ulysses Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 The last time they did this format was in '01. Then no. 1 was Chez Panisse, no. 2 Jean-Georges...no.50 Obelisk. At the time the list was very California heavy: Lucques, Spago, Zuni, Valentino, Campanile. This one is all over the place. Highlights: 1.Alinea 2.Chez Panisse 3.French Laundry/Per Se 4.Spago 5.Joel Robuchon at the Mansion 6.Le Reve 7.Masa 8.Alan Wong's Restaurant 9.Daniel 10.Le Bernadin 11.Magnolia Grill 12.Citronelle 13.Trotters 14.Arrows 15.Cyrus 16.Striped Bass 17.Babbo 18.Locke-Ober 19.Canlis 20.L'Auberge Carmel 21.Barolotta Ristorante Di Mare 22.Restaurant August 23.Inn at Little Washington 24.The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead 25.Vetri 26.Fore Street 27.Jean Georges 28.Higgins 29.Da Marco 30.La Belle Vie 31.Parker's New American Bistro 32.Michy's 33.Frasca 34.Gramercy Tavern 35.Providence 36.Restaurant Guy Savoy 37.Zuni Cafe 38.Urasawa 39.Baccahanalia 40.Sanford 41.York Street 42.Manresa 43.No.9 Park 44.Trattoria Nostrani 45.Cafe Jaunita 46.Paley's Place 47.Lantern Restaurant 48.L'etoile 49.Herbsaint 50.Nana 51.Sushi Kappo Kawasaki I used the '01 list as a yardstick for a long time. I'm pretty pleased with the selections, no blackbird, no WD-50, nothing to hip. Just good food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghan Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Has anyone been to 80% of those places in the last couple of years ? I'm curious what people who have been to most of those places have to say, not that there's much to say when you are comparing the top rated restaurants in the nation. On another note, I must be the only person in North America who wouldn't think twice about passing up dinner at the Inn at Little Washington. For real, though. I'd rather go to Spain for dinner. Hey, and how do they (the tire kickers at Gourmet) differentiate the number one from number 10? Is there some sort of an indication of what is being measured? It appears to be fine dining for the most part, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilrus Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Has anyone been to 80% of those places in the last couple years ? (Trying not to sound like I'm name dropping here,) but the only ones listed here (eta - of the original nine places in the original post.) that I haven't been to in the last three years are Vetri and Striped Bass (need to get to Philly I guess). Take what I say with a grain of salt in that I've only been to most of them once. Alinea is an experience and Grant Achatz is doing exciting things there, but what I remember the most about Alinea is the show, not the food. Chez Panisse is one of my favorite restaurants I've been to (I'm talking about the Cafe here, not the downstairs restaurant). I always have a smile on my face as wide as the Bay Bridge when I sit in the sun splashed room enjoying the fresh, clean flavors. And I admire what Alice Waters has done and continues to do to emphasize fresh, seasonal and local cooking. But as much as I love it, it is not the second best restaurant in the United States. It is too simple to be that highly rated. These first two places couldn't be any more different. It is a bit unfair to group Per Se and French Laundry together like they are some mini-Applebees or Wolfgang Puck Express. Each stands on its own and my opinion is that Per Se was the superior experience. At our meal at French Laundry, while technically almost perfect, felt a bit like they were going through the motions. Per Se had more of a buzz about it and the food didn't miss a beat. Per Se would still be at the top of my list. Citronelle has every right to be ranked as high as it is. Michel's cooking is still exciting and I get the sense that he isn't standing still. The planned makeover of the room will do even more to solidify its spot. I still like the Inn for what it is, but what you've heard is true - the cooking isn't making waves any more, the decor is over the top, it is expensive. But it also makes for a lovely evening Trotter's felt like a place that has been doing the same thing well for a long time. It didn't excite me, but the food was very nice and the service pleasant. I haven't seen the whole list yet, but the two places that I've been that should be there if they aren't are Maestro and Manresa in Los Gatos, California. Not to sound too much like Joe H (not that there is anything wrong with that) but Maestro has to be one of, if not the best Italian restaurants in the