|
Interesting that the pairing of amuse bouche and jelly (savoury) at beginning and same (sweet) at end of meal has perhaps been his (Kinch) signature since opening Manresa - I remember it from meals years ago. Another signature "into the garden" aka vegetable garden esp. because of a partnership he has with a "biodynamic" farmer near his restaurant (love apple) where he collected veg the same day it was to be served (probably not for this particular occasion - or maybe from a more local farm to this restaurant)
Nice to see this report of a chef I know with a restaurant I did not :) |
NYC was released the other day. I gotta say, I feel like Michelin doesn't think there's much new happening in NYC high-end dining that really impresses them these days.
-No new 3 stars, with Jean Georges and Daniel losing their third star in recent years. -Gabriel Kreuther (deservedly) gets a second star. Ichimura shows up again as 2 stars, now at Bar Uchu. The new L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon gets 2 stars (I feel like they will give a star to any restaurant with his name on it) -A handful of new 1-star restaurants, most notably Sushi Nakazawa finally making it (although my wife said the quality in her last visit was not great, and the restaurant was quite empty when she went) and Le Coucou, which is still insanely hard to get a reservation to (but is extremely good) More interested to see what SF's list brings in a couple weeks. Hoping that the concierge at the Fairmont SF can finally hook me up with Benu... |
Originally Posted by PsiFighter37
(Post 30427174)
Hoping that the concierge at the Fairmont SF can finally hook me up with Benu...
|
Originally Posted by PsiFighter37
(Post 30427174)
More interested to see what SF's list brings in a couple weeks. Hoping that the concierge at the Fairmont SF can finally hook me up with Benu...
|
Originally Posted by estnet
(Post 30423787)
Interesting that the pairing of amuse bouche and jelly (savoury) at beginning and same (sweet) at end of meal has perhaps been his (Kinch) signature since opening Manresa - I remember it from meals years ago. Another signature "into the garden" aka vegetable garden esp. because of a partnership he has with a "biodynamic" farmer near his restaurant (love apple) where he collected veg the same day it was to be served (probably not for this particular occasion - or maybe from a more local farm to this restaurant)
Nice to see this report of a chef I know with a restaurant I did not :) |
Rome, Bologna, Venice
Hi,
will visit the 3 cities mentioned before. At Rome I hold a reservation at La Pergolaand will most propable eat at La Terrazza (stay at the Eden) and Imágo (near by). No idea so far regarding Bologna (perhaps I Portici) or Venice. Any ideas? Also non-starred restaurants are welcome, especially great pizza. |
My favorite restaurant in Rome is Pierluigi. Personally I'd rank it higher than La Pergola, although if you're able to snag a table on the balcony there the view is fantastic.
For Venice, I remember having a great seafood dinner at Alle Testiere.
Originally Posted by offerendum
(Post 30428027)
Hi,
will visit the 3 cities mentioned before. At Rome I hold a reservation at La Pergolaand will most propable eat at La Terrazza (stay at the Eden) and Imágo (near by). No idea so far regarding Bologna (perhaps I Portici) or Venice. Any ideas? Also non-starred restaurants are welcome, especially great pizza. |
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 30427623)
Good luck! FWIW, you can book Benu from OpenTable if necessary. I was just back there in Sept and loved it. It’s still my favorite in the city, right along with Atelier Crenn (we get back there in Dec). |
Originally Posted by Bohemian1
(Post 30429272)
Still trying to flip a coin between LAX and SFO for our annual Spring mini-break restaurant tour of new places (to us) and maybe some old faves. But you got me thinking about Benu again ...
