Ox - Belfast, is immense.

As part of a pre-Xmas mini-break in London, went to two M* restaurants. Here's the summary:

Claude Bosi at Bibendum
First time there and was very, very impressed. Would normally choose a tasting menu for my first time at a new restaurant but went with the selections from the very good a la carte. All the food was outstanding, classic French dishes with modern twists and surprises. Cheese and dessert courses were similarly impressive. Enrico and the rest of the front of house team were seamless in their service, personable and very well informed. From the moment we sat down and the champagne cart appeared, to the very last 'Happy Christmas' the entire experience was flawless. A classic feel, but not stuffy or dated in any way. And I feel 90 pounds for three courses is a very good deal at a two star establishment (expect to spend at least that much again for wine). I think this now replaces the Five Fields as my must-return to place in Central London.

Hedone
A return visit for us on the night before Xmas Eve. Some back and forth on the reservation as they were not originally going to be open (due to an offsite event) but we are glad we made it out to Chiswick for another excellent meal. Chef Michael is still on top of his game and all 11+ courses were equally matched, well paced and very tasty. The experience there is always fun - part ballet, part restaurant and part spectator sport - but the personalized mystery menu is a treat and the vibe is relaxed. Even better wine pairings than last year and we are glad we made it back. For me, this works best as a deuce sitting at the counter, but that's just because we like to interact with the brigade as they cook and plate.

We also went to Mere (not M*), Monica Galetti's place in Fitzrovia. Since this is OT anyway, I won't bore you with details but we expected way more given the pedigree (ex Le Gavroche) of most of the staff. Nothing bad, just incredibly average food, with variable service and with no discernible style. Maybe they still need to shake things out, but I won't be back.

The wife and I had dinner in the dining room at The Modern in NYC last week. We didn't really hold back and did the 8 course tasting menu, plus cheese course, plus wine pairing, plus bottle of Krug, plus winter truffles.

Have to say it was superb. We love Danny Meyer restaurants and the service has always been exceptional, this was no different with the sommelier in particular doing an excellent job.

The dining room itself was beautiful and we had a table by the window overlooking the outdoor sculpture area. In terms of the food the caviar starter was just divine...I think my favourite was the ravioli which had several large slices of the winter truffle on top, absolutely incredible. For a 2* it was particularly excellent, but was certainly the most expensive 2* meal. ^^

The French Laundry
 

I apologize for taking my sweet time in posting this!

Last week, I had lunch at The French Laundry and had a fabulous time. It really lived up to my expectations. This was the first Michelin 3* restaurant I had ever heard of when I started to get into fine dining, so this was a long time coming. I have been admiring the pictures and techniques in The French Laundry Cookbook for a long time!

Lunch ended up being something like 15 dishes when it is presented as 9, so there were definitely some additional courses thrown in. My menu was as follows:

• Celery root soup
• Oysters and Pearls
• Pink hopper shrimp
• Big fin squid tempura
• Brokaw avocado
• Elevanges Perigord Moulard duck foie gras torchon
• Slow cooked fillet of wild scottish sea trout
• Stonington main lobster
• Bread and butter (parker house roll)
• Wolfe ranch white quail
• Herb roasted Elysian Fields Farm lamb
• Gougere
• Meyer lemon bar
• Banana creme fraiche sherbet
• Peanut butter gateau
• Mignardises

The best dish of the night was the oysters and pearls. I remember my first time at Per Se and actually gagging when having this dish, but I think my taste buds have changed and I am a lot more adventurous because it was just divine. The mix of poached oyster, tapioca, and caviar is just great. The quail and lamb were other notable dishes with the sea trout being my least favorite.

Service overall was great. My table captain was nice and engaging. He also was quick to offer half glasses of wine when I mentioned I was driving, which was really nice. So I got both a red and a white with the appropriate courses.

My two gripes (if you can even call them that) are that reservations are still immensely tough to come by unless you book right when they come out. And two, they didn't have a list of non-alcoholic drinks. They just said "what would you like"! I realize this probably doesn't come off as a gripe through text, but it's tough to just think of something on the spot. They got my hint when I couldn't think of anything and brought over some nice beverages though.

Overall, hands down better than Per Se, and definitely on my list to go back.

French Laundry Pics
 

here are some highlights

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!