From the Pizza Cleanse to the best IPAs, our favorite stories of 2013

2013: despite the whole thing about the Doritos Locos Tacos inventor leaving us, it was a pretty good year! So, in case you missed them because you were busy trying to unlock your friend's Doritos Locos Tacos, we decided to pull together the most memorable things we ate, drank, and wrote about in these past 12 months. Here's to a new year full of deep-fried pasta-burgers with Sriracha dipping sauce.

top 10 IPAs
Leighton Pope

The definitive top 10 IPAs, as chosen by a hopped-up panel of beer writers
We rounded up nine people you're jealous of because they make money writing about beer, and asked them to choose their top 10 India pale ales. Then some stuff with numbers happened, and we landed on our list of the IPA's greatest hits, with explanations on why they're great and everything.

44 worst people in every restaurant

The 44 worst people in every restaurant
In which we introduced you to the pretty-much-all-terrible types of people you will undoubtedly find in every restaurant, ever. But, hey, next time that friend tries to swipe your slice, your 'communal dining thief' senses will tingle, and you will recognize them for what they are, and slap them. 

bartender
Andy Kryza

15 sure-fire ways to get on any bartender's bad side
To ensure that most of your whiskey-ginger isn't ginger -- or spit -- we spilled the secrets of how to avoid having your bartender think you're the worst. Of course, you might actually be the worst, but at least for the few hours when someone is in total control of your life, these tips will let you pretend you're not.

best new restaurants in america
Bradley Foster

The 33 best new restaurants in America
What new spots do you simply have to eat at? We told you. What exactly should you eat once you're there? We told you!! We also told you other things, like the best new bars, dive bars, burgers, pizza, and BBQ joints this fine nation has to offer. Read on and prosper.

best coffee roasters in america

The top 11 coffee roasters in the nation, as voted by super-serious coffee nerds
Stumptown? Counter Culture? Madcap? We polled nine coffee aficionados, who ranked the roasters to give you the lowdown on the best beans in caffeine.

best college drunk foods

The best college drunk foods at the 25 best party schools
You might not remember eating 12 varieties of pizza bagels or that pile of cheese with some fries on top, so we took it upon ourselves to remind you. We chose 25 of the most renowned party-people schools (somehow ITT Tech didn't make it?) and compiled students' stories of unparalleled booze-fueled feasting.

farm to table

14 foodie phrases that have lost all meaning
Here we tell you to stop saying things. Well, just certain things -- namely meaningless food-related expressions that would be better forgotten. We just want this to be a neighborhood website. 

evil pickles

Why I hate a food you probably love: Pickles
Our Editorial Director really hates pickles. Most of us think he's crazy and stupid. But he gets to do what he wants, so he wrote this screed against them. He's crazy. There are two sides to every pickled cucumber story. This is one of them. He's stupid. 

There's also some Cronut ranting
And one of our guys decided to cyber-bully mustard

map of foods banned in the US

Banned food in the US: a state-by-state guide
You probably didn't know that when your weird German cousin brought you a Kinder Egg, he engaging in heavily criminal activity. You are an accessory to Kinder krime! Really, though, our country bans a lot of weird foods, so it's best you know about them so you don't get caught with haggis in your handbag (again).

pissed off waitress
Andy Kryza
five guys burger
Kevin Alexander

15 things you didn't know about Five Guys Burgers and Fries
When the bar switches to an all-Five Guys trivia format -- which will totally happen at some point!! -- you will be an unbeatable beast. We've also got little-known facts about Sriracha, Waffle House, bourbon, Old Bay, Mexican Coke, Heinz ketchup, and Mallomars. GO CRAZY! LEARN THINGS!

andy kryza pizza cleanse

The Pizza Cleanse: Testing the benefits of eating only pizza for five days straight
Our vegetable-free editor did what, in theory, is the dream, but in reality is just really hard work: he ate nothing but pizza products for five whole days -- pizza chains, frozen pizza, regional style pizza, fancy 'za, and other random pizza-flavored stuff. Read his full chronicle and follow his descent into cheese-covered madness.

How long do things in your fridge stay good AFTER their expiration dates?
Step away from the garbage and put that fish sauce down right this instant! That baby's got a good 1-2yrs left in 'er! Basically, you could be saving yourself a lot of dough if you just follow this handy chart. Actually, that dough is expired, sorry.

Rachel Freeman is a food/drink editorial assistant at Thrillist. She believes cheese is a basic human right, and one best pursued while alone in bed with Netflix. Follow her into the abyss at @rachelifreeman.