Here's to a festive 2013!

The usual walk-around in Belltown last night, stopping off at restaurants full of drinkers and celebrants. The album is on my Facebook page if yo'd like to take a look.

Cornichon's been around since January, 2004, on this platform, and In the course of 2012, I managed to post new 217 items on the site.There's plenty more ahead, too! Look for regular observations on Facebook (ronald.holden1), on Seattle.Eater.com, in City Living and in Edible Seattle, and on a whole host of food, travel and arts blogs at Blogspot.com:

• PaninoPanini (sweet & savory words about Italy)
  
• PoutinePoutine (news of the Great White North)
  
• SlightlyPickled (all things boozy-woozy)
  
• OpusOpera (the arts)

The slowest month was February (11), the busiest September (28). Average was 18 posts a month, from far-flung destinations: France (Paris, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Marseille & Provence), Italy (Milan, Franciacorta, Venice), Canada (Okanagan), the Washington coast (Westport), eastern Washington & northern Idaho (Yakima, Tri-Cities, Moscow and Lewiston), California (the Bay Area) and Arizona (Scottsdale). And, of course, from Seattle, especially the home neighborhood of Belltown.

Cornichon remains food-centric, with more reviews of cookbooks this year than restaurants. But we also reviewed Seattle Opera's full season as well as local visual artists (Havas, Chihuly, Namkung). We served as a judge at Sunset Magazine's international wine competition and reached the finals of the American Lamb Pro-Am. And we continued to argue on behalf of public spending to coordinate the promotion of local and regional tourism.

For those who are new to Cornichon, it helps to remember that a cornichon isn't just the tiny gherkin served with charcuterie, but a polite way (gotta love the French) of calling someone a dick. (In that respect, this blog is a little like SurlyGourmand's, without the insults to your mother.) Not nasty, but not docile, either. Cheerleader when merited, but fearlessly contrarian when required. No change in attitude foreseen.

Thanks for your continued support!