Malls are cool again, marijuana is being infused into food, plant-based menus are everywhere, and California’s minimum wage laws are wreaking havoc in the restaurant world—we’re covering all of it and more in our last episode of 2018. We open the show with the top five news items of the year, including the craft beer downturn and Westfield UTC’s restaurant takeover before counting down the top five guests of the year, and the trends that shaped our year. Plus we pay tribute to the saddest closings of 2018 (Café Chloe, Kafe Sobaka, and more), and end the show with our personal picks for the top restaurant and bar openings of the year. We’re off next week, but if you want more food news to devour during the holidays, check out Archana’s recap of the Future of Women panel, Troy’s take on why holiday meals matter, and the first look at Jeune et Jolie, the new Carlsbad restaurant from the team behind Campfire. See you in the new year!