My husband usually takes his jacket off when he is dining and noone has ever said a word.

It's overrated. The sole time I sat at the sushi counter, I got food poisoning. The dining room sushi is alright but definitely not the same as being at the counter. The tamago is the only thing that stands out to me; otherwise, I have had better elsewhere. There's a reason it hasn't gotten a Michelin star yet...

I can second this. My wife carefully put some of the left-over cheese in her handbag (hey, why waste good food!). When we left, in addition to the some chocolates, they gave us a littel bag with fresh breads to "enjoy with your cheese" ;-)

It was a great meal

Did Louis XV last year, here my review: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28468910-post722.html

Are you perhaps referring to Rustic Stone? If so, I agree with your recommendation - I thought it was really nice. I was prepared to walk out when I saw the 'cook your own food on the stone' thing, but very glad I stayed.

PS - Looks like there's also a "Taste at Rustic".

Oops - yes. Rustic Stone, although I think it says "Taste by Rustic" on the door.

Went to Le Cinq yesterday. A beautiful venue and competent enough (if a bit odd) service, but 600EUR for the smaller set lunch and a couple of drinks for two was ridiculous. While the cooking was technically impressive, it lacked the great taste that one expects at a 3* venue. I'm afraid that I can't recommend it and certainly doesn't compare to some other 3*'s (Martin Berasategui immediately comes to mind as looking similar, but being an entirely different experience).

Went to the 1 star Grand Coeur in the Marais in Paris. Lovely dining room, reasonable prices, standout dish was a “deconstructed” seafood lasagne with a stunning broth. Also a saffron mussel gratin. Only complaint was tepid food temperatures which i find a lot in France and I put down to national preferences. Decided to change reservation from Allard a few days before, happy that we made the right choice.

If someone has been to both of these Tokyo restaurants Ryugin (3 star) and Narisawa (I believe 1 star) - could you compare them? Narisawa is higher on Pellegrino list though. I have been to Ryugin and really enjoyed it. But during my upcoming trip I can choose either one or another, so hopefully someone can help with this dilemma.

I've been to both--I prefer Ryugin to Narisawa. A restaurant I also prefer to Narisawa is Den. Much more laid back but creative style.

I know these are older posts, but I came across them while looking over reviews of the Greenhouse in Dublin (where we're going next month)... and I have an observation from another DC 2-star joint: Pineapple & Pearls.

We did the pairing when we ate their last summer, and the staff offered to top off any one of the pairings throughout the meal. As I was driving, I kept things in moderation, but I was a bit surprised they were so quick to offer additional pours.

I'm thinking back over a few other places we opted for the pairing last year... seems like Funky Gourmet in Athens did fairly generous pours to begin with, as did the other Michelin-starred place we ate in Athens, so we never ran into a problem. At Catbird Seat in Nashville, they did offer to top off a couple of the pairings (a beer and a couple of the wines, IIRC) as well.

Saturday night in London
 

5 of us had a great dinner at "LIMA Fitzrovia" in London (1 Michelin Star) by the world-renowned Peruvian chef, Virgilio Martinez.
Many exotic ingredients are used in the meals so that turned into a real experience.

And the Passion Fruit Pisco Sour is :-:

Virgilio's main restaurant in Lima, Peru was ranked #10 on The San Pellegrino's Top Restaurants List.

^

Actually, Central in Lima is #5 on the list--and is exquisite. Our send favorite meal in Peru!

I had lunch recently with several friends at The Fat Duck. I have to say that as an experience, it was one of my favorites. I loved how they integrated memories from our questionnaires into the meal; it created a lot of joy for us. As for the food, some of the dishes I loved (Anjou pigeon, langoustine lasagna, the "botrytis cinerea" dessert, the "sound of the sea," the crab with caviar, the beetroot macaron) but several of them fell flat--the "hot and cold" tea just tasted like lukewarm coldbrew, I wasn't a fan of the crab and passionfruit ice cream, and I didn't love the botanicals/artichoke ice cream or the baby powder dessert. I also felt the petit fours were average.

The service was simply stellar, however. And I thoroughly enjoyed my top-tier wine pairing, although the price was astronomical. But it included a 2006 Chevalier-Montrachet from Domaine Leflaive and a 2004 Richebourg from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, so I was a happy camper! I also very much enjoyed my nama daiginjo sake paired with the "Sound of the Sea," served in a Lalique glass.

Had a pleasant lunch at Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin over the weekend, a relatively traditional 2* French restaurant. The quality of food was on par with what we'd experienced in Paris the week before, and it was interesting to see that Dublin can sustain that level of cost and expertise over a decade in what until recently was a city without a whole load of foodie options. Particularly impressive was the lesser known vintage champagne selection from quite a wide range of small growers.

