BY ANNETTE SISCO | STAFF WRITER Happy Thursday, New Orleans food fans! Today is Twelfth Night, the first day of Carnival, and you know what that means... hello king cake season! We look at the much-loved Carnival pastry and the special challenges the tradition faces this year. Ian McNulty offers up a list of 52 dishes to try around town in 2022, and we say a sad goodbye to a favorite Creole restaurant. A cold snap had us craving soup, gumbo and pho. Plus, a look back at the people behind the food stories in 2021. Let's dig in... 1. Where y'at, baby? When the Carnival starting gun goes off Jan. 6, traditionalists sprint for their favorite king cake to start the season. This is a long one, stretching more than seven weeks from Twelfth Night through Mardi Gras on March 1, so there are plenty of opportunities to "get the baby." Ian McNulty takes a look at what to expect. 2. To-do list. It's not a "best of" list, because you need to try them alllll. Here are 52 dishes to sample around town this year, along with a few special drinks. 3. Wait! There's more. Even New Orleans king cakes proved vulnerable to supply chain issues, as collectible porcelain trinkets got stuck in transit and certain baking ingredients proved harder to find this year. Dunbar's Creole Cuisine is closing after four decades. We started looking for hot soup, gumbo and pho when the temps plunged into the 40s last week (sorry, Northern friends). And we look back at the people who made New Orleans dining special in 2021. 4. Simmer down... Our food writer Teresa B. Day spent a relaxing afternoon perfecting this recipe, but it doesn't take long to put it together. Try her braised short ribs with a side of colorful root vegetables. Just...mmm. 5. Or ham it up! Still have leftover holiday ham in the freezer? A member of our Where NOLA Eats Facebook group wants to put that sweet and salty meat to good use. Other group members have lots of great ideas. You can chime in here. That's it for the food newsletter, but in New Orleans the food news never stops. For more, visit us at NOLA.com. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend! --AS P.S. Want to support our award-winning journalism? Check out this great deal. Just $1 for six months — for local journalism that matters! Subscribe here today. | 