I can't imagine gagging on oysters and pearls. Definitely in my top 10 all-time dishes.

But dare I say that the caviar/custard "eggs benedict" dish on the Eleven Madison Park menu is better? We had it on the World's 50 Best menu at Next this fall and it was absolutely divine.

Happy that others also enjoyed The Modern and Claude Bosi at Bibendum!

I had a lovely dinner at Le Bernardin a few days ago. I had the Chef's Tasting Menu with wine pairings. Highlights were the poached lobster tail with black truffle tagliatelle, the Dover sole, and crab cake. The wine pairings were very good, both in quality and in ability to match the food. My friend had the new vegetarian tasting menu, which she absolutely adored. The first course was celeriac veloute with black truffle, served inside a whole celery root--it was beautifully presented and delicious!

I am dismayed to report that my flight to California was cancelled because of the snow, and so I'll be unable to make my reservation at SingleThread. I had to pay for the booking (for 4 people) upfront via Tock and in theory it is nonrefundable. I have sent them an email and have left a message explaining we couldn't get a flight out until next week, when the restaurant is closed, so we can't make it. I do hope they will refund us.

Will be at Momofuku Ko next week, and possibly also either Aquavit or Daniel. Any thoughts on which one you would pick? Am also contemplating Per Se.

In other news, Grace in Chicago has closed permanently. The Fat Duck has raised prices from 275 GBP to 325 GBP, effective for reservations starting in April. Per Se has raised prices from $325 to $340, still service included. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in NYC (not technically a Michelin-starred restaurant yet, but we all know it will be as soon as the 2019 guide is out) has set prices for their tasting menu at $325, service included. Wine pairings at $150 or $275. I think they are shooting for 3 stars based on the menu and prices.

I was also at Le Bernadin a few days ago, and had the exact same set up! :) Both my husband and I enjoyed the meal a lot, especially the wine pairing, I thought it was very good value for the price. We were at EMP for dinner a week before, and I have to say between the two I enjoyed Le Bernadin more.

Hope you can get a refund for SingleThread, otherwise maybe some hungry friends to transfer the tickets too? Between Ko, Aquavit, Daniel and Per Se, personally it'd be a toss up between Ko and Daniel depending on what kinda food I'm in the mood for. You can't really go wrong with any of these spots though!

SingleThread was able to refund my booking. Phew!

Glad you also loved Le Bernardin, jbeans! I agree it's a great value; I believe it is the cheapest 3 star restaurant in the country!

Best Michelin restaurants in Florence?
 

Hey all, of the 6 1* restaurants in Florence, which are your favorites and why? We will have 5 nights in Florence and want to sample some but not all of the Michelin restaurants here. We definitely plan to try 3* Enoteca Pinchiorri, as well. Thanks! (We will be staying at the St Regis, so we obviously will try 1* Winter Garden by Caino in the hotel.)

Pinchiorri is very good, although for a 3-star restaurant, I didn't find it to be as sublime an experience as I have had at other 3 stars. If you love wine, though, you will definitely enjoy their selection, which is by far the largest wine menu anywhere I have ever ran into :D

As for my recent Michelin-starred travails:

-Barrafina (1 star, London): good food, and I like the casual atmosphere. That said, I have had better tapas elsewhere. I don't think I would wait an hour in line again just for the experience.
-Pollen Street Social (1 star, London): surprisingly the least favorite of the Jason Atherton restaurants I have been to so far. I didn't get a strong sense of which direction the cuisine wanted to go. Nice ambiance and the food was fine, but I didn't love it.
-Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (2 stars, London): as others said, definitely a bit overrated. The food is pretty good, but 2-star good? Nope...
-Adrian Quetglas (1 star, Palma de Mallorca): my favorite of the Michelin-starred restaurants that I visited. It's a Spanish restaurant that leans on Russian influences given the chef's background. There's a bit of molecular gastronomy involved as well. Nice, modern homey atmosphere. At 50 euros for the tasting menu, it's a great value as well.

Next Michelin-starred experience will be Coi (3 stars) in SF next weekend!

It looks like the new menu is supposed to be live this month. I did not dine there when Kirkley was around, but I am excited to see what the new menu looks like! My first choice was Benu, but the reservations on a Saturday night disappeared very quickly...