If in LA, my faves are Somni and The Bazaar by Jose Andres, both at the SLS Beverly Hills. Somni is easily worthy of 2-3* IMO, and the Bazaar is easily worthy of 1* at least. Somni is my favorite meal of all time in SoCal...and its previous incarnation as Saam was my fave before that. We also really like Providence and n/naka, both of which easily are worthy of 2*. If you get down to OC, Taco Maria is a great 1* worthy option, and maybe Basilic and Marche Moderne. There are so many incredible places in LA right now, maybe because Michelin doesn’t rank here, that it’s a pretty exciting time. |
We're heading to Napa/SFO next spring for a food & wine tour. Benu, Saison, and Meadowood are definitely on the list. Also considering Auberge du Soleil. Not going to bother with French Laundry. [MENTION=680784]bhrubin[/MENTION] would love to hear any other recommendations (both restaurants and vineyards) in the Napa area from you!
|
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 30429583)
We're heading to Napa/SFO next spring for a food & wine tour. Benu, Saison, and Meadowood are definitely on the list. Also considering Auberge du Soleil. Not going to bother with French Laundry. [MENTION=680784]bhrubin[/MENTION] would love to hear any other recommendations (both restaurants and vineyards) in the Napa area from you!
You already have my biggest Napa faves. I don’t think you miss much by avoiding FL. Lunch at Auberge is what I recommend, since the view really is lovely and the ambience is better to me during the day; we have a tradition of lunch there on all of our Napa stays. We also always hit Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, even though it’s no longer with a *; I love their steak tartare. We also really like Ad Hoc and Press, and we often have a lunch at Bouchon Bistro. We aren’t big fans of La Toque in the Westin. I’m also a fan of Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Dying to try Acacia House at the Las Alcobas hotel. Wineries? So many. Private message me and I can give some recs based on your prefs! Have a fab time! I’ll be back yet again in May. |
Originally Posted by jbeans
(Post 30429216)
My favorite restaurant in Rome is Pierluigi. Personally I'd rank it higher than La Pergola, although if you're able to snag a table on the balcony there the view is fantastic.
For Venice, I remember having a great seafood dinner at Alle Testiere. |
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 30429317)
If in SF (where I am for work even now), my faves are Benu and Atelier Crenn (as well as Meadowood up in Napa and Manresa down in the San Jose area). We also loved Acquerello. I love Mourad, too. My husband’s favorite overall is Saison. But SF has so many amazing options. I’m working on going to 2* SingleThread up in Sonoma perhaps in a few weeks. If in LA, my faves are Somni and The Bazaar by Jose Andres, both at the SLS Beverly Hills. Somni is easily worthy of 2-3* IMO, and the Bazaar is easily worthy of 1* at least. Somni is my favorite meal of all time in SoCal...and its previous incarnation as Saam was my fave before that. We also really like Providence and n/naka, both of which easily are worthy of 2*. If you get down to OC, Taco Maria is a great 1* worthy option, and maybe Basilic and Marche Moderne. There are so many incredible places in LA right now, maybe because Michelin doesn’t rank here, that it’s a pretty exciting time. Been to Benu, Atelier Crenn, Manresa, Acquerello and Mourad in SFO. But Saison is on the 'gotta go' list. n/naka and Providence were both great in LAX. Somni looks interesting for sure. |
Originally Posted by Bohemian1
(Post 30430099)
Nice list - thanks!
Been to Benu, Atelier Crenn, Manresa, Acquerello and Mourad in SFO. But Saison is on the 'gotta go' list. n/naka and Providence were both great in LAX. Somni looks interesting for sure. |
Thanks! Will check into all these places. We'll actually be staying at Las Alcobas, so probably will be eating Acadia at some point during the trip.
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 30429895)
Just booked 2* SingleThread for Nov 28. I’ll be sure to report back. Very excited to try it. You already have my biggest Napa faves. I don’t think you miss much by avoiding FL. Lunch at Auberge is what I recommend, since the view really is lovely and the ambience is better to me during the day; we have a tradition of lunch there on all of our Napa stays. We also always hit Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, even though it’s no longer with a *; I love their steak tartare. We also really like Ad Hoc and Press, and we often have a lunch at Bouchon Bistro. We aren’t big fans of La Toque in the Westin. I’m also a fan of Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Dying to try Acacia House at the Las Alcobas hotel. Wineries? So many. Private message me and I can give some recs based on your prefs! Have a fab time! I’ll be back yet again in May. |
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