Alinea... just outstanding in every way. Well presented and 'fun', but doesn't fall victim to the tricks; the fundamentals of the food and ingredients are top notch as well.

Disagree with all those who put db on the list. The last time I was there was for a friend's bday. We had a party of 7 with like a 9:00 (fairly late) dinner res. We were rushed the entire time and I found the food to be only moderate. I was very diasppointed with the quality in comparison to Chef Boulud's other restaurants and even my other visits there. Additionally, after we had finished desert, we were chatting for a few minutes finishing our drinks and were asked to leave so that they could make room for a new party. We just dropped a decent sum of money and they couldn't wait to get us out the door :td: Neither I, nor anyone else present that night, have ever returned.

Murano, London, chef Angela Hartnett. Despite being part of the Ramsay group the food is excellent consistently and the front of house staff superb.

Christian Etienne, Avignon
Chez Bruce, London (consistently excellent, and good value for money)
Les Chênes Verts, Tourtour (Provence)
Al Pont de Ferr, Milan
The French Laundry, Napa (yes, I know not everyone agrees)
Terra, St Helena (Napa again)

Shaun Hill's restaurant in Ludlow was great. It remains to be see whether he can live up to that in Abergavenny (the Walnut Tree).

Slighty :o to forget that as I live 5 mins walk from the restaurant. Excellent place and the best cheeseboard I've ever seen.

Alot of my favorites have been mentioned. I do like Michael Mina alot, but still prefer Dankos. The Square in London is one of my favorites. I also agree with Daniel, Enoteca Pinchiorri and Tailievent . Also like to add Vincents in Riga, Latvia. There are way too many for me to list. I wont go on the ones I dont like, as this isnt the thread for it.

Fat Duck? Gordon Ramsay?
 

I was going to make sure I hit the Fat Duck and Gordon Ramsay when I went to Londo this summer. Anybody agree that these are great places in London? They certainly are famous.

Dunno yet about the Fat Duck, plan to try to get reservations for when I pass through London in March, will let you know!

Another side note to this one ...I was recently fascinated to learn that one of my son's fellow students at MIT (a chemistry major) was asked by El Bulli to develop beverages that would change colors. I thought it interesting that they are working with science folks to help develop their menu offerings, but then I suppose cooking is also a science.

Another vote for Marcus Wareing.

I also particularly like:

Umu - London
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester - London
Le Gavroche - London
L'Astrance - Paris

i did not bother voting in the other poll, but our experience at gordon ramsay was terrible. opened half an hour late, no choices of dinner, pushed to buy two wines at couple hundred pound each, crummy service, food not special at all, treated like beggars or freeloaders. this was about 5 years ago.

Fat Duck - great front of house, good wine list, remarkable experience that was well worth the cash. Would I rush back - probably not as it was a bit too otherwordly for me.

Looking forward to trying Marcus Wearing next month. :)

I haven't been to Fat Duck yet, but I have been to Gordon Ramsay at Claridges and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (on Royal Hospital Road). I was unimpressed with the Claridges one as some of the food was overcooked and the services weren't very good. However, my experience at the Royal Hospital Road one was really good.

The Beach House, Kauai

Agree with Coi. Food that is both terrific and inventive.
Also Cyrus (Healdsburg about 75 minutes north of San Francisco in Sonoma County). For me, the food is as good as the French Laundry without so much hype or price. And I say that as someone who loves the French Laundry.

Anybody know how much the price is for Marcus WAreing? I looked on the website, but there are no prices listed.

El Bulli is going to close for at least two years.

It got a blistering review in the FT on the weekend. Absolutely brutal.
The reviewer said he paid 216 GBP per two.
Based on the review, I would beware:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b14e5692-0...nclick_check=1

Totoraku
 

Totoraku is Japanese Beef restaurant in Los Angeles. It is by invitation only, but if one is able to it is absolutely worth the trip. One of the top meals of my life.

Beef throat sashimi.

Yum.

Was "Lost' the Grand Hyatt or the Park Hyatt?: I thought it was the Park, but correct me if I am wrong. As far as the Park Hyatt, I enjoy their restaurant. Food and service has been very good, view of the city is breathtaking and not as expensive as I first thought it would be.

Lost in Translation was the Park Hyatt, and the bar scenes were filmed in the New York Grill.

My best friend and his family (as well as I) really enjoy Kozue at the Park Hyatt Tokyo.