Winter Garden is the only 1* spot I've been to in Florence, and we liked it a lot! Wine selection and great service particularly stood out for me.

Not a Michelin star, but if you're into wine, Osteria dell'Enoteca was one of my favorite meals in Florence. It's opened by a group of ppl who started a wine bar down the street, so needless to say the wine selection was fantastic. Instead of bringing you a wine menu, they take you into their cellar to choose a bottle. Definitely worth a visit if you have time.

I haven't gone through this thread but Warsaw's Senses is pretty amazing for a 1* and the price, cheap as chips!

We aren´t impressed by Enoteca Pinchiorri. It was supposed to be the grand dame restaurant in Florence, and it was disappointing. The only dish that really stood out was the pasta dish in the chef´s tasting menu. I had to go back to my pictures to see what they were. Presentation was very sloppy. Don´t really know why it is a 3*. Should be 1* at most. At the time, I thought it was the best pasta I have ever had. The rest of the dishes were just average.

leggenda dei frati was reasonable. The best dish of the tasting menu was some kind of savory panna cotta with langustine. the beef was not good. pasta was also average. I think I went to another 1* but couldn´t find any pictures.

Coincidentally enough, I will be in Warsaw in four days. It's a long shot, but I will have to see what I can arrange.

I had dinner at Momofuku Ko last night. I loved the vibe and the open kitchen. I felt even closer to the action than at Atera or Blanca, which are also 2 Michelin star counter-style restaurants in NYC. At Atera the kitchen is set back a bit from the U-shaped counter, and what the counter actually surrounds is an open area and then the wine service table. At Blanca the counter is just one row that all face the kitchen. But at Momofuku the kitchen is entirely surrounded by the U-shaped counter, which I liked.

I also LOVED the beverage pairing. At $175 it was relatively pricey for what is the standard pairing option, but I have to say it was the most interesting and diverse pairing I've ever experienced. In addition to several wines of styles I'm familiar with (100% Pinot Meunier rose Champagne, Syrah from Crozes-Hermitage), there were 3 cocktails (one of which was made from aromatized Nebbiolo wine; another was a house-made Bloody Mary), a dry amontillado sherry, a dry Malvasia, a Jacquere-Chardonnay blend from the Savoie, a still wine from Champagne that had been fortified with brandy, and even a dessert sake that had been barrel-aged! The pairings worked very well with the food. I was told that they are in the R&D phase of a non-alcoholic pairing option, as well.

As for the food, there were some things I loved (the lobster roll with Thai basil amuse-bouche; the buttermilk-marinated skate served with a vin jaune and potato puree; the basil and chocolate dessert; the wild rice ice cream with kombu; and my favorite course, the sea urchin and fermented chickpea paste). I wasn't wowed by the classic egg/caviar dish, as I wasn't a fan of the sour sauce they paired it with. I much prefer the opening egg/caviar/brioche dish on The Modern's tasting menu. I also was unimpressed by the two meat courses, dry-aged beef au poivre and charred duck. The beef was unexciting to me, and the duck was actually cold by the time it was served to me! The cold duck was very unfortunate since the meat had a beautiful char and I appreciated the flavors. I also personally wasn't a fan of the scallop, pineapple, basil, and dashi bowl; it was too sweet for me.

All in all, I enjoyed more my meals at Jean-Georges (adding this to the list since it's now a 2-star), The Modern, Atera, and Blanca. I think two stars makes sense for Ko.

Had my first Michelin meal of the year tonight at Quilon in London and found it excellent. Such a nice surprise after all the disappointing meals I had last year in London. Highly recommend

Am a big fan of counter seating tasting menu restaurants and did Atera, Ko and Blanca on back-to-back nights about 1.5 years ago. The standout for me was Blanca since I find them to be more adventurous and tasty at the same time. Actually have been to Ko and Atera twice and while I find them to be decent, can't say I have been wow'ed. Will be back later this year and hope to do Brookyn Fare and Blanca back-to-back to see which one stands out

Wow, those pictures from Coi look fabulous!

