Always around this time of year, I pore over my notes to clearly recap the standouts and disappointments I encountered in restaurants over the past 12 months.

As a food writer, I share many of those dining experiences in this paper’s weekly Epicurous Eating column. Though as a consumer who must still grab a few hot meals between writing reviews, I sometimes lose track over the months as to who made the best duck confit or slapped together the lousiest sandwich, if only because there were other cooks who likely did both afterward.

So at this year’s end, after combing through my culinary records and taking into account both the cheap and expensive restaurants I’ve visited, not to mention the frightening caloric arithmetic that goes with it, I share with you my summary of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Naked Café, 3555 Rosecrans Ave., Loma Portal

Since eating my first breakfast here in January, a plate of lean roast beef hash with herbed potatoes, I’ve returned several times for a litany of fare that replaces salt with chilies, rosemary, ginger and wholesome sauces. The “fuzzy monkey” hotcakes topped with toasted oats and fresh bananas are also divine. As for the pancake syrup, it’s a Canadian brand made with 25 percent real maple extract.

Sanfilippo’s, 3515 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest

In two visits, the tomato sauce tasted burnt and overly acidic, the pasta was gluey, and other main courses were entombed in horrendous amounts of cheese. The pizzas aren’t much better unless you’ve grown accustomed to impotent cardboard crusts that don’t rise much in the baking process.

Café One Three, 4207 Park Blvd., North Park

The vibe is stylish without being pretentious. And if I bothered including a “best meatloaf” category in my roundup, I’d cross-reference this eatery. The recipe uses finely ground pork, veal and turkey – resulting in a Cadillac quality that other restaurants fail to achieve. Meals are made with fresh ingredients, and they’re artistically presented. A good bang for the buck.

Addison, 5200 Grand Del Mar Way in the Grand Del Mar Resort

Perhaps it was the sheer opulence and incredibly astute wait service that won me over in this Mediterranean-revival palace. But there’s also much to be said about Chef William Bradley’s savvy approach to artisanal cooking that leaves little to the imagination. His menu changes seasonally, and you can bet on dishes that reveal formidable, complex flavors with meticulous precision.

Subway, all locations

I think that for as long as this aggressive franchise litters the global landscape, it will remain my least favorite submarine shop, due in part to pervasively rude service by burnt-out sandwich boarders who put about as much love into their craft as factory-line workers. The spongy sub rolls smell better than they taste, giving way to some of the lowest quality cold cuts on the planet. So what if the lettuce and onions are fresh, I’ll drop my lunch dollars at Grab & Go Subs.

Café Japengo, 8960 University Center Lane, University City

My pick might seem sacrilege to the multitudes that live and breathe for Sushi Ota and other nouveau sushi joints, all of which are deserving of their accolades. But I can’t shake out of my head the citrusy Fifty-Fifty Roll consisting of crab and cucumber wrapped with rice, salmon, yellowtail and slivery pieces of lemon. And then there’s the robust, no-rice TNT balancing a warm tempura coating with chilled crab, and served in a web of wasabi aoili. The list goes on with colorfully constructed rolls of utmost freshness.

Opaque, 326 Broadway, Downtown

I never realized how much I eat with my eyes until being led into a pitch-dark dining room in the basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel by a blind wait staff. After feeling my way through the table bread and salad course, I deferred to my hands and taste buds to figure out what the heck I was eating. The food was good, although the total elimination of eyesight during this three-course meal was dramatically more memorable.