My favorite NYC restaurants
 

My favorite NYC restaurants in no particular order:
Seafood: Le Bernadin--exquisite meals at lunch or dinner
Esca--spectacular rustic Italian seafood
Sushi Yasuda--sit at Yasuda-san's station at the
sushi bar and order the omakase (chef's) menu OMG

Italian:Babbo--wonderful pastas, antipasti, modern classics
A Voce Columbus Circle--a reasonably priced
terrific newcomer--try the pollo a la mattone
Scarpetta--wonderful food; eat at the bar w/o
reservations; must have: short rib/polenta appetizers

Other: Gramercy Tavern--dining room is fancy; tavern is
casual--great for a meal prior to a Yankee's game
Tia Pol--tapas cooked individually as you order Yum
Per Se--Over the top, expensive but try it for
brunch; a great experience

Great recs. Thank you. I just went to Babbo after having been in Rome for a week. Babbo is phenomenal. The pasta tasting menu is just delicious.

I was in Le Bernardin about 10 years ago, and it was not very impressive at all. However, everybody now says that it is fantastic. I will have to try it again.

Went to Daniel recently, and it was as good as I remember it was 10 years ago. Just a wonderful experience.

Another vote for Gramercy Tavern. ^

As for restaurants not yet mentioned, we've enjoyed the Tasting menu with wine pairings at Alan Wongs in HNL twice over the past few years and will happily return after enjoying and savoring our dining experience there for a third round whenever we're next in Honolulu. ^

The wine list is pretty impressive, too.

+1^

Tried Tru last night -- the overall experience was outstanding. Service, food, ambience, all impeccable.

Also, if you celebrate a special event there, make sure to tell them that when you call ahead for reservations. They are terrific at personalizing the dining experience toward that occasion.

cheers.

How does it compare to Charlie Trotters?

I've not had the pleasure of dining at Charlie Trotters, so can't give you an accurate comparison. Based on their menus, it's hard for me to believe there's much more that they can do service-wise that Tru isn't already doing for slightly less. as far as the meal, it was as close to content (and not full) that I've been for an entire meal in a long time.

Based on my experience, and from what I could read on the faces of everyone around us (the crowd steadily grew on Saturday night), I feel confident that you'll be quite satisfied.

cheers.

Valence, France
 

Chez Pic

El Bulli...
 

I have to say that the whole El Bulli experience was astounding. It's very hard to prepare and present food at that level while maintaining a casual and friendly vibe. It probably helped that we had a great table in a little private nook with a window looking down at the beach.

Fearings, The Ritz Carlton, Dallas

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/4.2.14912/2502; U; en) Presto/2.2.0)

Twist by Pierre Gagnaire, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Las Vegas

Places I'd say deserve their reputations:

L'Astrance - Paris
Fat Duck - Bray
Gary Danko's - SF (found the comment about stifling service above interesting.. that wasn't my experience at all. Once the sommolier and I worked out our differences in new world vs. old world tastes, we got along swimmingly ;)
Commander's Palace - NOLA (Got lucky enough to be there for their Black & Gold tailgate party menu. Spectacular!)
Emeril's (I can still taste that banana cream pie..) - NOLA
Number One, Balmoral Hotel - Edinburgh
Hotel Restaurant Jean Paul Jeunet - Arbois (To this day, my favourite dining experience. Local cuisine matched perfectly with Jura wines.. what more could a vin jaune fanatic ask for?)

Their menu looks fab! Thanks for the recommendation.

I had their tasting menu and I think it was pretty much the 'normal' London tasting menu price for similar grade of restaurants there, so about £100 or thereabouts without drinks, if my memory serves.

My first candidates:

Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon Tokyo
Gary Danko San Francisco
Troisgros Roanne
http://www.hamadaya.info/ Hamadaya, Tokyo

London well-deserved places
 

Sounds like fat duck is a place I should go to.
Does "normal" imply good or bad? Blah or up to par? For Marcus Wareing. Sounds like Gordon Ramsay is over-rated and expensive.

I was lucky enough to have dined at Le Bernardin four or five times in the 90s and early 2000's, and each time it was a wonderful experience. Taillevent a few years ago was perhaps as perfect a meal as one can get- food, wine, service all coalescing into a beautiful whole. The one time I ate at Gary Danko, the service was fantastic, as good as I've had anywhere, while the food was just a shade below my expectations (although very good!).

I know that this thread has focused more on high-end restaurants, but it also brought to mind those highly rated restaurants that are more like "cult favorites." In other words, not expensive, but for those "in the know." The top of my list is Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, which has never disappointed for Thai Food (Gourmet had rated it the top Thai restaurant in the US once upon a time).

And then there are the local favorites, which always rate highly and deserve it, like Chapeau!, Delfina, Acquerello or Zuni Cafe to name a few in San Francisco.

Luxembourg
 

A few names in Luxembourg (as there is not much information in FT) other than the obvious options Mosconi (Italian) and Kamakura (Japanese):

In town:
Lagura (Fusion Italian-Asiatic cuisine);
La Mirabelle (French);
Brasserie Mansfeld

Our of town:
Lea Linster in Frisange, near the French border (French International).
La Table des Guilloux in Schouweiller (French). He just renounced his two MIchelin stars but probably the best in the country.