I've noticed that a few more Michelin-starred restaurants have raised prices. Quince is now up to $275 (from $250), Atelier Crenn is going up to $335 in April (service included, was $325), and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare is now $394.36 (with service and tax included; was previously $330 with service included but no tax).

Has anyone been to both Core and Bibendum and can compare the two? Have booked Kitchen Table and Aulis already and am deciding between these two for the last night

Wow, that crab meat terrine looks fantastic!

I can +1 this - we had a great meal here

La Maison de Têtes Girardin - Colmar
 

As promised my review of the fantastic La Maison des Têtes Girardin in beautiful Colmar with one Michelin star: La Maison de Tetes Girardin - Fine Dining Colmar

An overarching theme, every dish tasting like a piece of heaven, elegant yet simplistic-Scandinavian atmosphere, and the most friendly and sincere service you can imagine.

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Btw: including wine I was only billed 150 EUR for 8 courses.

On leaving, when chef Éric Girardin came out to bid me farewell, I could see honest happiness in his face when I told him how excellent the evening has been. I'll be back, Monsieur :)

Planning a trip to Chicago, and just saw that Grace has abruptly closed?! https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/d...t-closing.html

This will actually be my first time in Chicago. Of course will try to go to Alinea, any other recommendations/tips are highly appreciated please! Thanks in advance!

Will be in Barcelona soon and hold reservations for Lasarte, Abac and Moments. We will see;)

Not in any way fine dining, but Avec in Chicago is one of my all time favourite informal restaurants. It reminds me a lot of Momofuku Ssam in New York, which is high praise indeed coming from me.

I actually found both Grace and Alinea to be overrated. Alinea is a lot of fun from a presentation standpoint, but the food wasn't mindblowing. Grace was just a disappointment overall - but the way things ended there certainly didn't go well. The only other fine dining I have had is Tru, which is fantastic but is also closing.

So yeah...I got nothin' for you. But the mid-tier dining options I have had are quite excellent...so I have no doubt you'll find something tasty :)

Thanks! I feel like as a first timer in Chicago, Alinea is kinda mandatory. :D

I would love to hear your recommendations for mid-tier spots as well! We'll be there for 4 nights, so will have plenty of time to sample all kinds of stuff.

I am a giant fan (and season ticket holder) of Next in Chicago....Chef Jenner has really elevated their cuisine. He's doing french food for the first half of the year, and that's his wheelhouse.

I was very disappointed by Grace this past summer. Girl and the Goat was good but I don't get all the hype. I preferred Duck Duck Goat. I know neither of those has a star.

For one starred venues in Chicago, I heartily recommend Topolobampo if you like Mexican food!

That would be my first choice too.

If you want a mix of high end and mid tier restaurants in Chicago, the easy advice for a first-timer is focus on 3 chefs: Achatz, Izard, and Kahan. You really can't go wrong with any of their restaurants and you have a variety to choose from. They're not necessarily the 3 best chefs in Chicago or include all the best restaurants, but I will almost guarantee you won't have a bad meal or experience. And then get a Frontera Fresco torta at O'Hare on your way home!

And finally, plan your next trip once you realize Chicago has some of the best (but not necessarily famous) restaurants in the country, and there are 50 more you didn't get to try. :D

Green River is another example of a very good mid-tier restaurant. The Bar Manager is one of the best in the country and the food has been recognized with a (surprise?) Michelin Star. Really excellent.

We ate at 2 star Smyth in Chicago last night. We had the 12 course tasting menu with wine pairing. The food and wine were fantastic and the service was just wonderful. Everyone we met in the service team was incredibly friendly and “read” us to give us just the type of service we wanted. I highly recommend it.

Heading to Modena this July and want to make sure I snag a reservation at Osteria Francescana. Has anyone had success using the concierge service through their Platinum Amex to book this reservation?

I've been there twice but booked direct both times. Keep in mind that a lunch reservation may be easier to get than dinner.

Great news about Smyth! It and Oriole are very much on my radar for my next Chicago visit.

I've tried multiple times to book Osteria Francescana but it's always been fully booked.

We ate at 1 star Roister tonight. It was superb. One of the dishes we had was the # 5 wagyu steak which was mind bendingly good but really it all was. We sat at the counter by the kitchen. Very positive experience.