Guy Savoy Las Vegas
 

Had dinner last night at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas. I was blown away! I've eaten at the Paris outpost a few years ago and this was on par with that. I had the seared foie gras starter, signature artichoke and truffle soup, and sea bass as a main (I will post some pics later)

Service was very refined, but they knew which tables they could play with. They were really talkative with me and were very hospitable, which I really like when dining solo. The sommelier was also very attentive and checked on me several times which surprised me because all the tables around me were ordering flagship wines while I had a whopping $72 bottle! The wine list itself was massive and had a lot of really good deals.

If the guide ever goes back to Las Vegas, I hope they get 3*. And I can't wait to go back.

L'effervescence in Tokyo (dinner, 2*) was a phenomenal meal. Modern French using as much seasonal and locally produced ingredients as possible.

Not unreasonably priced either at 20000 yen pp. Loved the poetic and quirky names that each dish got such as:
"Red sky, purple ocean", "A fixed point", "World Peace".

Awesome handwhisked matcha to end the course meal.

But then the price will double :D

I think Narisawa is a 2 star now. They're both different styles and I enjoy them both. I'd say go with Narisawa since you already did Ryugin.

IIRC it's almost impossible for Guy Savoy to double from its current price in Vegas...

That is much more reasonable than I had remembered. I must have been thinking of one of the other super chefs in Vegas whose tasting menu was more like $700 or so...

I might have been thinking of Twist by Pierre Gagnaire, though his premium tasting menu comes with matched wines for the $777, so I guess it's a bit of a steal.

Back on topic, I'm actually back in Vegas in April and am wondering whether it's worthwhile going to any of the serious restaurants there. I did the Joel Robuchon Atelier last year after I couldn't stomach the cost of Robuchon's proper place, but it's still on my to do list after a delayed flight caused me to miss a booking there a few years ago.

At least;)

Going to Italy next month. Going to be traveling from Rome stopping by Florence, Venice, and ending in Milan. I have reservations at La Pergola in Rome and Vun in Milan and I'm trying to get a seat at Osteria Francescana. Any where else I should hit up?

I’ll second Le Calendre, and would even go so far as to say we much preferred it to Francescana.

I actually booked both for my upcoming stay in Tokyo...I enjoyed Ryugin a lot - both the atmosphere and food, but that was over a year ago and in fall, so I am curious to see what their spring menu would be...and Narisawa is something new for me this time, so I am glad to hear positive confirmation of my choice

Probably something that includes some form of cherry blossom and spring catches. You'll have 2 great dining experiences.

I think Il Cibreo in Florence is a can't miss. Discussed upthread I think or possibly on a thread elsewhere. I don't think it is Michelin rated but I wouldn't pay any attention to that.

Trattoria Il Cibreo has a Bib-Gourmand

I saw that somewhere else as well. Looks like they have a ristorante and a trattoria that serves from the same kitchen. I'll add the trattoria to my list. Thanks!

I had a lovely lunch today at 2 Michelin star Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire. I had read mixed reviews but this was stunning! I now have a new appreciation for quail. This meal was probably better food-wise than my meal at The Fat Duck 2 weeks ago and far far better value.

Finally had dinner with my husband and friends last night at Eleven Madison Park for our first time. Must say that we all were pretty underwhelmed. The space didn’t impress me at all, and the hustle and bustle of the large service team left us feeling like the experience was a bit chaotic—but even that disappointment had nothing to do with our being underwhelmed with the actual food and occasionally even a service lapse.

For us, the food was simple and very good but largely lacked any major inventiveness or creativity. It wasn’t particularly memorable. And the wine pairings, even my premium wine pairing, was only fine. Nothing really stood out or blew me away.

More photos and details to come when I get home, but to say we are disappointed and likely to not bother ever to return is an understatement. My husband felt it didn’t even live up to 3 stars, let alone a top 10 restaurant in the world. I have a tough time disagreeing with him. One of our biggest 3 star disappointments, along with Daniel (demoted a year later to 2 stars), Lung King Heen, and last year’s Quince (just after getting its 3rd star).

This is all very disappointing. I do have to say the new menu looks to be going for a minimalistic vibe. I find it such a shame--I adored their old menu and service style!

Do you remember any of the wines poured for the premium pairing? I'd love to get a sense of the caliber.

Disappointing...... By the way I´m not aware Lung King Heen got demoted, when did it happen? I found Lung King Heen the most unusual 3 star I ever dined in but very interesting. At least had an enjoyable dinner if 3 star worth is a hard question.

My bad—I’d heard but never confirmed that Lung King Heen had been demoted a star, and evidently it wasn’t. It was just much more a 2 star experience for us based on both the food and service quality we had at the time.

Eleven Madison Park: a disappointing dinner by any measure
 

I had been dying to try Eleven Madison Park for years. It obviously had been recently renovated and reopened to a simpler and shorter menu. The net effect for us was quite underwhelming.

