fastflyer

This list is half-baked.

Some entries are deserving. Some are silly. Spice Market? In the top 50 in the World? Maybe the top 50 in the Meatpacking district.

Where is Lever House? Where is Alain Ducasse New York? I like WD50, but it is a small restaurant in a dumpy neighborhood. Does the list consider some of the "soft skills" that a true 3* restaurant should include, like having a table captain and a doorman?

gleff

As I mentioned before, I love Le Bernardin, but I think it has to do with the way that restaurant introduced me to fine dining outside of business meals. I was most impressed by the way that staff are always there, in the background, ready whenever you need them but not intrusive. I was never interrupted by a waiter while in the middle of a conversation with my dinner companion (don't you hate how wait staff interrupt at the worst possible moments?), for instance.

At the Inn at Little Washington, I was identified once upon arrival and from there on everyone knew who I was. Menus are personalized, and taken away after ordering. You can have them to take with you upon leaving. When I was on my way out of the restaurant I was asked if I wanted mine, I said yes, and they gave the menus to me... it didn't strike me until later that they never asked me who I was! The woman at the desk in front just knew, though I have no idea how....

JR65

I'd agree on Le Bernardin - it wasn't so much the food but just the quality of service and subtle extras that made the evening very special and has my friend still talking about it years later. I've been to a number of the restaurants on the list but I think what makes the real difference is the company and the overall experience such as the service, food, surroundings and ambience.

monitor

Apparently the Strasbougeoises who are organizing the SXB Do in September have decided to give Au Crocodile another chance. It will be the site of the main Saturday night dinner and you almost certainly will be able to get an up-to-date report on that thread. Stay tuned or better yet, sign up.
Since we will be there for a few days after the Do, I will check into La Wantzenau, but I am certain that others still there will have their own ideas, and I always try to respect the ideas of the locals.

KristianT

Last night the 2010 list of world's best restaurants was revealed - and with Copenhagen's Noma as new No. 1, pushing El Bulli to second and The Fat Duck to thirds place.

See the full list here:

http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners


See you in Copenhagen

Seriously - What do you think? Could a list like this influence your travels?

baggageinhall

Sizeable drops for Per Se (down 4 to 10), L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (down 11 to 29), the French Laundry (down 20 to 32), Tetsuya's (down 21 to 38) and St John (down 29 to 43).

MelesMeles

I love St John, but I'm not shocked at the drop. The food and style hasn't really developed over the last few years. I still love the food and would happily eat there, but it's not really doing anything hugely groundbreaking at the moment.

baggageinhall

I agree. I must admit I was quite surprised at where it used to be. Part of me wondered if it was a little 'overvalued'.

Per Se is still my favourite restaurant. I am off to the Fat Duck in mid May.

jbcarioca

This list still surprises me. Many of the top ones are quite over-stylized for my taste, and some I consider better are not included. The criteria for inclusion may well include the use of some of the most overpriced Italian water around, might it not? As much as I enjoy all of those I have been to I cannot in all honesty put Per Se, The Fat Duck or St. John on my list of best restaurants in the world. Some like Eleven Madison Park, Quay, WD-50 and Le Chateaubriand would not even be on my list of the best in their respective cities, much less the world. Certainly these lists must be arbitrary and equally i am certain they are all fine places, anyway the ones I know are, but it does not seem at all objective to me.

The list will not influence my travels but I'll still go out of my way to try the ones I have not been to just to ensure I can have informed opinion.

Who who's been to Gary Danko would choose The French Laundry before it?
Who would choose Per Se above Le Bernardin? Oops, he who desires to pay more, that's who.

El Bulli, sadly, will be gone but I'm preparing to travel to go to the replacement whenever and wherever it opens.

ILuvParis

For some reason, that link doesn't work for me, but this one does:

http://www.theworlds50best.com/

Alinea of Chicago is #1 in North America.

gleff

Well, in 2008 I flew to Barcelona for dinner at El Bulli...

... and last month I flew back from Asia via London to pop into The Fat Duck for lunch.

But Daniel at #8?

I will always love Le Bernardin at the first 'nice' restaurant I ever went to as an 'adult' and on my own dime.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon down 14? I was there over Thanksgiving and I can't imagine the 'drop'.

And while I haven't been to Tetsuya's in a few years, and I was there when this list regarded it as top 5 material... is it really no longer tops in Sydney?

But - yes - this list is silly. And poltiical. And wrong in many dimensions. But it's still an attempt, no matter how flawed, to highlight some of the very best that's out there.

CMK10

And I've been to 0 Call that motivation to make some more money!

maarit

Now it will even harder to get reservations for Mathias Dahlgren in May! But I wonder if they rate his Matsalen, Matbaren, or both?

Braindrain

Great info!

While a list like this doesn't influence my travel, I do try to hit at least one new "good" resto each time I fly on vacation. ^

KristianT

Part of the site went down several times due to surge in traffic