The Austin360 Dining Guide will hit the Web and the paper on Friday, Nov. 6. Here’s a preview from the 25 Great Dishes section of the guide, gleaned from more than 175 places I’ve visited in my first year as the American-Statesman’s restaurant critic.

I have been really excited since I heard that the previous owners of the Clay Pit were opening a location, called Tarka in South Austin. The really great thing about Tarka is that they have all the vegan items denoted with a little V and you can easily tell what you want to eat.

My husband's family remembers Zoe's Kitchen as a local restaurant in their home city of Birmingham, AL. Zoe was often in the kitchen, and the chocolate cake was moist and topped with fudgy icing.

I was very excited to learn that Snack Bar on South Congress is officially open after months of construction, waiting, and two soft openings — one during SXSW in March and one during Austin City Limits Music Festival in early October.

When I read that Tea Embassy is holding afternoon tea on Halloween, I rushed right over and reserved a spot in the sitting room and invited my parents. The last time I had afternoon tea was at Claridge's in London with my mom. We both loved our experience there, so I thought it would be great to recapture the atmosphere in Austin, this time with my dad!

One morning when I was on my way to work, I was starving for breakfast! This is rare, I’m not really a breakfast person (I know I know, I’ve already heard the lecture: breakfast is the most important meal of the day).

Today's trio of Italian reviews on austin360.com and in the Austin360 magazine includes Milano Cafe on Southwest Parkway.