I was only referring to the food in comparing the two; generally that is all I care about, at least at these rarified levels. And for food the French Laundry is amongst the best in the world (in terms of taste, texture, aroma, inventiveness and even chemistry). On the other 3 counts Gaddi's is better, some would say far better (but not up to Parisian 3-star standards, maybe 2star+ for service, bit more for decor and ambiance). I guess by your criterion something like Lucas Carton is more appropriate. Gaddi is not quite at that level.

As an aside, interesting that you mentioned La Pergola in Rome, recently it was mentioned on another FT thread. I have no opinion on the matter, as I have never eaten there, but it does show the diversity of opinion on FT and how difficult it is to assess what people mean (their comments in the context of their expectations and experience). That other thread is "Restaurants to Avoid" and is http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=376251&page=5