Before our memory cells get erased by the momentous celebrations and the post-millennial hangover, let's pause for a moment to consider some of the many places we visited and enjoyed in 1999 but which, for whatever reason, never made it into print.
Here is a baker's half dozen of the "best of the rest" -- some new and gleaming, others quietly making their mark, and even an old favorite that has continued to impress. All of them have the Food File Seal of Approval.
If you live or work in the Hiroo vicinity, the chances are you need little introduction to Cardenas. Over the past year it's carved out its own solid niche in the rapidly proliferating genre lazily referred to as Californian cuisine, by occupying a middle ground halfway between the flashy high-end cooking of Stellato/Tableaux and the laid-back bistro buzz of Fummy's Grill.