I'll have to post some photos, but so far this year, for DC we've hit several starred restaurants:

• Pineapple & Pearls (2 stars) - Worth every penny of the $280 prepaid tab
• Rose's Luxury (1 star) - Silverman's "junior" restaurant is a bargain and the best of the 1-star places in DC IMHO, if you don't mind showing up 2 hours before opening to get in line or paying a professional line waiter
• The Dabney (1 star) - 2nd favorite of the 1-star places, and the best value as well IMHO.
• Blue Duck Tavern (1 star) - 3rd favorite 1-star place, with good value (3 courses + drink for ~$70)
• Sushi Taro (1 star) - Very good, and fairly expensive. I actually prefer sushi at a couple of other places in DC (Kaz, for example), though.

We'll hit up Kinship (1 star) tomorrow and hopefully Minibar (2 stars) sometime in coming weeks.

Knowing that you folks have an eye for fine dining: if you had to pick one or two Michelin-starred restaurants (to be clear, 1 or 2 restaurants that have any number of stars) to eat at in Paris - what would you recommend? My wife and I are going to be in town in a month and have done zero planning on the Paris part of our trip. I know it is a time when many French are on holiday, so will check if your picks are open/available or not.

Thanks!

This will be contentious.

For me it would be L'Astrance and Passage 53. Both have interesting spins on food, but both still have French roots. If you want more classic French cooking, there are other options for sure.

Another vote for Passage 53. Excellent food, service, and wine pairing.

Will be in Paris too and booked Arpege, Shangs Palace and L'Abeille so far. Passage 53 is no option for me as too unflexible with menu. Not sure about Astrance as I couldn´t see if the are flexible with special diets. More or less sure I will book Les Fables de la Fontaine. Think also about Kei, Le Pavilion Ledoyen or Le Pré Catelan.

Sad news to report - apparently Helmut Thieltges, head chef of the three star Waldhaus Sonnora since 1978, passed away yesterday. Just ate there last month and it was a tremendous meal.

http://www.spiegel.de/stil/waldhotel...a-1159965.html

This looked like a great meal and I had to check because the last time I was in Marseille was in 2012 or so and I didn't find much fine dining in the Vieux Port. Otherwise I would have surely gone. Looks like maybe they opened in 2013

Indeed! I had there a meal in 1995 I think

Enjoyable;)

Had a meal recently at Marcus and found it very disappointing on a number of levels. Service was sloppy - received the same amuse bouche twice yet no dessert until I finally complained. One dish was overwhelmingly loaded with garlic (not listed on the menu) and I couldn't finish it. Another was under-seasoned and I had to ask for salt.

All in all, the meal was so disappointing on so many levels I complained to the manager, something I almost never do. To his credit, he was profusely apologetic and immediately volunteered to make it right. Apologies aside, however, these are problems that should never manifest in a two-star restaurant. I would like to think that this is an aberration, but there are a number of recent TA reviews with similar critiques. Not sure what is going on with this place.

Good to know. Based on your post, I would be disappointed as well.

I was there about two years ago and the service (and food) was top notch. Judging from the number of emails I get from 'him', I suspect Marcus is spreading himself very thin across multiple initiatives and his Execs may be letting him down. Or this was just a one off.

That was practically my first thought - that Marcus needs to spend more time in his own restaurant and less time on TV. Gordon Ramsay manages to maintain standards at his two destination restaurants, RGR and Petrus, but he has the same problem at Maze.

To be honest, I'm getting disillusioned with London dining because I keep having fabulous meals on the road and then I come home to restaurants that seem to be going through the motions. Must be some reason.

My one exception this year was Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. I had heard so much buzz over the years that it didn't deserve three stars, etc., etc., but the truth is that AD presented me with a perfectly choreographed and well deserving three star experience.

Maybe it's just a part of the cycle and we'll get a better crop emerging soon.

I still like Hedone and Marianne, but to be fair a very different experience from what one would expect at the 'celebrity chef' restaurants you listed.

Agree completely with respect to Marianne. She's an ambitious and energetic young chef making a name for herself. I've been there a couple of times over the past year and have nothing but good things to say about her, the food, and the way she manages her restaurant. And I love the fact that she's so personable. She's definitely on the ascending side of the pendulum.

With respect to London, here's a few things of recent interest.

Dabbous has now closed. I don't think it will be lamented by many. Possibly one of the worst tasting menus I ever had.

Monica Galetti (MasterChef) and her husband have opened up Mere in Fitzrovia.

Clare Smythe (former head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay) has now opened her own restaurant, Core, in Notting Hill.

As for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay I read something yesterday that suggested standards have fallen since Clare Smythe left. Don't know how reliable that is, but will make a note to monitor.

Yesterday I went to book a table for Friday evening thinking that it might be tough to find something. Friday is historically a tough night, but I guess not anymore. Availability was wide open at Michelin-star restaurants all across London, two days in advance of a Friday evening. Even Dinner by Heston Blumenthal had tables open. That's got to be a sign of something, maybe over-saturation in the market.

I have noticed the same thing as well at several starred restaurants in London. On my recent trip, I actually had a harder time booking at Sat Bains in Nottingham. Go figure.

I do want to check out the Galetti's (the ex-Sous and the ex-sommelier @ Le Gavroche) place. I had a chat with Monica and her chef at Taste of London and it sounded like it had potential.

Unfortunately it's closed when I am there :( I asked the concierge at my hotel for recommendations, and they gave me mostly ones that were closed as well. As such, I think I'm going to end up with Le Chateaubriand (which is not starred but is one a friend who has very good taste likes), along with 2 one-star spots...La Dame de Pic and Restaurant du Palais Royal. Not sure if anyone here has been to them, but both seem to be highly thought-of on the broader Internet.