Here's my list, in no particular order:
Top 10 (with an inadvertent bias for places within a mile of my house)
Ropa vieja, El Rinconcito Cubano
Jonah crab and fried green tomato, Lula Café (first course of a Monday farm dinner)
Baklava, Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop
Muhammara (roasted red pepper and pomegranate molasses spread: epicurious.com recipe), my mother’s house in Lisle
Corvina in poblano cream with house-made red salsa, Fonda del Mar
Small plates (patlican salatasi, grilled portobello in red pepper cream, marinated seafood salad, homemade Turkish bread), Turquoise Cafe
Chiles rellenos, El Pacifico
Grilled skirt steak w/ truffle-poblano vinaigrette, Scylla (Green City Market benefit, July)
Spicy white tuna maki, Hachi’s Kitchen
Atlas tagine with chicken, Marakkech
Honorable mentions:
Reuben sandwich, Peaches Restaurant, Richland Center, WI
Jerk chicken, The Winds Café
Chirashi with greens, Capra’s Café
Marinated beet salad with herb vinaigrette, prepared at home from Angelic Organics red and yellow beets and seasonal herbs
Veal hot dog w/ natural casing, Kurowski’s Sausage Shop