Andrew Knowlton's Picks of 2009's Best Restaurant Dishes Under $10

Dear BA Foodist,

What was the best budget restaurant dish you ate in 2009? Like you, I keep up with the latest hot spots and trends in dining out. But unlike you, I'm not paid to eat, so can you keep it under $10?
Regina Carbonell, Queens, New York


Dear Regina,

It's tough to pick just one.There's so much delicious restaurant food out there, and--lucky for diners--so much of it is affordable. With that in mind, here are the 10 best value dishes I ate this year--priced at or under $10.

The Foodist's Top Restaurant Dishes for $10 or Less

1/ Tristar strawberry salad with mozzarella, balsamic, mint, and gray salt; $9; Roberta's, Brooklyn

2/ Cathead (house-made buttermilk biscuit with fried chicken and a slice of cheddar); $6; Big Bad Breakfast, Oxford, Mississippi

3/ Arista sandwich (roasted suckling pig with broccoli rabe, Italian long hots, sharp provolone, and natural jus); $8; Paesano's, Philadelphia

4/ Enchilada Salvadoreña with tongue; $8; Tu Casa, Portland, Maine

5/ Spicy pork rinds; $5; The Publican, Chicago

6/ Filipino Maharlika pork sausage with caramelized onions; $6.75; Wurstkuche, Los Angeles

7/ Buttermilk fried quail with Tabasco butter; $10; Holeman and Finch Public House, Atlanta

8/ Blue crab crostino with jalapeño and tomato; $10; Locanda Verde, New York

9/ Tin roof sundae (vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, frosted peanuts, and Maldon salt); $6; Humphry Slocombe, San Francisco

10/ Pimiento cheese sliders; $6; Cochon Butcher, New Orleans

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