country and is much better than the Inn and easily the equal of Citronelle. When I went to Manresa earlier this year I imagined it must have been like going to French Laundry not long before the secret got out. If it isn't on the list this year, it will be in five years and very high at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsadler Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Interesting to see that Magnolia Grill held the #11 spot both in 2001 and 2006. I love that place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Chez Panisse is one of my favorite restaurants I've been to (I'm talking about the Cafe here, not the downstairs restaurant). I always have a smile on my face as wide as the Bay Bridge when I sit in the sun splashed room enjoying the fresh, clean flavors. And I admire what Alice Waters has done and continues to do to emphasize fresh, seasonal and local cooking. But as much as I love it, it is not the second best restaurant in the United States. It is too simple to be that highly rated. Dude, you can't go hating on Chez Panisse based on the cafe upstairs. That's like saying Palena shouldn't be a big deal because the hamburgers at the cafe are too simple! I've only been to CP once, but their cooking isn't as simple as it seems -- subtle, rather than simple. Alice can certainly play with the big boys. My one dinner there was stunningly good. My one meal at Babbo was mediocre; I am told (relentlessly) that this was an aberration. I did like hearing The Who and the Grateful Dead during dinner, though. Because I had the good fortune to sit next to a couple of beautiful and rich Beacon Hill matrons-to-be (in 25 years or so) I fell into conversation with the Chef at Number 9 Park, who sent out a plate of gnocci and truffles (from the bar menu) that were just about the best thing I ate in 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilrus Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Dude, you can't go hating on Chez Panisse based on the cafe upstairs. That's like saying Palena shouldn't be a big deal because the hamburgers at the cafe are too simple! I've only been to CP once, but their cooking isn't as simple as it seems -- subtle, rather than simple. Alice can certainly play with the big boys. My one dinner there was stunningly good. Not hating - it just strikes me as not having the "other factors" we normally associate with four-star places - having poked my head in the dining room a few times, it seems a bit austere and the set menu doesn't appeal to my sensibilities. But maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way and they are using a different criteria. It really is one of my favorite places around. Maybe I need to forgo the choices upstairs and do a dinner downstairs next time I'm in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I'm sorry, if there are 41 restaurants in America better than Manresa, then I'm Don Rockwell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Not hating - it just strikes me as not having the "other factors" we normally associate with four-star places - having poked my head in the dining room a few times, it seems a bit austere and the set menu doesn't appeal to my sensibilities. But maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way and they are using a different criteria. It really is one of my favorite places around. Maybe I need to forgo the choices upstairs and do a dinner downstairs next time I'm in town. Give it a go. I walked in a skeptic and walked out a believer, though YMMV. I'd like to get out there and try the cafe, myself. I think if you compare CP to someplace like Alinea or anyplace with a French/Spanish sensibility it's going to look underproduced, as it were. But compared to Babbo or other Med-type spots, where the empahsis is less on technique and more on ingredients, its easier to understand its ranking. (I liked the Arts and Crafts dining room, myself, but it surely lacks sumptuousness). Have you been to Zuni, btw, speaking of cafe-type places? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilrus Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Have you been to Zuni, btw, speaking of cafe-type places? I have. It has a different vibe than Chez Panisse Cafe. Chez Panisse is more reserved and food focused -almost reverential, where Zuni is more like a party with good food. Zuni's food is simple. Chez Panisse's food is pristine. I'm sorry, if there are 41 restaurants in America better than Manresa, then I'm Don Rockwell. The secret will get out soon enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliveDC Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Interesting to see that Magnolia Grill held the #11 spot both in 2001 and 2006. I love that place. Was so glad to see my hometown representing, with Lantern as well, though I haven't made it there yet. Magnolia Grill is really fantastic, and I love how casual it is. And it's held strong for so many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Having been to No.9 Park and Locke-Ober last week, I have to say I'm amazed that Locke-Ober made the cut. Our meal was fine, but there are at least 10 restaurants in DC I would go to ahead of L-O. No.9 Park was fantastic, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stretch Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I'm amazed that Locke-Ober made the cut. Our meal was fine, but there are at least 10 restaurants in DC I would go to ahead of L-O. Without wanting to start a fight, one senses perhaps a certain casting-about for more female chefs to include on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Wow. Locke-Ober included because of a female chef. What would Mayor Curley and the other bygone Boston brahmins think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liam Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 No.9 Park was fantastic, however. When I used to travel to Boston for business with some frequency, I always tried to stop at No. 9 Park. For the solo diner, the bar is a terrific place to dine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 This list is absurd. I've been to about one third or more of the restaurants on it and while some such as Fore Street, Arrows and Bacchanalia are understandable local inclusions with distant national reputations others such as Cafe Juanita outside of Seattle totally discredit it. Maestro, Gary Danko and Tru are just a few of the world class restaurants that are inexcusably overlooked by a writer who hasn't eaten around nearly as much as he should have before writing this. Or perhaps he wanted to make a name by excluding the three I've noted above. Controversy sells magazines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 When I used to travel to Boston for business with some frequency, I always tried to stop at No. 9 Park. For the solo diner, the bar is a terrific place to dine.We ate in the restaurant at a family dinner during the holidays last December. The food was wonderful, but the thing I remember even more than the food was the professionalism of the staff.Shortly after we were seated, a man who was mentally ill and and in obvious distress began yelling/vocalizing and pacing back and forth through the establishment. The staff seemed to know who he was. I wasn't sure if he was a regular patron or someone else they were used to dealing with. It was a very odd experience, but the staff handled it as well as it possibly could have been handled. One of our party runs a social services clinic and was both concerned at the man's condition and impressed with the quality of the staff's handling of the incident. I don't think that's the type of thing that's usually factored into the rating of a fine restaurant, but it said a lot to me about the quality of No. 9 Park as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonaire Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 I "ate" at No 9 Park during the Democratic convention (2004). Usually not the best time to see these kinds of places, but they had an amazing spread for the event (fantastic food, great variety, lovely decor). I'm light on details b/c it was a while ago and, well, I was drunk for most of the convention. I remember hovering around the dessert area for a good hour or so. I'll gladly go back next time I'm in Boston... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Here's Tom Sietsema's take on the Gourmet Top 50 list ...from today's Chat: The list was truly bizarre. Honolulu's so-so Alan Wong at No. 8? The good-but-far-from-great Arrows in Ogunquit at No. 14? As for Locke-Ober in Boston, it shouldn't have even been on the list, but there she is, at No. 18. Having dined at 32 of the 50 restaurants on Gourmet's Top 50, I'm underwhelmed with the rankings and amazed at the exclusions.Washington is a top restaurant town, a fact that isn't reflected in the magazine's lineup. Michel Richard Citronelle deserves to be in a list of the very best restaurants in the country. And where were Maestro and Cityzen and Minibar, among other significant destinations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I got this hilarious off-the-cuff critique from a (very knowledgeable) buddy of mine - I reprint it here with his permission. Cheers, Rocks. --- 1. Alinea – Chicago, IL* - bizarro Adria wanna-be place. 