How did a chef whose innovative restaurant in Manhattan failed and who headed west to cook in a downtown L.A. hotel suddenly emerge in the Napa Valley to create a restaurant to rival the great three-star establishments of rural France? Hard work and outsize talent, most probably. Taking over what had been a good but far simpler restaurant, chef Thomas Keller approached contemporary American food with French technique and his French Laundry established new standards for fine dining in this country. Recipe: Thomas Keller's Black Winter Truffle "Lasagna"
***#2 Per Se, New York City
Jonathan Benno was given a lot of press for being a great part of the success behind Per Se. He's moved on to the Lincoln to mixed reviews, but the reputation of Thomas Keller's triumphant New York return, Per Se, hasn't changed. It's still regarded as one of the best dining spots the city, and the country. Related: Tasting "New Australian" Cuisine at Per Se
#3 Le Bernadin, New York City
Think Le Bernadin and you think accolades: Michelin, The New York Times, James Beard. Is it a little stuffy? Sure. But if cooking fish well is an art, then Chef Eric Ripert is a master. His contemporary French cuisine has led some to call this the world's best seafood. Recipe: Eric Ripert's Mussels with Tomato-Saffron Butter
#4 Daniel, New York City
Daniel. This very grown-up restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side maintains standards of service and cuisine - French haute cuisine, very much an endangered species today - that hark back to an earlier era...But the cooking is up-to-date and really, really good. Related: Nouvelle Cuisine: The Next Big Thing?
***#5 Alinea, Chicago, Ill.
There's no question - Grant Achatz has taken the mantle as America's most creative chef. Forget his pedigree, which includes stints with Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, and Ferran Adria. At Alinea, Chef Achatz is America's leader when it comes to creativity on and off the plate. Related: 10 Optical Illusion Dishes
#6 Blue Hill Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, N.Y.
High-profile organo-loca-sustainavore Dan Barber has found the perfect home at Blue Hill Stone Barns, a beautiful restaurant in a bucolic but hard-working setting on a year-round farm and educational center. Most of what you eat here will be grown, raised, and/or processed on the property, and Barber's modern American food is full of color and flavor. Related: 8 Truly Farm-to-Table Restaurants
#7 Chez Panisse, Berkeley, Calif.
Chez Panisse is, of course, where it all started, four decades ago this year. Before Chez Panisse, practically nobody in America served only fresh local foods and wrote menus according to the season, if not the day. Practically nobody cared like Alice Waters and her associates did. It has become fashionable to criticize this culinary icon as (take your pick) tired, irrelevant, pretentious-but the truth is that the food is still superb, both in the one-menu-a-night downstairs restaurant and the lively, diversified upstairs Cafe. A must. Related: America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food
#8 Jean Georges, New York City
Jean-Georges is one of the few chefs in New York City with the distinction of four stars from The New York Times. At his eponymous restaurant in the Trump International Hotel and Tower, his classic French technique brokers old and new worlds, eschewing heavy sauces and embracing the spice and flavors of Asian cuisine. Related: Food Royalty: Famous Chef Families
#9 Citronelle, Washington, D.C.
With his Santa Claus build, his amiable nature, and his obvious passion for his metier, Michel Richard sometimes looks like the happiest chef alive as he leans over a plate at Citronelle holding one of his imaginative, brilliantly executed specialties, smiling, putting on the finishing touches-a sight you can witness through the glass wall that encloses his sparkling kitchen at this D.C. classic. There are those who think Richard is the best contemporary French chef in America. Related: 8 Celebrity Chefs' Caribbean Outposts
#10 The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Va.
Patrick O'Connell's success sounds like the outline of a movie script. This self-taught chef opened this restaurant in 1978 in what was originally a garage in Washington, Va., an hour out of DC. He was allying with local farmers and artisanal producers long before it was fashionable. His partnership with co-founder, Reinhardt Lynch ended in 2007, but praise for The Inn at Little Washington has continued. Related: 10 Excellent Hotels Run by Chefs
全美排名前101名 Best 101 Restaurants:
101. McCrady's
99. Rasika (tie)
99. Hot and Hot Fish Club (tie)
97. L'Espalier (tie)
97. Oklahoma Joe's (tie)
95. Lonesome Dove (tie)
95. Ad Hoc (tie)
94. Neptune Oyster Bar
93. Beast
90. Bar Masa (tie)
90. Urasawa (tie)
90. '21' Club (tie)
88. Animal (tie)
88. Lucques (tie)
87. Quinones at Bacchanalia
85. Hungry Mother (tie)
85. 17th Street Bar & Grill (tie)
84. Moto
83. Everest
82. Michael Mina
81. Radius
78. Valentino (tie)
78. The Barn at Blackberry Farms (tie)
78. Boulevard (tie)
75. Incanto (tie)
75. Redd (tie)
75. Mustard's Grill (tie)
74. Arun's Thai Restaurant
72. SriPhraPhai (tie)
72. Grand Sichuan International
69. Restaurant Eve (tie)
69. Michael's Genuine (tie)
69. L20 (tie)
68. Fore Street
67. The Fearrington House
66. Eugene
65. Al Forno
64. Osteria
63. Le Pigeon
62. Reef
61. Publican
59. Jitlada (tie)
59. Hominy Grill (tie)
58. Bouchon Bistro
57. Fearing's
54. Vetri (tie)
54. o ya (tie)
54. Lambert's Downtown Barbecue (tie)
53. Restaurant August
51. Slanted Door (tie)
51. Le Bec-Fin (tie)
50. Herbfarm
48. Marea (tie)
48. Locanda Verde (tie)
47. Joël Robuchon
45. Osteria Mozza (tie)
45. CityZen (tie)
43. The Four Seasons Restaurant (tie)
43. Cut (tie)
40. The Hitching Post II (tie)
40. Casa Mono (tie)
40. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (tie)
39. Guy Savoy
38. Kreuz Market
37. Galatoire's
35. Spago (tie)
35. Coi (tie)
34. Pizzeria Bianco
33. Frasca
31. Cochon (tie)
31. Canlis (tie)
29. Lotus of Siam (tie)
29. Fonda San Miguel (tie)
28. Del Posto
27. Minibar
25. The Pit (tie)
25. Momofuku Ssäm Bar (tie)
24. Joe's Stone Crab
21. Zuni Café (tie)
21. Frank Pepe Pizzeria (tie)
21. Clio (tie)
20. Frontera Grill
19. Bazaar
18. Arthur Bryant's
16. Commander's Palace (tie)
16. Babbo (tie)
15. WD-50
14. Katz's Delicatessen
13. Peter Luger
12. Bern's Steak House
11. Masa
10. The Inn at Little Washington
9. Citronelle
8. Jean Georges
7. Chez Panisse
6. Blue Hill Stone Barns
5. Alinea
4. Daniel
3. Le Bernardin
2. Per Se
1. French Laundry
