Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

If you had to sum up 2013 in one word, what would it be? Me, I have to say doughnuts. Mostly because of the omnipresent Cronut, the pastry that mashed up croissants and donuts and got people lining up for hours and launched a trazillion knockoffs.

But don’t forget that this was also the year Dunkin' Donuts introduced their Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich for those who want a sticky sweet bun for their bacon and egg sammy. And there’s word that Krispy Kreme will soon introduce “Donut Theater” to the US. Basically, that’s a clever name for a make-your-own doughnut situation.

But enough about doughnuts. Let’s discuss a few other things that happened in 2013: the highs and the lows.

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An investigation is under way into a horrific collision in Hong Kong that resulted in the deaths of two visiting chefs from Heston Blumenthal's famous British restaurant, The Fat Duck.

Media reports and the Hong Kong Police Force have identified the dead as Carl Magnus Lindgren, 30, from Sweden; Ivan Aranto Herrera Jorge, 34, a Briton, as well as the driver of their taxi.
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Editor's note: Heston Blumenthal is widely recognized as one of the world's greatest living chefs. A proponent of molecular gastronomy, his scientific approach to cooking has earned his flagship restaurant, The Fat Duck, three Michelin stars, bringing him as much attention as esoteric dishes like bacon-and-egg ice cream and snail porridge. Here, he reveals the early experiences that helped form his multi-sensory cooking philosophy.

Think about the most memorable meal you ever had. Was it just the taste you remember, or everything else around it?

To me, food is as much about the moment, the occasion, the location and the company as it is about the taste.

It is the only thing we do that involves all the senses. It has the ability to generate so much emotion and so much memory. It has endless possibilities. It is one of those subjects where the more you learn about it; the more you realize you don't know.
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British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has long been on a mission to stir his countrymen's culinary senses but the gastronomic pioneer has now turned his attentions to an altogether more complex problem - rustling up gourmet airline food.

Blumenthal was in London this week to launch British Airways' new in-flight Olympic menu, which he has helped create alongside Michelin star chef Simon Hulstone.

The luxury fare - which includes dishes such as "Rillette of mackerel dressed on a pickled cucumber carpaccio with sour dough croutes" - will be served on all BA flights for the duration of this summer's Olympic Games.

Read the full story: "Celebrity chefs create mile-high menus"