It’s not too late, is it? Due mostly to a hectic Holiday and post-Holiday season, including a couple of road trips, I pushed back my year in review. Actually, truth is, I forgot about it until this week.

So yes, this column is a little tardy, but how could I deprive my readers the highlights of my gastronomical adventures from 2024?

BEST OVERALL MEAL

Cinellos Tacqueria

I was leaning toward a fancy, white-tablecloth dinner for this most prestigious of categories but my sense memory kept coming back to the tacos at this little place in Kenneth City. Victor, the owner, is proudly Mexican, and insists on serving tacos autenticos, right down to offering only soft corn tortillas, made in-house. My 3 Taco Platter had carnitas, pollo asada and chicken tinga, each of them full-flavored, at turns crispy, chewy and moist in all the right places. And the green tomatillo sauce straight-up rocked.

BEST SPLURGE MEAL

Branzino at Allelo

My favorite fish elegantly and deliciously prepared. The Half Branzino ($47) ate bigger than it looked. The skin was lightly salted and the flesh inside was heavenly. Our side dish of pesto linguini, with pea pods and small pieces of asparagus, provided an ideal accompaniment.

BEST VEGGIE MEAL

Kadai Paneer at Cafe Masala

The paneer — a soft cheese cubed like tofu, but with a firmer texture — is made in-house. The seraphic blend of spices seduced ours nose as well as our tastebuds. The sauce had a hint of heat. Onion and tomato completed the dish, which I poured over a generous portion of basmati rice. For my money, Indian cuisine has the best plant-based dishes.

BEST HOUSE SALAD

Teak

I find most house salads to be routine, uninspired. Not this one. Greens, strawberries and croutons blended for a complexity of flavor and texture. Little slices of mandarin orange provided explosions of sweetness in my mouth, and a refreshing sesame pineapple ginger dressing topped it off. We ate this perfect summer salad on June 7, which, despite what the calendar says, is very much summer in Tampa Bay.

BEST BREAKFAST AT DINNERTIME

Chicken and Waffles at Social Roost

I always thought chicken and waffles was an odd combination so was never motivated to try it — until I did. And I dug it. Two enormous boneless fried chicken breasts — impeccably tender, lightly breaded — sat atop thick, earthy waffles. I didn’t expect the maple syrup to work well with the bird, but I was wrong there, too. Bacon butter added to the delightful decadence.

BEST BIG BOWL OF SOUP

Special Phở

This bowl of Phở looked big enough to bathe a baby in. As meat choices, I got the sliced filet mignon, beef brisket and meatballs (and could’ve done without the latter). I chose the wider house noodles over standard vermicelli and was glad I did. They made the meal more substantive. The broth was stellar.

BEST HAPPY HOUR APPETIZER

Bruschetta at Taverna Costale

We ordered the Seasonal Bruschetta off the Happy Hour menu. The ingredients were fresh and full of energy: creamy ricotta, roasted red peppers (instead of tomatoes) on toasted sourdough with greens sprinkled around. But it was the thin slices of prosciutto that put this app over the top.

BEST BBQ

One Family Korean Restaurant

No ribs, coleslaw or collard greens with this barbecue dinner. Instead, we had Beef Bulgogi, a staple of Korean barbecue. Marinated slices of tender meat commingled with onions and a sweet(ish) sauce. The Bulgogi came with a menagerie of small side bowls, including cabbage, cucumber, and daikon (radish) kimchi, bean sprouts, and white radish cut julienne-style. It all added up to delcious K-Food.

BEST ADD-ON THAT MADE US GO ‘WOW’

Steak Flatbread at Bacchus Wine Bistro

Our FFF mission was French onion soup, but it was this remarkable flatbread that prompted Bonnie to say, “It’s been a while since we ate something that made us go ‘wow.’” Cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and a house-made chimichuri were slathered atop bread that was firm, not crusty. But it was the perfectly cooked, medium-rare pieces of filet that took this delectable rectangle to unexpected heights.

BEST SWEET TREAT

Ice Cream Sundae at Small Batch Creamery

For our Hot Fudge Sundae, we chose two (house-made) ice cream flavors: first vanilla; and then, feeling frisky, Butter Cookie Crunch (with bits of Biscoff cookies). Everything clicked — ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, a sprinkle of sprinkles — but it was the waffle-cone shell that made this sweet treat the crème de la crème.

That’s 10. Why not 10 more?

Charred Brussels at District South — Adding small slices of chorizo raised this appetizer to higher heights.

Steak Frites at Cassis — A carnivore’s dream, with splendid French fries.

Cuban Sandwich at The Floridian — Probably not one of the “Finest Cuban Sandwiches on the Planet,” like the restaurant’s sign says, but first-rate all the same.

Chocolate Milkshake at Zeko’s Mediterranean Grill — An American classic at an ethnic eatery. Who knew? A most memorable shake.

Mango Lassi at India’s Grill — A sweet and lovely yogurt-based “shake.”

Chicken Shawarama at Petra Restaurant — That’s a wrap!

Impossible Burger at Burger Monger — Tasted like beef, for real.

Philly Cheesesteak at Colonial Corner Hoagie Shop — The place has been open almost 48 years, and for good reason.

Franco Avocado Burger at Go Stuff Urself — The food truck’s creation was indescribably delicious.

Singapore Noodles at Hawkers — One of the pan-Asian restaurant’s 2,314 menu items that you don’t want to miss.