The five best dishes in New York

New York is a huge restaurant town, said the editors of Time Out New York. Keeping up with the newest dishes, latest trends, and hottest chefs is a formidable task. Somebody, though, has to keep track of the best “foods and drinkables, new and old, far-flung and nearby, cheap and, uh, $250.” Our tasting crew does exactly that, and these are the five best things we ate in the city last year:

1. Artichoke Pie at Di Fara Pizza

If pizza is New York’s quintessential food, then “the best pizza in New York surely must be the city’s No. 1 dish.” You’ll find this “gorgeously blistered” pie at a hole-in-the-wall joint, where the waits can be interminable. ($24 for a whole pie.) 1424 Avenue J at 15th St., Midwood, Brooklyn, (718) 258-1367

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2. Warm Roasted-Duck Salad at Sripraphai

“Whoa,” this hot, sweet, and savory combination of red pepper, cucumbers, cilantro, duck, and other ingredients is “just the appetizer!” ($9) 64-13 39th Ave. between 64th and 65th streets, Woodside, Queens, (718) 899-9599

3. Foie Gras Brûlée at Jean Georges

A crisp caramel cream crust meets molten foie gras. This dish is “pure genius,” and “the best argument yet to keep fattening up geese.” ($19)

1 Central Park West at Columbus Circle, (212) 299-3900

4. Chocolate-Chip Walnut Cookies at Levain Bakery

This orgy of walnuts, chocolate, and butter is “more a landmass than a cookie.” Outrageously good. ($3.75) 167 W. 74th St. at Amsterdam Ave., (212) 874-6080

5. Dandan Noodles at Sichuan Chengdu

At this stand in a fluorescent-lit mall, “heat seekers” devour pickled vegetables, crumbled pork, fiery chili oil, and Szechuan peppercorns. ($3) Inside J&L Mall, 41-82 Main St., Flushing, Queens, (no phone)