Abantal is the only Michelin starred restaurant in Seville. It is a mild contemporary design with lots of blond wood, double clothed large tables and nice linens. Steel covers one wall and interesting light fixtures provide the place with plenty of light (maybe a tad too much except for photos). Soft background music during part of the evening helped give a bit more room hum to the fairly casual crowd. They offer 2 tasting menus (about 10 or 13 courses) with optional wine pairings. We chose the longer tasting and the wine pairings. The tables are widely spaced with only 10 tables filling a fairly large space. Service is efficient and friendly with good English spoken. The chef, Julio Fernández Quintero, did come out of the kitchen to visit with his guests. Continue reading →
The Greenhouse is a medium sized place with lots of wood, a rich blue paint color very nice linens and a wall of windows to the street. The layout has a small elevated section for 3 nicely spaced tables and comfortable bench seating that look into the kitchen and a lower level for the majority of the tables where the tables are more closely spaced but some are divided by spacers. The two portions are separated by a gauzy curtain and a ramp up to the kitchen. Chef Mickael Viljanen has been running the kitchen for 5 years this March. They offer 2 tasting menus, one with 4 and the other 6 courses. A cheese course is a supplement. We chose the 4 course menu. Continue reading →
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud is located in the Merrion Hotel, but it does have an entrance from the street in addition to access through the hotel. It is a good sized, very stylish place with low lighting, high coved ceiling. no background music and is the only 2 star Michelin restaurant in Ireland. You enter through a large bar area with lots of seating variations and a deco-style bar where you are invited to drink and relax before entering the dining room. Once you are seated in the main dining room you are given warm gougeres and offered a choice of champagne. The elegant room is accented with a huge light fixture from the high ceiling and striking pieces of art. They have been in this room for just over 3 years. There are lots of service people who take their cues from the guest on whether to be over friendly or give the guest privacy. Chef/owner Patrick Guilbaud visited the room and personally came by to greet all the tables I could see. Continue reading →
Chapter One is a one star Michelin restaurant located below street level where you enter into the good sized bar. Low lighting, stone walls, interesting art and the hum of the crowd are the backdrop for the well spaced large tables spread throughout several dining rooms. A geometric pattern in the plaster work is quite distinctive. This chef owned restaurant has been in the capable hands of Chef Ross Lewis for 26 years. They offer a tasting menus of 8 courses, the last being tea/coffee and petit fours or a 4 course dinner menu with multiple choices for each course and they also have a chef’s table option. They offer wine pairings. Service had nice, slower pacing and general manager Danny Desmond was helpful and friendly. We chose the full tasting menu with our own bottles of wine. Continue reading →
Flaveur is a fairly small place, seating about 20, with a very styled and pretty bright interior . It is striking but a lot of hard surfaces that could make the noise level high in addition to the soft background music. Steel and wood cutouts decorate the room in various patterns, one being a fish skeleton. The small tables are nicely spaced and appointed with a runner rather than a full cloth but a wonderfully large napkin. Service is friendly and helpful but some of the pacing is a bit slow, probably to folks like me who ask a lot of questions and our waiter never rushed us off. But trust me, the food is worth waiting for. The menu is a tasting one and you can pick 3, 4 or 7 courses. Wine pairings are available. We chose the 4 course and selected our own bottle of wine. Continue reading →
Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse in à L’Hôtel De Paris is a 3 star Michelin restaurant. While the hotel is undergoing renovation the restaurant is in a temporary location, but if you didn’t know that you’d never guess, as the room is decorated in an elegant modern decor. This spot will eventually become a breakfast and lunch restaurant which seems perfect as the doors from it lead onto the lovely terrace and ocean view. One interesting feature, besides the well spaced tables and comfortable leather seating, was the large oval shaped linen napkin. Service is attentive without being intrusive and as chatty as you desire, with most speaking perfect English. At lunch there is an a la carte menu, and of course the ladies menu’s don’t have prices, and a 4 course lunch special with an option of 2 glasses of wine for 30 euros. As there were 2 choices for 3 of the courses we were able to try a number of their dishes at a reasonable price point. As expected with this caliber restaurant your dining experience will also include lots of off-the-menu items. Continue reading →
Joël Robuchon is a 2 star Michelin restaurant in the Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo. The hotel is elegant with a wealth of expensive cars dropping off their passengers for the hotel or dining. The formal dining room is beautiful and filled with people, as the best deal for this expensive place is at lunch. At lunch they offer 3 different size tastings, that all include amuse-bouche and dessert but vary with either 1 to 2 starters for 1 -2 main courses and the inclusion of coffee or tea. In each you pick what you want for from their lists of cold or hot starters, main courses and dessert (always the dessert trolley) or cheese. It is a good system so you can pretty much tailor you menu to your wants. Continue reading →
Restaurant JAN seats only 24 people with a South African chef that uses local ingredients. It has been in business for 5 years and 2 years ago received a Michelin star. The room is tasteful with small tables that are appointed with large lovely napkins and soft eclectic music plays in the background. Staff is friendly and helpful. It is a choice of 2 tasting menus (12 or 5 courses) at dinner and a 3 course menu is also offered only at lunch. Continue reading →
La Palme D’Or is a 2 star Michelin in the lovely Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez. There is a separate door and elevator to access the restaurant or you can get there from the hotel lobby. Cannes is a short train ride from Nice, if you do not wish to stay there. We were there for lunch on a beautiful day and so were treated to a terrance seat overlooking the stunning beach, blue water and multiple yachts view. I’m not generally an outdoor seating lover but this would change anybody’s mind. Not a bug, a wonderful breeze and a great canopy for shade perfectly compliment the view. Service is most attentive and helpful as well as friendly. The menu is presented in the form of a cube with the various tasting menu options on each of the 6 sides and a pullout page of a la carte options. Continue reading →
Mirazur is a 2 star Michelin place on a hillside in Menton, a short train ride from Nice and within shouting distance of the Italian border. The restaurant is on the second story of a building that overlooks the water and hillside – a beautiful backdrop for the stunning food by chef Mauro Colagreco. If you’re lucky you will snag one of the tables that sit aside these windows but the interior tables also can enjoy the view, it just seemed less dramatic. The first floor has a small bit of kitchen, bathrooms and some more lounge type seating where you can enjoy coffee or after dinner drinks if you prefer. Buenos Aires born Chef Mauro Colagreco opened Mirazur in 2006 and received his first Michelin star just one year later. The second star was awarded in 2012. They are open for lunch and dinner but do close for a winter break. They offer a number of different tastings varying the number of courses included and you select which you want when you make your reservation. Service was attentive and friendly. Continue reading →
Le Chantecler is located in the elegant Le Negresco Hotel. It is an ornate dining room off the heavily decorated lobby and was recently re-done in shades of pink and green. As the name means “rooster” there are many examples of rooster art in the room. Only 16 tables are very well spaced in the quiet and well lit room. They offer a small a la carte menu as well as several tasting menus. We chose the Discovery Menu which is a surprise but they were nice enough to provide me with a printed menu at the end of the evening. Service is formal and old school (ladies menus have no prices) but friendly and anxious meet your every need. Pacing was spread out, so if you’re in a rush definitely let them know. The wine list is a huge book but didn’t seem to have that many choices but it was possible to get affordable local bottles of wine.
