Originally Posted by
troyb
I'm surprised at the mere mention of Anthony Bourdain in this thread.
I've eaten at both NYC Les Halles and was completely underwhelmed. The food there is no where near what one gets at one of Batali's locations. Even Bobby Flay puts out significantly better food than Bourdain.
I've never eaten at Morimoto's but I've heard nothing but great things.
You can't compare the two types of cooking and that's not a fair way to look at it. Let me put it this way...
If you wanted a great French meal, I'd go with Anthony. If you want great italian, Mario.
As far as my answer to the OP's question:
I'd have to say Gordon Ramsay or Mario Batali w/Anthony coming in a close second (or third).