Best Restaurants You've Ever Been To

I’ve heard great things about One and Only but stayed with friend’s timeshare at Cabo Azul....


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Got back to Fiola (and the new rooftop is FANTASTIC!!) on Friday and wow. Always duly impressed, and this go round Chef Fabio was present and selected our menu for us. Everything was solid perfection!!

 

Topolobampo- Rick Bayless restaurant in Chicago, a little more upscale than Frontera.
Inn at Little Washington-I recommend paying to get a Kitchen Table.

 

Hitting Jont this Saturday for wifey's 40th. Will report back.

(site states "12+ courses", and it should go without saying that we're doing the wine pairing)

 

Excellent. We just dined at Fiola Mare which was fantastic! They were proud of the lobster ravioli app at $60, but it was excellent. I was supposed to go to Gravitas this week but a few of the diners have to self quarantine this week.

 

Have done Fiola Mare several times and absolutely loved it.

Hope everyone from Gravitas is healthy or will be back to it soon. We've been very lucky so far at work (knock knock of course) in that only two of our 100+ folks have tested positive (and IMMEDIATELY went into full-on hermit mode).

 

No issues at Gravitas. It was on our end. A friend organized a rooftop wine dinner for 8 at Gravitas. 2 of the attendees are under quarantine so we decided to cancel until we can all attend. The wines to be featured included: Krug, Salon, DRC, Rayas, Margaux etc.
A friend that put this together gives high regards to Anna from Gravitas.

 

AH! Tracking now, sorry. I misunderstood your post at first. Hope they're well soon!!

 

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Missus hit the big four oh this week, so we spent a night at the Willard on Pennsylvania and had an absolutely spectacular experience at Jônt on 14th St NW.

The sampling was extensive, but the duck was exquisite, the Wagyu with black truffle heavenly, and the Elvis Torte (peanut butter and banana with toasted marshmallow) was creative and delicious.

I'm very excited for them to get the star(s) they deserve once the michelin diners start traveling again.

 

This thread is a good resource I plan to refer back to, especially once Covid mania has dissipated.

My favorites to date:

L'Auberge Gourmande - St. Martin. Unassuming building with some charm. Fantastic service including personal attention from the owner, champagne on arrival and house-made liqueur after dessert at no charge. Best meal I had ever had at the time.

The Brasserie at the Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel. Beautiful space and fantastic food with attentive service. My wife got some sort of simple pasta with truffles that she said was by far the best thing she'd ever eaten.

Chez Yvonne, a humble winstub near the cathedral in Strasbourg. Seems like a well-run family place in an ancient building. Great, authentic Alsatian food. My wife's chicken with Riesling sauce was a huge hit, and my veal head was similarly incredible.

Shout-out to Hofbräuhaus in Munich just because I love the ambience, dark beer, and crispy pork hock entree.

 

I love a place with a good view. My two favorites are below:

Signature Room on the 95 floor of the Hancock Building. Chicago, IL: https://www.signatureroom.com/room/menus/dinner/
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Rusty Pelican - Miami, FL https://www.therustypelican.com/
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1) Best food and creativity at the same time: De Librije (Zwolle, The Netherlands, Johnny Boer head chef)
2) Most provocative yet mind provoking: Noma (Kopenhagen, Denmark, Rene Redzepi)
3) Best Dish: Mirazur (Cote d'Azur, France, Mauro Colagreco)

May sound super snobby, but I am a cooking nerd since early teens and save up for visiting hero's. De Librije is definitely worth a huge trip.

 

I know you asked for the best 3 but one that stands out above the rest for me

Ai fiori NYC

A friend and business partner took me there and since then i have been always comparing every restaurant to that ..it truly set the bar .. we had the chef tasting menu

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Have to update this list:

1. Grand Vefour - Paris
2. French Laundry - Yountville
3. Osteria Franchescana

Sadly Le Taste Vin in Paris is closed... my latest favorite place is cafe Marly at the Louvre - food is good, but the view is amazing.
Atelier Joel Robochon in London
Louis XV in Monaco still very, very good.

 

Vincent's in Riga, Latvia, just totally outstanding, impeccable service and officially the best sommelier in the world. I dined there twice with a very special lady friend and everything about the dining experience made it unforgettable, can't wait to go back, July is the target
Will post dishes and photos when back at my computer.

 

We were hoping for a miracle but Le Cirque in Vegas is *STILL* closed. I don't know if it's because of the sad passing of Mr. Maccioni, or if they just closed entirely during COVID and have yet to reopen.

We opted for SW at the Wynn instead while we were there, and while the food was superb, it was EXTREMELY busy so it was quite loud. Not really ideal for celebrating an anniversary but...we made do.

Jont reservations for July open up on the 4th so I'm hoping we can grab one. No problem getting in last year, but now that the Michelin Guide finally has them listed it sells out *FAST*.

 

You can serve visually well plated dishes, dress in tuxes, charge a ton, but if I can’t have a conversation at normal levels we’re done. Zero stars, zero recommendations, no soup for you. Your romantic anniversary, your whispering sweet nothings? Screwed.
Nope. Won’t do it and don’t give a crap how many stars you have. Sounds are EASY to control with fabric and decor.

 

With you there.

We likely won't hit that spot up again. The good news is, Vegas doesn't want for fine dining, so there's myriad places we've yet to sample.

 

Yeah, I’m enough of a stickler that if I were you I’d be pissed. What did you drop; $300? $400? And you couldn’t tell her how gorgeous she looked because she couldn’t hear you. Screw that.

 

Oh I told her long before we got there.

But yes, 100% correct.

 

I went to Red Ash in Austin two weeks ago and had the best filet of my life not even close.

 

My best of all times.

1. Joel Robuchon Monte Carlo in the Hotel Metropole.
2. Le Cinq in Paris at the George V hotel.
3. Joel Robuchon Las Vegas

I've dined at the French Laundry at least 20 times. It is OK. I need to get the Single Thread in Healdsburg

 

Bygone’s in Baltimore is up there along with Ouzo Bay for me. (

 

*adds to list*

 

1. Lasserre, Paris (https://www.restaurant-lasserre.com/en/) - for sheer opulence and 'in your face' French (almost religious) fervour towards cuisine and pomp.
   
2. Lorenzillo's, Cancun (https://www.lorenzillos.com.mx/en/destinations/restaurant-cancun/) - for infallable lobster and wine, in a relaxed setting on holiday.
   
3. Delaire Graff, Cape Town (https://www.delaire.co.za/dine/) - for the most insanely inexpensive*, yet fantastic outdoor fine dining experience in the world.

*Unless you agree to "...just have a quick look in the shop", in which case full disclaimer applies.