hotel entrancehotel lobbyhotel lobbyhotel lobbylobby signdining roomdining roomtable set upFrankie and the table flowermenu coverAbout Chanteclera la carte menuDiscovery MenuGrand Menu SignatureChantecler Tasting Menu
Amuse bouche included cauliflower and garlic on a cheese biscuit (nice bite, biscuit was great), black pudding and apple in crust (okay) and foie gras on toast (good).
amuse bouchecloserclosercloserFrankie liked the rooster
Bread service included parmesan, cranberry and multi-seed. The parmesan roll was a bit dry and not as buttery as it looked. The multi seed had a very crisp exterior and lots of seed flavors. The cranberry was my favorite with a dense chewy interior studded with tart berries and a nice exterior.
bread traystamped butterwinewine
The last amuse bouche was a mushroom ravioli with sage which was interestingly served at room temperature. The pasta was fairly thick which made it seem tough. It had only mild flavor.
amuse – mushroom raviolicloserFrankie found an orchid
Our Discovery Menu tasting started with a new dish: scallops two ways, roasted with mashed Jerusalem artichoke and salsify and as carpaccio with citrus jelly. The carpaccio was cold with chilies, vegetables, sliced egg and French caviar. The caviar was briny and the jelly dots mildly flavored. The scallop slices were tender and sweet. The toasted scallop was warm with sea beans on top and Jerusalem artichoke purée under and around it. The two tastes worked well together and this one was my favorite of the 2 preparations.
Scallops roasted, with mashed Jerusalem artichoke and salsify, carpaccio with citrus jellyclosercloser
Dover Sole with spinach was served with glazed salfify. The fish was a tad overcooked but the salsify was quite nice and perfectly cooked. This was a mild dish and not in the winner column.
Dover sole with spinach. Glazed salsifi.closerunder foamFrankie made friends with a rooster
Another new dish was on our menu, Roasted Mallard duck with honey, spices and winter vegetables. It was served nicely rare with the honey giving it a fragrant perfume. Crispy quince and Swede (yellow/orange turnips) were served with the tasty bird. The breast meat was among the best I’ve had with not a hint of livery taste. The turnips were predictably bitter but the quince was a nicely sweet foil for it. This was a great dish.
formal serviceRoasted mallard duck with honey and spices, winter vegetablescloseranother angleFrankie played on the glasses
A selection from the Matured cheeses by Mr. Bordier in Saint-Malo was next. Our choices were accompanied by a delicious grapefruit/orange marmalade. It really accented the cheeses well and made the course special.
cheese carteven the marmelade is shaped into an ovalone cheese selectionone cheese selection
Kaki fruit (like a persimmon) perfumed with Madagascar vanilla, an olive oil biscuit, nuts and honey made up the first dessert. The ice cream was nicely smooth and the fruit and honey were a sufficient sweet fix but it didn’t rate a yum.
wineKaki fruit perfumed with Madagascar vanilla, olive oil biscuit and honey.Frankie liked the little reminder of where she iscloserinside biscuit and topping
The second dessert was a Solliés (near Marseille) fig that had been roasted with earl grey and served with 67% dark chocolate cream and crunchy walnuts. It was nice but not a strongly flavored fig. The crunchy ring it was perched on, and filled with chocolate ganache, was actually the better part of the dish.
Sollies fig roasted with earl grey, 67% dark chocolate cream, crunchy walnutscloserinsideFrankie was fascinated with the tassel
Lest you leave unsatisfied the dessert cart then arrives at your table. Filled with chocolates, fruit, nut, chewy, crisp and creamy options. We tried a sampling but none stood out in memory, although all were beautifully presented.
