Continuing a tradition we began at IstanbulEats.com, as we approach the end of the year, we’ll be publishing “Best Bites of 2012,” a roundup of our top culinary experiences over the last year in each of the cities Culinary Backstreets covers. Submitted by our correspondents in Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Mexico City and Shanghai, these “Best Bites” are not only about the quality of the food – though it usually seems to factor in – but the quality of the experience. Our best bites are those perfect little dining moments when the right food ended up in front of us at precisely the right time, like a consoling bowl of soup in a steamy restaurant on a rainy day or a meal where all of the elements wonderfully came together.

As we feature our correspondents’ “Best Bites” on this website next week, we also want to hear from readers. We invite you to submit dispatches on your top food experiences of 2012 on the Culinary Backstreets page on Facebook. If possible, please include a photograph with your post. We look forward to reading your “Best Bites.”