Good news. Lots of pictures with this edition of my re-cap. One of the questions I was asked was, ‘Why don’t you have pictures with every dish’? Easy answer – I was so anxious to eat that I forgot to get out the camera. Whoops.

As we start moving towards the middle of the 2012 F&W Top 25 list as we head back to Morocco.

#20 – Merguez Sausage (Morocco)

Pre-Festival: #17

Change: -3

This one came in right about where I expected. Also, I figured that I would like it better than Morocco’s other offering (the Kefta Pocket), and I was right. Both my wife and I agreed that this was the better of the two plates. We also agreed that, although the spice of the sausage mixed well with a generous amount of peppers and onions to provide a nice taste, the sheer amount of pita out-numbered meat and vegetables. Classic fail in bread to meat ratio, here.

Next, we take a short flight to …

#19 – Chicken Souvlaki (Greece)

Pre-Festival: #24

Change: +5

I remember the chicken being very dry in 2011. I also didn’t fancy the tzatziki sauce. It tasted too much like cucumber. I now know it had nothing to do with cucumber – it was the heavy taste of dill that I didn’t like in 2011. I wasn’t a big fan of it this year either. My wife, on the other hand, loved the sauce. She did in 2011 as well. For me, the chicken in the 2012 version was much better. Not nearly as dry.

The other advantage this dish has (in comparison to Morocco’s Kefta Pocket or Merguez Sausage, that is) is that the meat and sauce to bread ratio is much more balanced. If anything, you might need a bit more pita to sop up the sauce that has dribbled out of the “sandwich”. I was much happier with this dish this year.

#18 – Pierogi (Poland)

Pre-Festival: #21

Change: +3

With caramelized onions and sour cream, the flavors of Poland’s pierogi were very good. I have to be honest, though. I’m not a one pierogi and small slice of kielbasa type of guy. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I would need a bigger portion to really love this dish. As it is, I just like it.

#17 – Griddled Greek Cheese (Greece)

Pre-Festival: #22

Change: +5

This item is an enigma to me. I don’t like pistachios. I’m not very fond of honey. And melted cheese is only so-so. Put them all together and you’ve got something. We liked this one enough to have it twice. There’s just something really intriguing about it. It’s definitely worth a try if it’s on the menu in 2013.

#16 – Taco de Filete (Mexico)

Pre-Festival: #8

Change: -8

The beef taco in Mexico was a big disappointment. Billed as a rib-eye taco, it finished in 5th place on my list in 2011. For a while there, it even competed for the top spot. The 2012 filet version was very dry and chewy and fell down the list behind a lot of better dishes. Maybe I got a bad serving, but it was a shame, nonetheless, because I was really looking forward to an improvement on 2011’s plate … just because the rib-eye was now going to be a filet.