dessert cartdessert cartother sidedessert choicesdessert choicesmenu for that eveningOur great wait team Laurent and Maurad with Frankie
Restaurant Martin Wishart is a fairly small place with a very elegant feel but a fairly casually dressed crowd. The room has nicely spaced tables appointed with lovely linens and only a moderate noise level, probably due to the many sound absorptive surfaces. The interior comes off stylish with various pieces of art, an assortment of light fixtures and striking carpet. They offer 6 or 8 course tastings with a vegetarian option for each as well as 4 course a la carte menu. Wine pairings are available but we opted to order our own bottles of wine. Food is old school heavy rich cuisine that is incredibly satisfying and floor service is excellent. Our waiter was most helpful and tried to get a photo of the head chef that evening with Frankie but the chef left before fulfilling his promise. Continue reading →
The Kitchin is divided into several dining rooms with one having a large window into the very active kitchen. Tables are good-sized and nicely spaced, which makes the noise level very tolerable despite being totally full of happily talking people. The decor is very natural with lots of wood and stone and the menu strives to use only quality local products – they have a map showing where the various ingredients are from and many arrive within 16 hours of being harvested. I’m wondering if some local sheep farm provided the fuzzy covers for the fun purse stools. They have been open for 11 years, opening in 2006, and received their first Michelin star after just one year. Service is attentive and friendly and willing to go into as much detail about the food as you want. Continue reading →
Minibar offers only a tasting menu which is presented around an open kitchen. It appeared that the menu is done in shifts for groups of 6 people. The multiple staff assemble your 25+ courses while you watch and are happy to interact and answer questions. Pairings are offered in three levels of pricing or you can order your own bottles of wine. Cocktails are also available through the next door barmini, which is physically connected to minibar. The food is modern and beautiful and often not what the eye thinks it is. There were no choices to make or supplements to contemplate. At the end of the meal they do give you a menu and staff list, but descriptions are not a part of the menu. At the end I’ve included a photo of our menu that evening but it changes regularly. All the staff are super friendly, helpful and pacing moves along at a nice pace but do expect to be there at least 2-3 hours. Continue reading →
Pineapple and Pearls is a tough reservation to get right now and we were lucky to get a couple seats at the bar counter. There is a regular dining room and kitchen counter seats that all receive the same tasting menu, but in those seats the only wine service available is through the pairings option. At the bar you have the option of ordering your own bottle(s) or glass however be forewarned that the list is woefully small. The seats are the same as the stools by the kitchen counter and you also get a smaller more intimate group to eat with, however with staggered seating times no one is on the same course at the same time. The restaurant is a sandwich and coffee shop during the day but that service is to end soon and casual dining will be via the restaurant next door, while this location (which opened a year ago in April) will be dinner only. We were greeted with a nice cold glass of bubbly until they were ready to seat us. Once they checked about any dietary restrictions the menu began pretty quickly. All the staff that served us were friendly and helpful with answering questions. Continue reading →
Dill has been in business for 2 years and is the only Michelin starred restaurant in Iceland. It was originally a barn and now has a small front room and 3 counter seats at the finishing kitchen as well as additional seating in another room, but that seemed to filled by a private party. Windows to the street form one side of the main room and a large window looking out at a back garden is opposite that. A bench seat lines one other wall with closely set tables as they also are on the main floor. Walls are of concrete, the ceiling of wood, a combination of candlelight and a skylight provide most of the low lighting and there was subtle background music. The night we were there it was quite warm in the restaurant but I suspect this is not normally a problem. Continue reading →
Aska is a medium sized 2- star Michelin place with large well-spaced tables. There is a main dining room, party room in back and patio out back. An open kitchen is the focus of the main dining room and at times there were 9 chefs in it. Chef and owner Fredrik Berselius took 2 years to find and re-do this space that opened in August 2016 in an old warehouse. His Scandinavian beginnings show in his cooking and the smells are a huge component in many courses. They offer a tasting menu only of 19 courses, however that includes bread, amuse and some really small bites. Wine pairings are available however there is not a different wine for each course. Continue reading →
De Librije has been located for 3 years in an old prison in Zwolle, a short train ride from Amsterdam. The dining area is downstairs and upstairs is a hotel. They offer a tasting menu of 5 – 7 courses or a la carte options. For the tasting there are 4 courses where you have a choice of dish and the additional ones are chosen by the chef. For our 7 course tasting we both chose different dishes from the options but for the surprise courses we were served the same. After a moment in the reception area we were moved to a pre-dining room lounge. Drinks are offered and champagne was topped off as we enjoyed some snacks which were all pretty good. Also Chef Jonnie Boer comes out to visit about the menu and you make your choices and decide the number of courses. Continue reading →
Bord’eau is located in the De L’Europe Hotel which overlooks a busy canal in Amsterdam. One wall of the lovely restaurant is floor to ceiling windows overlooking this canal – a great seat for a show with your meal. The tables are good sized and well spaced with faint pop music playing in the background. Service is friendly and helpful but pacing was too slow leaving lots of time between courses which seemed deliberate since there was no crowd. The food seemed to be going for more visual punch than flavor. They offer an a la carte menu as well as tastings of 3 – 6 courses and it is well detailed what is added with each additional course. There is also an optional duck liver course that could be added to any of the tastings. (We chose to add that to our 4 course tasting). Continue reading →
Comme Chez Soi has been in this location since 1936 and in the same family’s hands since 1916. Laurence Wynants Rigolet’s father had been chef, as was her grandfather and now her husband Lionel is the chef and she looks after the front end. It is a small place with only about 11 tables in the main dining room, but there are small private rooms and two tables in the kitchen. The main dining room is lovely filled with stained glass and dark wood. There is comfortable bench seating along the walls with chairs on the other side of the ample tables. Spacing is good and there are plenty of sound absorbing surfaces in the room so noise is not a problem. The window on one end looks out onto the street and into the kitchen on the other end. It is a lovely room. They offer a la carte, a special lunch menu and a couple of tasting menu options. We chose the 5 course menu. Service is impeccable and well paced along with being super friendly (and they speak great English). Continue reading →
Nuance is a small place in Duffel – a short train ride from Antwerp. Thierry Theys is the chef of this 2 star Michelin restaurant which he started in 2008 with his wife Sofie who manages the service part of the house. She not only brings out the food but gets by to visit with every table to welcome them. They make a great team, so young (they started Nuance at 21 years of age) and yet very capable. If you’ve read many of my write ups you know I’m a nut for flavor with appearance being secondary. This place managed to pull off both spectacularly. I can’t remember when I’ve so enjoyed looking through my photographs to chose which ones to include and yet so fondly remember the flavors of the experience. They offer a 6 course tasting menu with optional wine pairings or an a la carte menu. Continue reading →
