I have been in CPH a few days, a lovely city by the way, and of course we couldn't get into Noma. But we were fortunate to go Amass. The owner/chef was head chef at Noma from 2010-2013. It was quite extraordinary. Rather casual, in an out of the way location. Some of the most creative and innovative food I have ever had. Great service too. There were 4 of us and so for each course they delivered all 4 dishes at the same time. For a couple of the courses the chef delivered one of the plates and then explained the course and talked to us for a while. All the other staff were incredibly knowledgeable as well. One of the wine pairings had us all laughing because it was like magic how the wine changed with the food. We couldn't figured out how they did it.

Any recommendations among the best in the greater Barcelona area? Planning to get down there early next year. El Celler de Can Roca is out. Simply can't crack their reservation system. Looking for a long tasting menu

Wow - interesting.

I went to Amass last weekend and whilst I thought most of the food was really nice, we found the wine pairing absolutely undrinkable. Service was really good, and I like the Noma style presentation of most courses by the chef.

I also loved the bonfire outside which really added a sense of magic to what is otherwise a bit of a charmless warehouse.

We are in the same boat and struck out with El Celler de Can Roca. So went ahead and made reservations at ABaC Restaurant. Does 16 courses qualify as long? http://www.themirrorbarcelona.com/im...aurant_ing.pdf

Will be there in about a month and will report back.

If others have any other suggestions, I'm all ears!

I have stayed at The Mirror Barcelona a few years ago, just a few weeks from their grand opening....interesting hotel.

From the Top 50 list, I have been to Vendome in Bergisch Gladbach (10 minutes drive from Cologne) and De Librije in Zwolle (1.5 hours drive from Amsterdam)

Good tip - I will check it out

Might I just recommend adding your name to the waiting-list at ECdCR. I did that and got a table just a few days ago.

In Barcelona, for a longer tasting menu there's Moments, at the Mandarin. 2* joint, and it's helmed by the son of the woman who runs Sant Pau up by ECdCR (also recommended).

There's also any of the Adria empire - Tickets, Bodega 1900, etc, though these will not be the more formal places some of you seem to want.

I thought about that this morning. With an 11 month waiting list they must have an inordinate number of cancellations. Lots can happen over the course of a year. Once I have confirmed my exact dates I will do just that.

I've looked at Sant Pau and Moments also.

As for the formality, I can live without it. For me, it's about the food.

Saison thumbs up; Coi not so much
 

We finally had our SF weekend and dinners at Coi and Saison earlier this month. I must say we were very impressed with the tasting menu and wine pairings at Saison...and were a bit underwhelmed with the same at Coi.

Saison wasn't without any issues, though, as we weren't seated until 45 min after our reservation time. They made up for it by offering us the bigger tasting menu and wine pairings at the smaller menu prices, however. They missed a few wines after courses were brought to our table, so I had to speak to the manager--who then promptly made sure the rest of our meal was flawless. Not perfect service, but an outstanding meal, nonetheless, and we would gladly return. Earned 2 of its 3 stars, though, IMO. Worth the price if you like culinary adventure and perfect wine pairings.

Coi was just an underwhelming menu with good food that just didn't wow us in any way. It wasn't particularly unusual or inventive, but our service was wonderful. Earned 1 of its 2 stars...but we wouldn't necessarily return for this price point.

Agree about Coi … was thoroughly underwhelmed.

Has anyone eaten at a spectacular restaurant on Sentosa Island in Singapore besides the 2 Robuchons?

Kikunoi in Kyoto. (Also Roan Kikunoi)

Very hard to find places that are not overpriced and overrated. For $300 a head it needs to be one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Few places on these lists ever rise to that standard, most fail miserably. By contrast I have many local favorites that always provide steller experience. It's gotten to the point where I prefer not to try something new, because it will inevitably disappoint.

I do wish the whole tipping culture would disappear in the US. This dates back to an age where servers were treated as "the help" and really is simply a gimmick that allows restaurants to print a price list that is well below the actual price. Deceptive and unfair to all, except the owners. Compensation should not be based on the whims and random draw of customers for the night.

+1 In no small part because I prefer Japanese food to French - yeck.

Agree, but 100% the opposite choice for me - I'd take a good steak over overpriced french any day.

I can't time my trips to the food calendar, but I do try to sample the best of the locale cuisine. This means sausage and schnitzel in Germany, sushi in Japan, BBQ in the South, pasta in Italy, etc. However for SF, NYC or London that leaves pretty much everything open! (though I certainly have my local favs)

Definitely agree with that. I've had a number of meals that were that much or more that had me shaking my head. On the other hand, I've also had a number of meals in that category that I still think about to this day. Those are the ones that restore my faith and keep me coming back. IMO, if a restaurant serves me a dish that is so outstanding I remember it years after the fact, it is well worth that kind of money.

Just returned from London/Paris and was wondering if some could help me understand something: why is Ledbury considered so much better than Hedone?

Are higher rankings based on innovative/new tastes? I much preferred Hedone at lunch to dinner at Ledbury--even though I went in expecting the opposite.