cordelli

11 Madison Park shocks me, only because we use to go there a lot for lunch, it is near the old office, and the $28 two course price was nice for a special occasion. I never would have guessed it would be considered that good, though.

KiwiPanda

Well I've just booked Iggy's in Singapore during a June trip so maybe the list is good for something

KiwiPanda

GadgetFreak

Hmm. I like 11 Madison, but I think it is the third best restaurant in that building.

This list gets goofier and goofier in my opinion. Not without value but definitely a bit eccentric.

anaggie

Don't know if this has been posted before, but here is the list for 2010.

http://www.theworlds50best.com

How many have you been to?

Personally -- NONE !!

jspira

Hadn't seen this but it's mostly a good list (I might disagree with one or two restaurants).

I would estimate I've been to 15% of the list, if not more. Two of my all-time favorite restaurants, Tantris and Steirereck, are on it.

hkn

They are most likely to rate the Matsalen, the more formal area which holds two Michelin stars.

The Matbaren, with one Michelin star, is not a bad alternative. It's probably one of the nicest settings where you can have dinner in Sweden. My review and images here: http://www.guidebook.se/?p=640

:: h ::

stimpy

Just saw this article on Noma in BA Highlife. http://www.bahighlife.com/Food-And-D...e-to-Noma.html

ente_09

I am always amused and annoyed by such lists.
What are the qualifications of the "judges"?
What is this based on?
I worked at one of the greatest restaurants in the world (and on their list) and can tell you this list is total crap.
As an parallel example, I am a professor of neurology in a major medical school, so obviously I know my stuff in this field. Every year the US and World Report publishes a list of the best doctors. Their list of best neurologists is always a joke. They once cited my buddy as the best MS doctor in the country and I really gave him a hard time over this. He had no idea why this magazine picked him.
The point I am trying to make is that great restaurants and neurology are extremely complicated issues which require years of the correct education to master.

Braindrain

Who cares?

Most industry people (regardless of industry) will always tell you "best" lists are crap. JD Powers, for example.

But, short of a replacement, I'm always interested to read them for ideas.

It's better than Zagat.

ILuvParis

Great restaurants require years of correct education to master? Can you explain that?

Let us guess! You're also the best poster on FlyerTalk!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPXcQixLF8Q

SFflyer123

I do see your point of who judges and how these are arbitrary calculations. However, we gotta go by something. Word of mouth is just too hard these days. Even websites like yelp are criticized for their false reviews, etc. So we gotta have a list from somewhere.

I also see what you're saying about the medical field. Mayo clinic is always, year after year, ranked #2 in the country by US news. There are really very few "famous" doctors are Mayo. It's a good place, but each individual doctor may not be that famous. Mass General, Brigham, Columbia, etc are lower ranked, but these institutions have world-famous physicians there. Only Johns Hopkins has both a famous reputation as a hospital and has famous physicians to support that reputation.

So rankings can be inherently flawed. I see your point. But we gotta use something as a guide, right?

ente_09

No reason to be defensive.

I am only trying to say that although anyone is entitled to have an opinion, the only ones I would value are those that come from people with a proven background/expertise in whatever is being discussed. The most valuable restaurant recomendations I have received are from great chefs, not foodies or magazines

stimpy

Travel magazines are inherently biased because they write what they are paid to write and they don't generally possess journalistic ethics. However individual opinions do matter, even if they come from people who aren't in the restaurant industry. The opinions of the experts only matter to other experts. The opinions of a colleague or a neighbor that I trust matter a great deal more. And the opinions of random unknown travelers can sometimes give us a clue about a place. If you read between the lines well.

phedre

I don't know.. I've eaten at both restaurants and the experiences were both enjoyable, but very different. I think if I were to chose for another evening, I might go with GDs partly because of the location (FL is just waaay out of the way), and partly because it's a bit more relaxed feeling.

But honestly at the level this list is talking about, you should have a wonderful experience whether you go to the top five or the bottom five... they should be exemplary, both in food and dining experience.

SFflyer123

How do you mean about Daniel? Should it be higher or lower? I assume lower, right?