La Paix is nice sized space dominated by a metal origami bird sculpture hanging from the ceiling. The small tables are widely spaced and ended by additional wooden cabinets where serving dishes can be placed and a purse or jacket stored on the shelves below. The room has approximately 8 tables, a high ceiling, bright lighting, windows looking out on the street on 2 sides, a bar on one side and an open kitchen taking up the last wall. Chef David Martin and his wife Nathalie Obbiet who runs the front end took over the place in 2004. They are only open on Friday night, they are mainly a lunch spot. Located right across from a market they have a seafood tank containing some huge crabs and other live seafood. Continue reading →
Bruneau is an elegant restaurant spread over several rooms. There are private party rooms as well as a lovely patio with sculpture and trees. The room is nicely lit with soft lighting and candles which gives a lovely warmth to the beautiful wood work that is the lower part of the room. Soft music is in the background, tables are large and widely spaced and each table is equipped with salt and pepper grinders. They’ve been here since 1975 with the same chef and it feels like a throw back to another time (the ladies menus having no prices) and yet it is very comfortable. The friendly service may be a part of that and chef Bruneau coming out to visit with his guests at the end of the meal. They offer 4 and 5 course tastings as well as a la carte and we were up for a red wine and meat meal. We came to the right place. Continue reading →
Hof van Cleve is in an old house outside of Ghent, using several of the rooms as dining rooms. The wide wood plank floors and white painted ceiling give it the feeling of a farmhouse. The house windows look out on to the meadows and farms around it. It has a comfortable and welcoming feel. The tables are well spaced and service is friendly but the pacing is variable. We started with the house aperitif which was a sparkler mixed with elderberry. It rang up at 30 euros a glass, but was a good pour and nicely refreshing. Continue reading →
Bon Bon has been in this location for 6 years, a medium sized place with a cozy fun vibe. There are 6 counter seats where the chef interacts with guests but all the tables have good site lines to the open kitchen. Soft jazz music plays in the background and lighting is low. The convivial atmosphere is demonstrated with the whimsical sheep purse stools, which separate the seats at the bar and watch over the room. Service is very friendly and good English is spoken. Tables are well spaced and the lower ceiling with dampening tiles keeps the noise at a good level and your table conversation private. Each table is placed on its own rug and you can’t help but notice the large painted white tree branch that extends into the back portion of the dining room. They offer a la carte as well as a 5 or 7 course surprise tasting menu. Wine pairings are available as well as an optional cheese course. We chose the 7 course tasting menu and ordered our own bottles of wine. Continue reading →
Hertog Jan is located just outside the city of Brugges in Belgium. (They have a car out front but no ride was offered to and from the train station.) They moved from a smaller space and opened in this location, an historical farm, in July 2014. The move was a direct result of their quest to obtain a third Michelin star but they received it before they were able to move. According to Manager and Head Sommelier Joachim Boudens this gave them some headaches but because they had already started the plans for a bigger structure there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The historic buildings gave them some challenges in creating the kitchen but the farm also allowed them to grow many of the vegetables and herbs they use in their cooking. Continue reading →
Casa Perbellini is a small elegant restaurant in Verona, about an hour and a half train ride from Venice. It is worth the trip! They have been in this location for 2 1/2 years moving in from a country location where they had been over 20 years. There is a smaller second dining room but the main room has a large open kitchen filling the long side of it. We arrived just as they opened and since they weren’t quite ready we had a glass of champagne on their front patio and then they brought out a tasty cup of parmesan foam topped with tomato and basil to go with it. Nice touches like this continue throughout the meal. (Another example: The plating counter is covered with a heavy cloth that dampens all the plate noise on a hard counter). Continue reading →
WY is a good-sized restaurant located in a Smart Car dealership. It started 5 years ago in a Mercedes dealer that was taken over by Smart Car, and many of their materials still reference Mercedes. I am putting it in out-of-order as there is a time limit to be able to visit there – they are closing May 20th, when the dealership closes. There was a possibility to move the restaurant but management decided not to because the location was not in town. It’s still serving tasty food and wines are half price so it’s a good deal if you are in the area. Continue reading →
Yam ‘Tcha is a fairly small place (25 seats) that greets you with a cup of welcome tea. There are many Asian overtones to the interior as well as food. Chef Adeline Grattard spent time in kitchens in both Paris and Hong Kong. The food is precise and very good. It is a fairly casual and draws a youthful crowd. They have been in business for about 8 years ago, but only moved to this location 2 years ago. Excellent service people who all spoke great English made everyone feel very welcome. They all seemed to really like working there and water glasses never went dry, wine was poured when needed and pacing was near perfect. When a staff works this well (attended to details but never felt hovering) it’s hard not to like the place – a good vibe. Continue reading →
Les Tablettes de Jean Louis Nomicos is a medium sized 2 room place with a very modern interior. The woven wood ceiling and walls are a striking feature. The polished wood tables are nicely spaced and set with good sized linen napkin in the main room and lovely full linens in the second room. Service is top notch. It seemed formal at first but as time went on we were able to establish a rapport for a most pleasant dining experience. Chef Nomicos peaks into the room often to see that all is going well and later comes out to visit with his guests. It gets a well dressed crowd but is a surprising value at lunch. Continue reading →
Auguste is made up of 2 rooms, modern art, and nice but not overly friendly service. Tables are set with placemats and with no music the background noise is almost non-existent. At lunch it offers a 3 course tasting menu as well as a la carte and specially priced house wine by the glass. It is a fairly good deal. We chose the tasting menu and house wines. For the tasting you have 2 choices for each course. Continue reading →
Restaurant Alliance is a small place, about 10 tables, that has been in this location about 15 months. One end of the room is windows looking into the kitchen where you can watch Chef Toshitaka Omiya work his magic. He makes trips into the dining room to check on the diners also. The one dining room is modern in style with interesting circular ceiling fixtures providing a nice light level. The noise level is very acceptable and probably helped by the various geometric shapes on the walls, carpeting and drapes. Tables are close enough to that you don’t feel isolated but not so close that you have to move a table to exit. Alliance offers two tasting menus of 6 or 8 courses and an a la carte menu. I don’t think I saw anyone choosing the latter option. Continue reading →
