Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- I have gained weight.

After eating in almost 100 new Manhattan restaurants this past year, the one thing that's clear is my expanding waistline. My head is spinning with dishes.

What follow are impressions from 12 months of wanton gluttony -- a year the Chinese have presciently dubbed the Year of the Pig.

Odd animal parts have become the down-home caviar of our time: brains, liver, lungs, kidneys, gizzards, stomachs, thymus, pancreas, cheeks, necks, tongues, trotters and marrow -- I've had them all. And like the pricey fish eggs, they're intensely flavored and much in demand.

Diners gobble up liver sashimi at Ariyoshi, bone marrow at Allen & Delancey and duck hearts at Bun. They wait 45 minutes at Momofuku Ssam Bar for pig's head or a steaming bowl of tripe.

Cheap is the new expensive (except for the $88 fried rice at Davidburke and Donatella), casual is the new fancy (check out the farmhouse atmosphere at BLT Market at the Ritz-Carlton) and small is the new big. As tough times approach, the rich pretend to be poor and eat $50 grilled-cheese sandwiches at Gilt.

Barbecue, the inexpensive alternative to Kobe, reached its apex at Hill Country. Try the beef shoulder. Only Japanese Wagyu can match its paralyzing succulence.

As I got fatter, restaurants grew slimmer. The multimillion-dollar behemoths of years past (Buddakan, Craftsteak, Per Se) had no real counterparts in 2007. Instead, I saw a spate of smaller, inexpensive, recession-proof spots, like the single-minded BarFry or the itinerant Dessert Truck.

Majestic Panini

What would casual be without sandwiches?

El Quinto Pino, a tiny offshoot of Tia Pol, gave the mundane panini its majestic due: a golden crackling baguette, smeared with neon sea urchin roe and slicked with a little surprise. The oceanic aroma is intoxicating. Then a brutal sting wakes you with the force of a tidal wave -- it's Korean mustard oil.

Resto nearly ended the burger argument. Its tasty version has a blend of hanger, beef cheek and fatback. The greasy, griddled, overcooked patty crumbles in the mouth like a crack form of chocolate cake.

The two important upgrades of 2007: Windows Vista and the improved lobster roll. Thank Park Avenue Winter for the latter. The $32 treat includes butter-poached langoustines, a gently charred roll and a hint of tangy, nutty, oven-roasted tomato compote. Phenomenal.

There's only one crab cake in 2007 worth mentioning. It's served at Market Table. Chef Mike Price builds a sweet mayonnaise- and dijon-spiked patty that recalls the inimitable version sold by Faidley's in Baltimore.

Many Italians

Italian restaurants opened at a breakneck pace. I'll remember the ricotta crostini at Lunetta, the pork-stuffed olives at Morandi, the rice balls at Bar Stuzzichini, the egg- yolk filled raviolo at Centro Vinoteca and Dell'Anima's Bolognese.

Four Mediterranean joints tried to pull off fancy. Fiamma served me an Italian Dover sole that was better than any French version I've tried. Insieme gave us outstanding boiled meats.

Anthos, a high-end Greek eatery, concocts some of the city's most imaginative crudi. Who would've thought that tuna tastes better with mastic?

Ilili, the shamefully overpriced Lebanese restaurant, is responsible for what could be the world's only avant-garde version of manti. Soft pillows (dough) are speckled with something funky (lamb), topped with something sour (yogurt foam) and finished with a clear liquid (your drool).

Top 10

The following venues of 2007 I'll remember long past the point of satiety. These are, in no particular order, my 10 favorites:

1. 15 East: If you can't afford Kuruma Zushi or Masa, this is the best option for Edo-style sushi. The seared tuna jaw is making my jaw water right now.

2. Soto: Its sushi should be avoided. But the intricate small plates make this the L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon of Japanese food.

3. BLT Market: Laurent Tourondel's expensively casual restaurant might have overtaken Craft as the city's most satisfying haute barnyard restaurant.

4. Fiamma: When you want to eat Italian with chopsticks.

5. Momofuku Noodle Bar 2.0: Bigger and better than 1.0.

6. to 8. Tailor, PDT, Death & Co: They rival Milk & Honey for the city's best cocktails.

9. Allen & Delancey: This is the British food I really wanted. Forget the other guy.

10. Hill Country: Because it's the Year of the Pig.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 18, 2007 00:04 EST