#5 Daniel, New York City
A very grown-up restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Daniel Boulud’s flagship Daniel maintains standards of service and cuisine — French haute cuisine, very much an endangered species today — that hark back to an earlier era. But the cooking is up-to-date and superb, and the menu changes daily. If you are lucky enough to score a reservation, you may sample dishes as part of a four-course $151 or seven-course $234 prix fixe menu under the watchful eye of executive chef Jean-François Bruel. Pan roasted Atlantic turbot with butternut squash, lady apples, and birch syrup jus; duo of squab with foie gras sauce; and mosaic of Guniea hen with dark rum, foie gras, black trumpet mushrooms, paw paw coulis, hazelnut toast, and confit apple are among the dishes you might be served.
#4 Le Bernardin, New York City
This elegant seafood restaurant, headed by chef Eric Ripert, has topped many “best of” lists and has several accolades under its belt, including repeat four-star reviews from The New York Times (the first of them written only a few months after its opening), near-perfect food and service ratings in the Zagat guide, and more James Beard Awards than any other restaurant in New York City. Ripert is an artist working with impeccable raw materials. The four-course, $160 prix fixe dinner features a list of delicacies from the sea, ranging from “almost raw” first courses to “lightly cooked” mains to (if you must) “upon request” dishes like squab, lamb, and filet mignon. A seven course, $187 Le Bernardin tasting and an eight-course, $225 Chef’s Tasting are also available. Eat in Le Bernardin’s modern dining room against a backdrop of painted waves and enjoy dishes like lacquered lobster tail with tagliatelle and black truffle emulsion; sautéed Dover sole with lemon-potato mouselline and shallot emulsion; and seared langoustine with warm mushroom salad and truffle crème fraîche.
#3 The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.
Thomas Keller is a perfectionist who approaches contemporary American food with classical technique. His French Laundry, with its now-famous blue door, has established new standards for fine dining in this country. Two $310 nine-course tasting menus are devised each day (one traditional, one vegetarian), and no single ingredient is ever repeated throughout the meal. The classic "oysters and pearls," pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar, is a perennial favorite. While items like sautéed fillet of Chatham Bay cod, sweet butter poached Stonington Maine lobster, and charcoal grilled Snake River Farms “calotte [ribeye cap] de boeuf” may sound simple enough, the refinement with which they are presented are anything but. In 2012 The French Laundry received a coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, and it is perennially named one of the 100 Best Restaurants in the World.
#2 Eleven Madison Park, New York City
Although Eleven Madison Park opened to much fanfare and subsequent acclaim in 1998, it was Danny Meyer’s hiring of Swiss-born Daniel Humm to helm the kitchen in 2006 that elevated the place to the level of the finest restaurants in the country. Humm — who has won such plaudits for the restaurant as four stars from The New York Times (more than once, most recently by Pete Wells) three from Michelin, and the top spot on The World’s 50 Best list — bought Eleven Madison from Meyer in 2011, in partnership with his front-of-house counterpart, Will Guidara, and didn’t miss a beat. The chef is firmly in control: While Humm will tailor his single $295-$315 multi-course tasting menu to accommodate allergies, dietary restrictions, and ingredient preferences, there is no à la carte selection, although a smaller menu is available at the bar. The particulars of the dishes change frequently, but the technique is contemporary French, modernist, and minimalist. The restaurant closed for several months last year for a thorough revamp (international news in itself), and it reopened with an updated design, a completely renovated kitchen, and a striking new menu. Some classics have remained (duck roasted with honey and lavender, savory black and white cookies to start the meal), but new offerings include a salad of marinated clams and fennel, smoked sturgeon cheesecake with caviar, lobster with potato and chanterelle, and dry aged veal with winter greens. Needless to say, they sound much simpler than they actually are.
#1 Alinea, Chicago
The menu at Alinea can sometimes sound deceptively simple ("scallop with citrus aroma," "woolly pig, fennel, orange, squid," and suchlike), but what shows up on the plate is absolutely original and almost always dazzlingly good. Having successfully reinvented the way people look at reservations at Next, with its innovative nonrefundable online ticket system, and reinterpreted cocktails, bar food, and the whole bar experience with The Aviary, Grant Achatz and his partner, Nick Kokonas, have also intensified the attention they pay to Alinea. Achatz consistently turns out some of the most imaginative and delicious contemporary (or modernist, if you will) cuisine in the country, and it's better than ever after closing down a couple years ago for an extensive five-month renovation. The restaurant now offers three distinct experiences: The Kitchen Table, a six-person kitchenside private dining room ($385); The Gallery, a 16- to 18-course meal with two nightly seatings of 16 ($285 to $345); and The Salon, a “more approachable” 10 to 12 course menu served in the three second floor salons ($175 to $225). At Alinea, you never quite know what you’re going to be served, but a paradigm-shifting experience is all but guaranteed.
CREDITS TO: The Daily Meal