Neige d’été is a small 2 room place that offers only a tasting menu at lunch. It is 4 courses with a supplement for an additional course of cheese. They offer wine pairings as well as a wine list. The tables are nicely spaced and appointed with lovely white linens that are the dominant color scheme also. The walls and woodwork are white washed and the main source of color are the beautiful deep pink roses scattered throughout. No art but a few figurines add some interest. It was a total contrast to have the kitschy plastic Eiffel Tower on the discs of sugar dish. The place has a nice hum of background noise but the ambiance is stiff with service being really slow and sterile. The food was nice but it would not be on my list of places to go again. Continue reading →
Al’s Place is a hopping restaurant. A good sized place, it has tightly packed tables in a hectic, noisy and rushed atmosphere. We got there early and it was already full but it looked like they were trying to turn the tables 3 times in an evening. So don’t go for a lingering dining experience. The service is friendly and helpful but the entire staff seemed to share the room so no connection is made with any particular server. The food was fine but very variable in goodness. Plates are made to share and you can chose the ‘family style’ option where the chef picks a selection of plates from the first three sections of the menu and a dessert for your table to share. Continue reading →
Keiko à Nob Hill is named for the female chef, Keiko Takahashi. While she works her magic in the kitchen the small elegant restaurant is well overseen by her husband Seigo Takei who also has a huge selection of wines to chose from for your meal. They have been in this location for 5 years and he uses much of the space to store wine that is not listed. The fun is in the talking with him about what you like and letting him chose something you don’t know about and he did a marvelous job. He will work within your price range. They do offer a couple levels of wine pairings. They only do one seating each night in the building that has residential units above. The comfortable seating is well spaced with low lighting accented by candles and soft jazz music in the background. Continue reading →
entranceMourad is a large place with one Michelin star. You enter where there is a big bar which leads into tables and a few side booths. We got there for an early lunch and not many people were there but as prime time approached it filled in with a mostly young crowd, although the noise level never got uncomfortable. There is a cool tile floor, slowly rotating elaborate chandeliers and good separation between the tables. The staff was very friendly and quite articulate and knowledgeable about their menu. Everything we tried was full of flavor with lovely presentation and easily shared. I would go back without a second thought and highly recommend it if you are in the area. Continue reading →
Quince is an elegant dining experience. We were there several years and they have done a significant amount of remodeling since then and received their third Michelin star last fall. The remodeling was finished about 2 and a half years ago and added 2 smaller dining rooms to the larger main dining room. Lighting is low, soft music plays and linens are high quality but it was a tad warm in one of the small side dining rooms where we sat. These side rooms have banquette seating along one wall and fairly small tables. Service is excellent. The friendly servers could not have been better and our waiter, Conan, looked after every detail – even sending me home with a box of their delicious caramels. Continue reading →
Coque is a 30 minute cab ride from the center of Madrid in an unlikely looking location. They do have a good sized building which provides plenty of room for a large kitchen, several smoking ovens, a huge basement wine cellar, a medium sized main floor dining room and a downstairs lounge. Your meal moves you through all these areas in what is undoubtedly an attempt to make it a dining experience, not just a meal. The three Sandoval brothers, chef(Mario), sommelier(Diego) and dining room management(Rafael), now own the restaurant started 14 years ago by their father. Definitely a family operation, today even Diego’s son is working as a waiter in the restaurant. Continue reading →
DSTAgE is medium sized place with a surprise tasting menu. Your only choice is the number of courses and you do receive a copy of the menu when you are finished with the meal. It is a very casual setting but I did note a number of celebratory dinners being held. It is a staged meal with you moving through a couple stations to start the meal. We started in the bar area where you are encouraged to order a cocktail, but it is not part of the meal price. Continue reading →
Santceloni is a fairly large elegant restaurant located in the Hesperia Hotel in Madrid. Large tables are spread out to give privacy to the guests and make service easy for the large number of staff. The sparkler cart arrives as soon as you settle into your seat and the house Cava was not a bad buy at 11 euros a glass. The menu contains a number of a la carte items as well as a tasting menu with optional wine pairings. We chose the tasting menu and our own bottle of white wine from the massive wine list. The sommelier helped pick a glass of red wine to accompany the one meat dish and gave us a complimentary glass of dessert wine to go with the sweets. The wine storage is located off to one side of the room and is quite impressive. Continue reading →
Lua is a two story place with the main dining room downstairs and a bar/casual dining upstairs. Downstairs the 7 large tables are nicely spaced and set with nice linens but no flowers or condiments. They did have pleasant background music but you couldn’t appreciate it until the climate control cut out. The napkins are tied with a knotted string that was not easy to untie or get off the napkin. The only option in the main dining room is a surprise 9 course tasting menu for 65 euros or with wine pairings it is 90 euros. The staff is okay but their English was limited and thus the explanations of the dishes was minimal. This seemed odd for a Michelin starred restaurant, but the general vibe of the place was really laid back and not overly inviting. Continue reading →
Septime is a medium sized one star Michelin with lots of 2-top tables and an open kitchen. The tables are a bit larger and better spaced which makes it easier to move around than some other restaurants. One side of the space is filled with windows looking out to the street. On the opposite wall a lovely garden fills the space not occupied by the kitchen. It is basically 2 rooms with more windows between the two rooms and a large bar/coffee area taking up a lot of the entry room. No music and no art anywhere. There are lots of staff and most seem easily conversant in English, but for the most part are rather impersonal. We were there at lunch when they offer a 6 course surprise menu with an optional cheese course for additional charge. Continue reading →
El Celler de Can Roca was on the top of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” in 2013 and 2015, slipping to #2 this year. It still is a total dining experience, not just a meal. Located a short train ride from Barcelona, Girona is a tourist heavy town with shopping and tours of the locations where the popular TV show “Game of Thrones” has been filmed. The restaurant takes a cab ride from the train station, as it is not right in town. In an ivy covered building with a lovely enclosed patio is the very modern dining area. As expected they have tons of service people and yet they overlooked the fact that one of their service carts (which are located throughout the dining space) was located so close to our table
that they had to bump into me every time they opened a door or bent down to get something. It was a very odd thing for a restaurant of this caliber, but they either noticed or heard me talking and pretty soon the cart was moved enough that we could both be in the area without colliding. Continue reading →
