In 2015, I had the following 3* restaurants
In chronological order

1. Eleven Madison Park. I took a red eye to JFK, spent the day in NYC, went to EMP for dinner. Went home the next morning. I really flew to NYC for this restaurant. It was in my top 5 of all time.

2. Esaki in Tokyo. This is a good place to try true Japanese kaiseki. Some dishes were outstanding, but overall, I don't think it's worthy of the 3*. Maybe 2*.

3. Quintessence in Tokyo. This is a true 3* star. Better French food here than 3* in France. I would fly to Tokyo just for Quintessence.

4. Koryu in Osaka. Another true 3* star for me. I would fly to Osaka for Koryu. Kaiseki at its best.

5. Taian in Osaka. Similar to Esaki. Some dishes were impressive, but more 2* than 3*.

6. Fujiya 1935. I'm confused about this place. I think the spanish influence messed it up a little. I do like some of the dishes, but the wine pairing was not up to par for a restaurant this caliber. A solid 2*.

7. L'arpege. This was the most anticipated restaurant of 2015 for me and it was the biggest let down. I felt like I was waterboarded with beet. How many beet dishes can the chef send out? I think it was like 7. I think 2* is very generous here.

8. Le Bernardin. Also flew to JFK for one night for this. I've been here twice before and it's one of my favorite restaurants. A solid 3*.