The food and service were pretty good, but the food lacked creativity and inventiveness to our estimation. It just wasn't memorable or particularly delicious--with perhaps one or two courses as exceptions. One course was terrible. Most courses were just good to very good. Almost none of the presentations impressed us or were particularly amazing.

The service was good, I guess, but pretty uptight overall, and the team had some serious misses. We waited for almost 10 min after water was served, requiring me to ask for someone to get us started. My husband's wine pairings were not always introduced. We also noticed they started to bring out our courses once when the table had not yet been set with silverware. Not impressive.

The energy of the dining room was also a big miss for us. The sheer chaos of the staff moving around was not enjoyable or remotely relaxing. It was distracting. And it was ubiquitous.

I had the premium wine pairings, and my husband had the regular wine pairings, and both left us underwhelmed, as well. I'll edit those in when I get a chance.

We found the whole experience completely underwhelming. It wasn't 3 stars in terms of service, in terms of flavors, in terms of surprises, in terms of ambience. It wasn't even close to one of the best dining experiences we've ever had.

All in all, our dinner was good. But it wasn't in any way a really standout dinner by any measure. The egg caviar sandwich and duck were the standouts, and they were truly delicious--but only the egg caviar sandwich remotely pushed any boundaries. The lobster course was downright terrible--we debated about sending it back, but decided against it.

My husband didn't think our dinner was worthy of 3 stars. I know it wasn't worthy of a top 10 ranking on the Pellegrino list, let alone a No. 1 ranking. Either way, this meal paled in comparison to our vastly superior dinner experience the previous night at Table 55 in the King Cole Bar at the St Regis.

Walking into the chaos and frenzy of Eleven Madison Park. It wasn't what I had expected. I liked the simple design, but the volume made the place feel a bit cavernous and hardly intimate.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4b67cf4abd.jpg

The view from our table on the other side of the restaurant. So much coming and going by staff moving at frenetic paces that it made it quite tough to relax. Not the best energy for a refined dining experience.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4e25e9a12e.jpg

Our menu for the evening, showing the full names of my premium wine pairings ($275). My husband got the regular wine pairings ($175) but didn't realize they didn't include both on the menu. Sorry!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3c2bfe010b.jpg


There was a "gift box" already on the table awaiting us on arrival. That turned out to be our First Bites course.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...311a5921d9.jpg

Scallop course.

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https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8bbdd7c594.jpg

The Caviar egg sandwich course was perhaps my favorite, as it was the only one that was beautifully presented, original and creative, and delicious. Served with Krug champagne.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...846bc6a897.jpg

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The next course gave a choice between a greens course, a scallop course, or a foie gras course. The scallop course was good according to our friend. The Foie Gras course I had was paired with Chateau Guirand Sauternes 2002. It was a fine pairing, but it wasn't quite as good as the sweet wine and foie gras pairing I had the night before at Table 55 at the St Regis.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7b6a3d3772.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7f917d86f9.jpg

The foie gras course was good, but nothing earth-shattering. It looked dull, too. The foie gras doughnut at Table 55 at the St Regis was far more creative, spectacularly better tasting, and far better presented.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9cdcffd7b3.jpg

The Lobster course looked good but tasted terrible. Not impressive by any stretch. I assume it was either overcooked or not fresh, but it was extremely difficult to cut, and we all despised it. The restaurant should lose a star for this terrible course alone. The lobster was paired with Antonin Guyon Mersault Premier Cru 2011. It was a fine pairing, better than my husband's, but it wasn't especially notable to me.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b7d14b6a42.jpg

The Mushroom course truffle pizza was very good, but hardly inventive. This was paired with Couly-Dutheil Chinon 2002.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c50519d637.jpg

The next course offered another choice between duck and venison. I had the duck, which was 1 of our 2 favorite courses. The venison looked beautiful and was good, but it didn't blow anyone away. It was just good venison. The duck was paired with Ceretto Barolo 1999--and this pairing was wonderful, truly worthy of the restaurant's esteem. Unfortunately, this was the only one...

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ab7f77a20a.jpg

The duck presentation looked a little sloppy to us, as they didn't even get the dollops remotely consistent from plate to plate. But the duck was delicious. This and the egg caviar sandwich were the truly delicious dishes of the night.

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I already don't remember what this was. I remember it being bland. I refer to the menu to recall it is Tubby Cheese, and it was paired with Christophe Mignon Rose Brut Champagne. It was a solid but otherwise unremarkable pairing to me.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...85e9a1f0c8.jpg

For dessert, there was a choice between a chocolate mousse course and a butternut squash ice cream cake. Both were good, but not particularly memorable. Lackluster is a good way to describe them in terms of flavor and creativity. The chocolate options was the better of the two.

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I had the Chocolate dessert below, and it was paired with Bodegas Toro Albala Don P.X. Sherry Gran Reserva 1987. It was a little sweeter than I'd have liked but otherwise a nice pairing. Just not a fantastic pairing as I would expect.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7903a121c6.jpg