Alkimia is a little hard to find, marked only by a discreet sign by the door and dark interior. We ventured in and up the stairs to find no reception desk or person but obviously tables. They have only been in this location since June, after taking a year off for a move from their previous location of 13 years. There are two rooms upstairs, along with private party rooms, one of which serves a more limited menu. Everything is very stylized including the uniforms of the personnel, the dishes and the modern decor in the rooms, but the ornate ceiling shows the building’s age. In the main dining room with the open kitchen, there are 6 tables and you have a choice of two tasting menus or a la carte dining. Continue reading →
Il Ridotto is a small place with just two rooms, one having just 4 tables. Chef owner Gianni Bonaccorsi watches over all from the front counter and you will see the staff running across the walkway to another building where some of the supplies are kept. We were here before for lunch, several years ago, and while the interior feels unchanged chef doesn’t seem to be doing the cooking now. At dinner he offers 2 tasting menus, one of meat and the other seafood. There also is an a la carte menu and this evening a truffle menu too. The tables are set with lovely linens, Venetian glassware and modern comfortable chairs. I heard more Italian than English on this visit. The staff are friendly and helpful, but not overly so. We had the 5 course tasting of the land for which the chef makes the selection of your dishes except for dessert, which you get to choose. Continue reading →
Da Fiore is a medium sized place that is made up of basically 2 rooms – one quite formal and then a very small, more casual room that looks out onto the canal. We hadn’t been in 6 years and this visit we sat in the bigger room which I preferred to the smaller room that felt cramped. The tables are set with fine linens and beautiful local glassware and the waiters are formal yet quite helpful. It is old school enough that the “lady’s” menu has no prices. There was a mix of languages within earshot. We were there for lunch and it was not full. Continue reading →
Søllerød Kro is a short train ride, to the northern suburbs of Copenhagen. It is located in a large house like building divided into many smaller rooms for dining or private parties. It has been a restaurant for over 100 years with one current employee having worked there 32 years. They received their first Michelin star in 2006. The atmosphere is formal with suited waiters and lots of silver trays, however the servers are happy to provide the diner with additional information about the food if you ask. For example, we were unfamiliar with cowberries and the waiter told us about them and then brought out a container of them for us to see. Outside there is a large patio with more casual dining. They offer 2 tasting menus as well as a la carte options. We chose the longer Signature tasting for our Sunday brunch meal. Continue reading →
Kadeau moved to a this location as of last January. They have a atrium next to the main restaurant where your meal starts and could end with after dinner drinks if you choose. They have an off-site garden on the island of Bornholm where the original restaurant is located. Many of their herbs and vegetables are grown on the island from which they get weekly deliveries. The kitchen is open from the dining room and entry and it buzzes with activity. The various chefs bring out each course and do final preparations and explanations. All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Magnus Kofoed, one of the owners, kept a close eye on the dining room to make sure all went smoothly. He and his brother Rasmus (no relation to the Geranium chef) and Nicolai Nørregaard, who were all childhood friends (Magnus and Nicolai had their first job together at 11), are chef/owners.
Geranium has undergone some changes to the interior of the restaurant since we were last there. There is now an open kitchen in the main dining room, the banquet seats have been replaced with comfortable chairs, wall coverings have been removed to expose more windows and the Paul Bocuse Award Statuettes are now in a case out front. It continues to offers top notch service and an extraordinary view from the 8th floor of the non-descript building it is hidden in, as well as stunningly beautiful and flavorful food. Chef Rasmus Kofoed is still in the kitchen and as welcoming as ever. They offer one tasting menu at lunch and dinner for all guests and wine or juice pairing options. There are no upgrades, supplements or silliness, just an afternoon or evening of deliciousness and pampering by the excellent staff. Continue reading →
You could walk by and miss the opening for AOC, marked by a small sign on the street. But once you enter you find the red carpeted stairs and signage that leads you up and then down a set of stairs into a series of coved ceiling rooms where the well spaced, nice sized tables are draped long and the linens are rich. The table spacing allowed for private conversation while still having a buzz in the room. The lighting system keeps the room well lit yet still cozy and a low shelf along the wall holds vases full of lovely white roses. You enter into a long hall that is enclosed wine storage on one side and ends in the first part of the kitchen. The temperature was a bit warm for me but it got better as the night wore on. The service was the best ever – very friendly, helpful and fun. Continue reading →
This is a repeat visit to Noma and while the food seemed better this time it felt like there was even less of it. There are only about 12 tables and most are filled with 2 persons, some of which will be paying for 4 guests as those tables are “seen” for 4 by Noma. It is a very strange situation. Reservations are hard to come by and are way more frequently available for 4 persons than 2. They suggest taking a 4 top and trying to find someone to sit with you which is difficult if you don’t live in Copenhagen. You can find some people looking to hook up on Chowhound but why the restaurant doesn’t offer a Shared Table, as they used to, for all of us 2 top travelers is beyond me. Continue reading →
Seta is located in the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It has a nice sized indoor dining room as well as a good sized candlelit patio, where we were able to sit. The patio has large windows looking into the kitchen where you see dozens of people working on your meal. It is new, having just opened in July 2015, but the service is well up to speed. They offer a tasting menu as well as a la carte. It was a gorgeous, elegant way to enjoy our last meal in Milan. Continue reading →
Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia consists of 2 dining rooms both filled with art. We were seated in the smaller of the dining rooms with mostly non-Italian diners. The larger room had more wall art but each of our tables had a metal animal on it as decoration. Maybe because of the art but the lighting was a bit bright to me but the service could not have been more attentive and welcoming. They offer a couple tasting menus as well as a la carte. This night we chose to go the latter direction. Continue reading →
Del Cambio is a fairly large restaurant in Turin, about an hour on a high speed train from Milan. There has been a restaurant in this building since the 1700s which has hosted the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Mozart and Maria Callas during its time. One side of the formal dining room is windows which look out to lovely buildings that at one time were the seat of government. According to a waiter, some government officials would dine and relax and only return to their job when summoned by a wave out the window across the street. The dining room behind us with the mural was the original room and where we sat was more of a covered porch area, but now that area is the formal one and a piano and paintings have made the other more casual. Continue reading →
Cracco is a small 2 star Michelin place that offers a quiet and elegant dining experience. The main dining room has about 8 tables and there are also a several tables on an upstairs level that opens on to the main dining room and another squeezed into a small nook. Service is very friendly and attentive but while the lighting in the room makes picture taking easier I might have preferred a slightly dimmer room. They offer a tasting menu as well as a la carte options and the night we were there was truffle season so they also had a menu of truffle courses that could be added to a tasting or your a la carte order. Be forewarned ladies, your menu will not have prices, a real throw back on gentility. Continue reading →