2. Chez Panisse – Berkeley, CA - roast chicken and salad joint. Good but, c'mon. 3. The French Laundry/Per Se – Yountville, CA; New York, NY - great. 4. Spago – Beverly Hills, CA - smoked salmon pizza. 5. Joël Robuchon at the Mansion – Las Vegas, NV* - no experience but great reports. 6. La Rêve – San Antonio, TX - bullshit. 7. Masa – New York, NY* - one of the better sushi places in NYC but I'll take Yasuda at 75% less. 8. Alan Wong's Restaurant – Honolulu, HI - no experience. 9. Daniel – New York, NY - very good but a bit of a factory. 10. Le Bernardin – New York, NY - very, very good. 11. Magnolia Grill – Durham, NC - a joke; tired theme and a bored chef/owner. 12. Michel Richard Citronelle – Washington, D.C. - very good. 13. Charlie Trotter's – Chicago, IL - very good but maybe long in the tooth. 14. Arrows – Ogunquit, ME - ask Rockwell. 15. Cyrus – Healdsburg, CA* - good reports. 16. Striped Bass – Philadelphia, PA* - no. 17. Babbo – New York, NY - pasta joint that also serves feet, ears and guts. 18. Locke-Ober – Boston, MA* - no, even with Lydia Shire. 19. Canlis – Seattle, WA - boring, old folk's place. 20. L'Auberge Carmel – Carmel, CA* - no experience. 21. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare – Las Vegas, NV* - eh. 22. Restaurant August – New Orleans, LA* - very good but not deserving of this. 23. The Inn at Little Washington – Washington, VA - very good but really affected. 24. The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead – Atlanta, GA* - good, stodgy. 25. Vetri – Philadelphia, PA* - Obelisk wanna-be. 26. Fore Street – Portland, ME - no experience. 27. Jean Georges – New York, NY - a factory. 28. Higgins – Portland, OR* - a bar. 29. Da Marco – Houston, TX* - crappy. 30. La Belle Vie – Minneapolis, MN* - no experience. 31. Parker's New American Bistro – Cleveland, OH - boring. 32. Michy's – Miami, FL* - no experience. 33. Frasca – Boulder, CO* - a tavern. 34. Gramercy Tavern – New York, NY - Danny Meyer factory. 35. Providence – Los Angeles, CA* - great reports. 36. Restaurant Guy Savoy – Las Vegas, NV* - great reports. 37. Zuni Café – San Francisco, CA - roast chicken and potatoes. See Chez Panisse. 38. Urasawa – Beverly Hills, CA* - no experience. 39. Bacchanalia – Atlata, GA* - Outstanding. One of he best in the country. 40. Sanford – Milwaukee, WI - Excellent. 41. York Street – Dallas, TX* - Truly excellent but very spare/simple. 42. Manresa – Los Gatos, CA* - no experience. 43. No. 9 Park – Boston, MA* - very good. 44. Trattoria Nostrani – Santa Fe, NM* - no experience. 45. Cafe Juanita – Kirkland, WA* - good, not great. 46. Paley's Place – Portland, OR* - very good but a neighborhood spot, not destination. 47. Lantern Restaurant – Chapel Hill, CA* - noodle and dumpling joint. PLEASE! 48. L'Etoile – Madison, WI - hippy Chez Panisse and Zuni Cafe wannabe. Was better before sale. 49. Herbsaint – New Orleans, LA* - very good but a gumbo and frog's leg joint. 50. Nana – Dallas, TX* - Dallas hotel food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Amusing. This is spot on: 23. The Inn at Little Washington – Washington, VA - very good but really affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 42. Manresa – Los Gatos, CA* - no experience.Ask bilrus. Or, well, ask me. *#@^ing great. My last meal there ended with fourteen wine glasses in front of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 It looks like the print version of Gourmet may not last the year: Gourmet will probably not see the end of the year. Its parent company, Conde Nast, can no longer rely on the huge profits of the newspaper portion of the Newhouse family business. The magazine operation needs to go on a diet. Conde Nast reaches the "food" market several ways. It owns Gourmet, Bon Appetite, and epicurious.com. Conde Nast simply owns too many titles in this category. From 2004 to 2008, Gourmet’s ad pages have dropped from 1,364 to 955, with a 24% drop last year. January’s ad pages were down another 32% according to MIN. Gourmet can survive since it has a competitive audience of web visitors to its food site, but it will have to migrate totally to its website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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