Originally Posted by stimpy

I've never been to 11 Madison or Daniel so no comment there. But I have met CGRA and I think you have erred in saying he lacks credibility. And I have to say in my opinion you aren't really appreciating all that fine dining is if you can't see the differences between European and US restaurants. This is common for Americans so don't worry. I'm American myself and it took a fair bit of time for me to fully appreciate fine French dining, as well as that of other countries. There are elements of really top quality at some US restaurants, but they generally, well almost always, do not have the complete package as a top Euro restaurant has. Anyone who has real experience at this can easily find faults at any US restaurant. But I try to not let it spoil my meal and just focus on the good parts.