Berton is a medium sized, one star Michelin restaurant with a modern decor. Spacious tables are provided for all guests. They offer a broth tasting menu as well as a degustation tasting or a la carte items. All tables are brought a rack of crispy chips to snack on while you look over the menu and wine list. The rectangular one was tasty with a parmesan flavor. The staff were nice and friendly that were helpful and attentive. We chose the degustation tasting and the pacing moved along at a nice pace without too much lagging. Most things were served more warm than hot and with the ingredients sounding better than the end result. The food was good but a little soulless, but overall it was a pleasant dining experience, just not one to repeat. Continue reading →
This is a repeat visit to Saison, but in a different season than our usual. As always the service is flawless and Mark Bright’s wine selections bring out something different and wonderful in your price range. Michelin three star Chef Joshua Skenes was in the kitchen and when not supervising or inspecting he was cooking. It is thoughtful food and everyone is served a tasting menu, with the only changes being from preferences or allergies. Bring your major credit card, though, as it is now known as the most expensive dinner in the Bay area. Continue reading →
Statholdergaarden is a large place with dining areas spread over several rooms in an historic home. The house dates from 1640 when the Denmark appointed provincial governor lived there. Some of the interior had to be replaced because of fire but most is a reproduction of the original design. They offer an a la carte menu, a today’s menu tasting of 4-6 courses, or an extended tasting menu of 15+ courses. The same chef/owner has run the place for 20 years but he was not in the house the evening we visited. Continue reading →
Maaemo opened in Dec. 2010 and was awarded its third Michelin star this year, the first Norwegian restaurant to achieve this honor and one of only 2 Nordic restaurants to have 3 stars. Its name means “Mother Earth” and they focus their tasting menu on the tastes of Norway. It is located on the second and third floors of a modern building and has only 8 tables on the main dining floor and one larger table in the “Test Kitchen Table” (must be requested when making the reservation and your participation has to be confirmed) which is upstairs, adjacent to the kitchen. They offer every guest only one tasting menu and have optional wine pairings or a large wine list which the sommelier will help you navigate. Continue reading →
Kontrast is a medium sized place with wide spaced tables and an industrial motif with lots of exposed ducts and pipes. The noise level was perfect and chef Mikael Svensson was in the house. They offer a 6 or 10 course tasting menu, each course coming with lots of explanation. They have over 1000 wines and thus offer wine pairings however we just ordered our own bottles of red and white. I’ve included my comments with the photo captions. Continue reading →
Fauna is a medium sized place with a modern, stylish feel. Even though every table was filled we were still able to carry on a conversation without yelling. The service is nice and the bathrooms are unisex with shared sinks. They offer only a tasting menu with optional wine pairings. There are options to add extra courses and/or wine pairings to go with those courses. It would be a meal I would repeat if it were closer and if the Chef Bjørn Svensson wasn’t burned out and closing the place next month. I’m sorry to tantalize you with this fine soon to be unavailable food, but it is worth noting the chef’s name so we can visit any other places he tries. Continue reading →
Gabriel Kreuther is a large bustling place with a design motif featuring the chef’s native Alsatian stork both in wallpaper and with a large Swarovski fixture with dozens of the crystal storks hanging in formation (heading north to the place chef is from). They opened in June 2015 and offer 2 tasting menu options, one of 4 courses and the other a Chef’s Menu which they warn you will take about 3 hours. They also have a Chef’s table, that is in the kitchen, but it needed 4 people to reserve it when we made our reservation but my understanding is that it now can be scheduled for just 2. Continue reading →
Bouley’s entry room is a signature -it’s filled with hundreds of apples releasing a divine fragrance to greet their hungry guests. Then you open the door to the main waiting area and are immersed in a ornate room filled with cushions, red velvet and flowers that transport you to somewhere beyond the bustling streets outside. The main dining room is upstairs but there is also room for diners downstairs as well as a party room, a couple wine storage areas and elegant bathrooms. Be sure to ask to sit upstairs with the vaulted ceilings rather than the lower ceilings of downstairs where the ambiance is just not the same. At lunch there’s a 5 course tasting menu, with extras or an a la carte menu. You pick your choices from a list for the tasting and it is a relatively good deal. They do also offer wine pairings. Continue reading →
It’s been 5 1/2 years since we’ve been to Del Posto and it’s as excellent as ever. There were a few similarities to our last visit but overall the food, service and atmosphere are all first rate. It is a fairly large place but a comfortable, well dampened room, with the tables spaced nicely and live piano music the afternoon we were there. The room is decorated such that you get a cozy feel even though the space is large. At lunch they offer 2 tasting menus, of 3 or 6 courses. For the 3 course you pick your antipasto, second and dessert course (some of which have a supplemental charge attached to them) and can add a pasta course for $10 (which I would heartily recommend). Continue reading →
A beautiful room of about a dozen tables in the elegant I Portici Hotel in Bologna. The tables are nicely appointed and have good spacing between them. They have live music, for which they assess diners 10 euros per person, of a harp and piano. Only the harp was playing the evening we were there which was enough as it is amplified and would have been too loud with both instruments. The dining room is open, through some arches into the hotel’s dining room and bar, presumably so those patrons can also enjoy the music but it would have added to the noise level had there been many people in those areas. There is a balcony set with tables on 2 sides but I asked the waiter and no one is ever seated there, they are just for show. Continue reading →
This small place is a 30 minute train ride from Bologna. Modena is a cute town that is worth spending a little time in when you visit their 3 Michelin starred restaurant. There are a couple dining rooms, one with 5 tables and about 3 in the others. They offer the same menu at lunch and dinner which consists of 2 main tasting menus, one of their ‘greatest hits’- Sensations (13 courses) and one of newer dishes – Tradition in Evolution (10 courses) and an a la carte menu. Then they had a separate menu with a combination tasting of the other 2 tastings of about 12 courses and then amuse and extra treats added to that. Talk about confusing. Luckily the waiter was helpful and suggested going with the combo or Evolution if this was your first visit. Continue reading →
Imola is a 30 minute train ride from Bologna and the restaurant is an easy walk from the station. It is a large restaurant divided up into lots of nicely appointed small rooms. Tons of artwork adorn the walls and each table is decorated with objects and flowers. The staff was helpful and spoke good English but they maintained a professional distance instead of establishing a connection with the guests. They offer 2 tasting menus, one featuring meat and the other fish, as well as a la carte options. They also offer a business lunch of 3 courses that is a good deal but the choices didn’t appeal as much so we chose the tasting of meats. Continue reading →
