of small plates in which the entire menu is up to the chef's whims. And at Dragonfly Robata, the results are delicious. At the time of writing, there was a summer-themed omakase menu on offer with unique twists on soba, sushi and grilled bison. Add to that the further option of a "quickfire" dish – that is to say, a total on-the-spot improvisation on the cook's part – and you have a meal made for those of us who just wanna shut off our brains at the end of a day and be impressed.

Photo via ppages1984/Instagram