At this time of year, lists are unavoidable. There are lists of 1997’s Top 10 Stories, Top 10 Albums, Top 10 Videos, Top 10 Movies Starring Jim Carrey While He Was Married to Lauren Holley.

I could just go with the flow and assemble my list of the Top 10 Meals of 1997. But a meal isn’t like a movie or a record. You can see a movie again and again, and you can listen to a record over and over. But once a meal is gone, it’s gone for good—or for bad. Six months after the fact, it can be difficult to retrieve even the best of the best dining experiences from the memory bank. (The worst of the worst stays with you a lot longer, believe me.)

If you had the feeling that there wasn’t much new under the sun, you were right. I spent much of the year revisiting dining rooms that have been on the scene for some time—Midtown Cafe, Capitol Grille, Sunset Grill, Sole Mio, Cafe 123, Blue Moon Cafe, Shalimar, Cakewalk, Tin Angel, and Ruth’s Chris. Trilogy, Slice of Life, and Country Life all closed their doors.

Arriving on the scene, with varying degrees of splash and varying degrees of success, were Séanachie, Dancing Bear, Quail’s in Brentwood, Noshville, Havana Lounge, and The Trace. The most welcome addition for harried parents of small children was Cafe Bambino, where both generations can satisfy their needs. Baraka Bakery, Ali Baba, and Salama Market immigrated to the Nolensville Road area, further broadening the range of Nashville’s culinary repertoire.

To the delight of the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau folks, two more theme restaurants landed in The District—Have A Nice Day Cafe and the NASCAR Cafe, giving Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood a run for the tourist dollar.

A little space that made a big impression over on White Bridge Road was Taste of Italy, which sells fresh imported Italian cheeses and meats as well as prepared salads, vegetables, and baked pastas.

People who no longer want to cook but still want to eat at home—and there are obviously plenty of you—were further encouraged in their laziness by the opening of The Food Company, Harris Teeter, Vincent’s, and Laurell’s Central Market. These gourmet take-outs join The Corner Market, Bread and Company, Provence Breads and Cafe, Clayton-Blackmon, Classic Gourmet, Sunshine Grocery, Great Harvest, and Nick of Thyme.

There was some shuffling about. Ruth’s Chris moved from 21st Avenue to West End, and Ireland’s returned to its original site, delighting native Nashvillians who have been pining for their signature “stake & biscuits” and fudge pie.

Jeff Lunsford took the reins at Sunset Grill and infused the kitchen with new passion, redoing the menu and having fun with the tasting menu and specials. Meanwhile, S.G.’s front man, Randy Rayburn, purchased Midtown, making assurances that the little restaurant, one of Nashville’s most consistently beloved, would stay just the way it was. (If you believe that one, I have some property on the East Bank I’d like to show you.)

Jody Faison, Nashville’s most prolific restaurateur, sold Faison’s, the place where it all began. He renamed Jules, calling it Jody’s. He continues to tinker with the menu there and at Cafe 123.

Perhaps the most dramatic change has taken place at the enduringly popular Cakewalk. In the space of just a couple of months, Cakewalk’s original chef, Debra Paquette, left her post at The Bound’ry and came back home, becoming a part-owner at Cakewalk, along with her husband, Ernie, and Vicki and Rick Bolsom. Both the interior and menu have undergone a complete makeover, and the name has been changed—sort of—to reflect the transformation. While the sign still says Cakewalk, the menu says Zola, and the phone number is answered Cakewalk Zola. Or Zola Cakewalk. Whatever. Reports from the front are nothing short of ecstatic.

Guillermo Thomas, the critically acclaimed chef who opened the kitchen at Capitol Grille in 1995, departed earlier this year and freelanced around town before landing at Bound’ry, joining Debra Paquette’s former cohort, Michael Cribb. Cribb and Thomas have had plenty of time to rework that menu, since Bound’ry was closed for a couple of months following a kitchen fire. Meanwhile, Nashvillians still await the resurrection of Club 106, which Bound’ry owner Jay Pennington purchased almost two years ago.

Moving a bit faster are Mario Ferrari and Wally Kemp. Along with a group of other lower-profile investors, they’ve purchased the Trilogy building at 1911 Broadway. The marquee now reads Casablanca, and it’s scheduled to open on Valentine’s Day, serving Mediterranean cuisine and marking the return of Chef Sylvain LeCoguic, former executive chef at Nashville’s last French restaurant, Julian’s. Published reports say that the restaurant will be medium-priced and “will be operated with a professional staff.” That’s reassuring.

What else might be in store for Nashville in 1998? If we are to follow the national trend in sandwiches, we’ll see the emergence of wraps. (First up is Wraps, in Brentwood, where you’ll find Hoyt Hill’s familar face.) There is much talk of the return of the cheese course in fine restaurants—Lunsford at Sunset Grill is working on it. If you’d like to try it at home, Provence has dramatically increased the size and selection at its cheese counter.

According to Bon Appetit magazine, the latest fusion cooking combines Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and beyond. That mix doesn’t appear to be looming on the local horizon, but you can sample the fundamentals of the individual cuisines at Interasian Market and Vientiane Oriental Market.

While bistro dining is a major trend in most metropolitan markets, we in Nashville are still awaiting the arrival of a classic bistro serving simple French-inspired comfort food. (It would seem to be a natural for Nashville—if you like meat ’n’ three, you’ll love steak frites.)

I’m not going to list my favorite meals of 1997, but I can recall some memorable moments—tastes that linger long after they’ve left my tongue and the calories have been stored on my hips. My friend Judy and I refer to these as “moanin’ and groanin’ good.” In no particular order, I’d include the eggplant pannini at Taste of Italy; the soft-shelled crab appetizer at Capitol Grille; crawfish Clemenceau at Sunset; the potato latkes and sweet-and-sour cabbage soup at Noshville; the fresh-baked pita bread and cooked fava bean salad at Baraka; the eggplant appetizer, the dolmeh, and any of the kabobs at Ali Baba; the goat and rice at Salama Market; and the homemade potato chips at Séanachie.

Away from home, I have pleasant memories of the fried green tomatoes at Ugelsich’s in New Orleans; Susan Spicer’s bouillabaisse at Bayona, also in New Orleans; and, in Birmingham, the baked grits with country ham, wild mushrooms, and fresh thyme at Highlands and the tomato salad with lima beans, sweet corn, and bacon at Hot and Hot Fish.

Food memories are ephemeral, but they warm the heart. In my view, the best food has nothing to do with over-the-top, wildly creative fusions of 14 different culinary influences. Instead, I cherish the most basic tastes, profound in their simplicity. Summer tomatoes. Plump, sweet blackberries. Crisp spring asparagus. A wedge of artisan cheese. Warm country bread. Golden pommes frites. The scent of freshly snipped herbs. These are a few of my favorite things.

Happy eating.