Well Deserved Highly Rated Restaurants
Jan 10, 2010 | 1:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,293
Well Deserved Highly Rated Restaurants
Since there is an active thread about overrated restaurants, I thought it might be equally interesting to have one where the restaurant lives up to its hype. I'll bet we find significantly more disagreement here than in the other thread.
Here are a couple.
San Francisco,
Michael Mina
Santa Barbara
Bouchon
New Orleans
Commander's Palace
Emeril's
Here are a couple.
San Francisco,
Michael Mina
Santa Barbara
Bouchon
New Orleans
Commander's Palace
Emeril's
Jan 10, 2010 | 3:37 pm
#4
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: DL DM/3MM, BA Prem/LG, AA CK, UA GS, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 241
Alto, Gilt (NYC)
Roussillon (London)
Taillevent (Paris)
Laurie Raphael (Quebec/Montreal)
Enoteca Pinchiorri (Florence)
Patrick Guilbaud (Dublin)
And agree that CityZen (DC) and Daniel (NYC) are pretty darn good too.
Roussillon (London)
Taillevent (Paris)
Laurie Raphael (Quebec/Montreal)
Enoteca Pinchiorri (Florence)
Patrick Guilbaud (Dublin)
And agree that CityZen (DC) and Daniel (NYC) are pretty darn good too.
Jan 10, 2010 | 4:36 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 4,449
Agree with Michael Mina. Expensive for what you get, so I think Gary D's is a better deal. But MM's food is fantastic, no question about it.
Commander's Palace is amazingly good. Huge portion size, also, not like the California dainty little portions. We were very impressed.
Jan 10, 2010 | 6:19 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Programs: UA 1K (2MM), Marriott Lifetime Titanium (UGH), Uber Diamond
Posts: 751
Coi - San Francisco
Have to disagree with Gary Danko though. Great good - horrible, overbearing service in an awful space. Remove half the tables and then I might go back.
Have to disagree with Gary Danko though. Great good - horrible, overbearing service in an awful space. Remove half the tables and then I might go back.
Jan 10, 2010 | 6:23 pm
#9
In memoriam
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: Hilton*D, Marriott*LG, Hyatt*G
Posts: 6,267
I agree about Gary Danko -- just a wonderful dining experience!!
I also agree with Taillevent in Paris -- probably the finest dining experience I have ever had.
I would add:
Beittedine, London -- some of the best Lebanese food I have had
Benares, London -- very good, albeit expensive, new Indian cuisine
Hiramatsu, Paris
Benoit, Paris
Lai Wah Heen, Toronto
Matsuhisa, Los Angeles
Charlie Palmer Steak, Las Vegas
Yew, Vancouver
Jade, Singapore
I also agree with Taillevent in Paris -- probably the finest dining experience I have ever had.
I would add:
Beittedine, London -- some of the best Lebanese food I have had
Benares, London -- very good, albeit expensive, new Indian cuisine
Hiramatsu, Paris
Benoit, Paris
Lai Wah Heen, Toronto
Matsuhisa, Los Angeles
Charlie Palmer Steak, Las Vegas
Yew, Vancouver
Jade, Singapore
Jan 10, 2010 | 7:03 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 4,449
I thought Coi was totally weird. It is neat though, with the 11-12 course meal. But the flavors were totally strange--like soy sauce and cherries, fish with chocolate, etc. Just very strange stuff. Maybe it's changed now. I was there about 1 year ago.
Jan 11, 2010 | 4:14 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Tokyo,Japan
Posts: 13
A few
Not necessarily the best meals I ever had, but lived up to expectations and in many cases surpassed, in no particular order:
Combal.Zero in Torino
China Blue at Conrad in Tokyo
Made in China in Beijing
(way back in the day) Spice Market in Bangkok
the main Chinese restaurant in the Grand Stanford in Hong Kong
Xu in Ho Chi Minh
On a less happy note Gordon Ramsay in Tokyo is perhaps the most disappointing meal I've had anywhere in world (although I don't think it ever got rated high enough that I should have been surprised.) The whatever it is in the Grand Hyatt in Shinjuku is a close second for that "award?" And that was long before Bill Murray supposedly got lost there.
best
adg
Combal.Zero in Torino
China Blue at Conrad in Tokyo
Made in China in Beijing
(way back in the day) Spice Market in Bangkok
the main Chinese restaurant in the Grand Stanford in Hong Kong
Xu in Ho Chi Minh
On a less happy note Gordon Ramsay in Tokyo is perhaps the most disappointing meal I've had anywhere in world (although I don't think it ever got rated high enough that I should have been surprised.) The whatever it is in the Grand Hyatt in Shinjuku is a close second for that "award?" And that was long before Bill Murray supposedly got lost there.
best
adg
Jan 11, 2010 | 11:03 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 757
I would have to disagree with Michael Mina. For the type of food they are trying to produce at their prices, there are a handful of other restaurants I'd rather go to. I would definitely go to Gary Danko (see below) over Michael Mina. Also, those trying to get a quiet dinner may be surprised at the noise level.
I would agree about the great service and reasonable prices (for that type of place) but I would never say phenomenal food. Consistent and good food, yes. In fact, I was tempted to put Gary Danko in the overrated thread, but in general they somewhat live up to their hype.
I would agree about the great service and reasonable prices (for that type of place) but I would never say phenomenal food. Consistent and good food, yes. In fact, I was tempted to put Gary Danko in the overrated thread, but in general they somewhat live up to their hype.