Originally Posted by
Cholula
Actually are quite a few IMO. And they're fun to find.
Some of the best French restaurants I've ever been to are Le Francais in Wheeling, IL, which is a city well north of Chicago.
And Cafe Johnell in Fort Wayne, IN as well as Cafe Central in El Paso, TX.
Not the traditional places you'd expect to find first-class French restaurants.
Let's just say I don't agree with your classification of Le Francais in Wheeling as "first class" if that same standard makes Le Bernardin "first class."