There’s something about the new year. As much as we are looking forward, we also reflect on the past year. In doing so, I’ve looked back on my dining reviews and selected the best places I visited in the past 12 months.

South Florida is a true haven for foodies. The area’s diverse community and the fact that people from all backgrounds call this place home make it easy for locals and visitors to find a proper place to dine based on their tastes.

This week’s title comes from the 1950s Broadway musical, “The Pajama Game."

In my youth, there was a song, sung by Maria Muldaur.

Sometimes we think of corporations as heartless, faceless entities who are only concerned with the bottom line. But we forget that those corporations are made up of individuals and those individuals, working with the power of a corporation behind them, can make a significant impact, especially when focused on their community. That’s the case with the Pompano Beach-based Carrabba’s Italian Grill. The corporation that owns the chain, Bloomin’ Brands, also operates Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steak, and Outback Steakhouse (hence the company name, derived from Outback’s signature dish, the Bloomin’ Onion).

We stopped by the other day after seeing my friend’s social media postings about its exotic cocktails and wonderful sushi. It was a quiet weeknight, rather early, 6:30-ish, and we had the place to ourselves. Since it was so quiet, we asked to see the upstairs balcony area. It’s a beautifully spartan place with lots of low tables and loungers, but it was a bit chilly, so we decided to dine downstairs where it was more enclosed.