Good eats: Tom Harte's list of places to visit in 2011

While your list of things to do in 2011 may consist of places to see, books to read or things to learn, my list, of course, is made up of places to eat that I'd like to visit or revisit in the coming year. It's an idiosyncratic inventory, to be sure, but I herewith offer it for your consideration. After all, you don't need me to suggest the famous places like Charlie Trotter's or The French Laundry. These are eateries that I think are well worth seeking out in the new year.

* The Veranda at the Moana Hotel in Honolulu: Any meal eaten on this splendid Victorian terrace right on Waikiki shore might be memorable, but taking afternoon tea in the shade of the nearby banyan tree as ocean waves splash in the background is the most refined and civilized culinary experience imaginable.

* La Super-Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara, Calif.: There's a reason people line up around the block at this little shack. Julia Child, who retired to Santa Barbara, was often one of them. Everything here is authentic and unpretentious. The specialties are freshly made tamales on Fridays and Saturdays and pozole, a stew of pork and hominy, on Sundays. It's tempting to stay the entire weekend.

* The Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C.: Located in the shadow of the White House, this is the capitol's oldest saloon, though today its menu, offering stylish preparations of hearty fare, is a good deal more upscale than you'd expect at a bar or tavern. Still looking like it did at the turn of the last century, it displays all manner of antiques and memorabilia, including, they say, animal heads bagged by Teddy Roosevelt.

* Nepenthe on Highway One, Big Sur, Calif.: It would be hard to imagine a more spectacular setting in which to eat than the Big Sur coast and this restaurant, designed by a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright, takes full advantage of it. Admittedly, you come here for the view, but the food, especially the sandwiches and the burgers, is plenty good. The banana cream pie is noteworthy, as well.

* Tru in Chicago: Everything about this establishment is impeccable. But what else would you expect from the place that invented the caviar staircase, a sampling of caviars perched on spiraled glass plates? Opt for one of the tasting menus, called collections. The dessert collection, overseen by celebrated pastry chef Gale Gand, will blow you away.

* Carl's Drive-In in St. Louis: You'll be lucky to get a stool without waiting in this classic burger joint, which hasn't changed since the 1950s. But even if the place were twice its size, it would still be crowded because its burgers, smushed on the grill right in front of you, are addictive.

* Davenport Roadhouse in Davenport, Calif.: Just 10 minutes outside Santa Cruz and 100 yards from the ocean, this attractive place offers what can best be called California cuisine like artichoke lasagna. Best of all, just down the road is the Pie Ranch, a working farm offering some of the best pies you'll ever taste.

* Jacques Torres Chocolate in New York City: You can't get a full meal here, just dessert, but who's complaining? The amiable Torres, deservedly dubbed Mr. Chocolate, can sometimes be spotted at his Hudson Street shop making decadent chocolate chip cookies, sinful truffles or the aptly named wicked hot chocolate. No one does it better.

* Rancho de Chimayo in Santa Fe, N.M.: This century-old adobe home on the scenic High Road to Taos and surrounded by three mountain ranges has been converted to a restaurant serving native New Mexican cuisine. It's positively enchanting.

* Home Restaurant in Los Feliz, Calif.: There really is no place like home, a local hangout in a hip and funky section of Los Angeles. Situated in a lovely outdoor patio, it offers home cooked dishes like Mom's Meatloaf. The red velvet cake is awesome.

* Gallagher's in Waterloo, Ill.: This place, in a lovingly restored stately old building on Mill Street, aspires to be a destination restaurant, and it has become that, but not for its fine dining menu. Instead, it's the fried chicken that has people flocking in from the St. Louis metro area. It's the best I've ever had.

Tom Harte's book, "Stirring Words," is available at local bookstores. A Harte Appetite airs Fridays 8:49 a.m. on KRCU, 90.9 FM. Contact Tom at news@semissourian.com or at the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699.