This place opened about a year ago and is the sister restaurant to Costes, under the same executive chef Miguel Rocha Vieira, but on site under the direction of Portuguese Sous Chef Tiago Sabarigo. Both have a one star Michelin rating. Attached to the Prestige Hotel, it’s supposed to be a more casual atmosphere, which it is, billing it as “international cuisine with a Hungarian influence”. It has an open kitchen and a chef’s table for “serious culinary fans.” One guess where we sat? At the table they can accommodate up to 8 people for a 6-course tasting menu with some additional amuse bouche; there were just the 2 of us that night. Continue reading →
This medium sized restaurant offers a la carte as well as a 5 course degustation with optional wine pairings. It is a smart, stylish place that also has bar seating. It was full the evening we were there and the noise level was fairly high but it was workable and just gave the place a very lively atmosphere. Waiters were efficient and nice but not overly friendly, although obviously an experienced bunch. There appeared to be a number of tourists as well as a local people and a wide range of age groups. We may have come in as a large group was getting their order because there was a extraordinarily long pause after the soup course. This is their third year to receive a Michelin star rating. Continue reading →
This popular place appeared to be a reservation-only dinner as a number of passersby stopped in to enquire and were turned away even though the table next to us sat empty all night. Does that set the tone? The service was a bit strange. Obviously trying for “Michelin tone” they introduced the team, asked after every course if we enjoyed it, dutifully changed out flatware, refolded napkins, etc. but something was missing – maybe experience. Nice people but missing the subtlety between care and intrusion. Continue reading →
A fairly large place located in a small shopping mall about a 20 minute bus ride from the old part of the city. At lunch they offer a 2 or 3 course lunch as well as a couple chef’s special a la carte options. At dinner they offer a much bigger menu. It is a stylishly modern setting with no table clothes and paper napkins and a techno type music playing softly. Continue reading →
This medium sized place opened around 2007 and our delightful waiter has been here the entire time. They have 2 dining areas, one for 30 and the other for 20 persons. The sommelier joined the staff around 2011 when the restaurant received their one star Michelin rating. The 2 chefs are a couple but only Szabina was there that night as Tamas was prepping for the Bocuse awards. They offer a couple tasting menus and a la carte options as well as wine pairings. Continue reading →
A repeat visit to this medium sized place that only offers a tasting menu and has been one of our favorite spots in the U.S. Chef Josh Skenes was not in the kitchen for much of the night as he has been on previous visits but Sous Chef Scott is more than able to run things. Sommelier Mark Bright was also not in the house this night and I admit I missed his personal touch and enthusiasm with the wine choices. Continue reading →
This medium sized place is open all day and so was perfect for us to visit as soon as we hit town around 2:00. It was the lobby of a hotel about 100 years ago. The staff were most gracious even though we were the only guests for a while. In fact both of the men who helped us spoke great English and were very helpful in selecting our meal and wines. Tigris is known for its selection of foie gras dishes which is another reason to get there. Continue reading →
This is a medium sized place in the Hilton Parc 55 hotel in the Union Square area of San Francisco serving delicious Thai food. The name Kin Khao means eat rice but it is much more than that. Pim Techamuanvivit who used to write a food blog is the owner and brains behind the place that was elevated from Bib Gourmand status to a one star Michelin in 2016. Continue reading →
This fairly large place is located about an hour out of San Francisco. It was renovated after a fire in July 2014 that destroyed its kitchen. Chef David Kinch was said to have used the opportunity to re-think his menu and that in turn led to the restaurant receiving its third Michelin Star in Oct. of 2015. Even so, you could easily drive past the place which is located in a little shopping area where there was no sign of any garden activity to supply the place with fresh local items. Continue reading →
Located in the Taj Campton Place Hotel is this good sized place serving California/Indian cuisine. It received its second Michelin Star in 2016 and thus you can expect a certain amount of service. We visited at lunch where they offer a 2 or 3 course tasting menu with a few supplements available. Continue reading →
We were last here in 2011 and I believe this medium sized place has gotten even better. Corey Lee has further refined his product and was justifiably awarded his third Michelin star in Oct. 2014. Excellent service warms the otherwise stark room to make the diners visit seem special. Little things like remembering when we were last there and preferences also personalize your experience. They serve only a tasting menu and offer beverage pairings if you desire. We opted to order our own bottles of white and red to mix and match as needed. It was an excellent dinner and one that I look forward to having again in the future. Put this place on your to-do list if you can! Continue reading →
This large place is in the elegant Four Season Hotel George V and the dining room is a fittingly beautiful room. It’s been several years since we were there but we wanted to visit again because a chef we enjoyed at Restaurant Ledoyen, Christian Le Squer, is now head chef at Le Cinq and since his hire they have been awarded their third Michelin star. It is an old school kind of place where women don’t get menus with prices and most of the waiters are men with women carrying the trays the men serve you from. Continue reading →
We re-visited this small wonderful 3 Michelin starred restaurant after a several year hiatus. It has been open 16 years and I believe it’s better than it was before! Service was stellar and they offer a huge yet reasonable wine list. They have several different tasting menus and on our visit they had fresh truffles that were available as a supplement to any of the options. You could get them for one course, a few more or on everything for adjusted pricing.We chose the longer of the menus and opted for a small amount of truffle addition. Continue reading →
This medium sized place is a tasting menu only and does offer wine pairings. We chose this option for a change but I would not recommend it. The pours are quite small and often delivered so far in advance of your food, you have little left to pair with it. I finally asked for a top off with one course and they willingly obliged but never offered the service otherwise. Continue reading →
Frankie and I posted a meal here last Dec. but it was so good we wanted to visit again and enjoy the meal of a different season. Not as heavy in protein courses as last meal but every bit as tasty. The surprise tasting menu at lunch is the best way to go here and seemed to be what the majority in the room were having. All the staff is so very welcoming and friendly and the food is amazing. It is a must stop if you have the ability! Hope you enjoy our March meal – we did! Continue reading →
This medium sized place has a modern interior and a large window to see into the kitchen. We were lucky to sit right the window so we could watch the action as well as see Chef William Ledeuil oversee all the plates as well as taste occasionally. The supervision paid off as it was a fine meal. He introduces some Asian influences into French cooking and the pairing comes off nicely. Continue reading →
This is a fairly large place that has been open 5 years. They offer 3 tasting menus as well as a la carte options. We chose the Viagem menu. The staff was attentive but rather serious and aloof. Their nicely embroidered table clothes are not floor length but are nice quality and all tables are adorned with non-functional black wine glasses. Continue reading →
A medium sized place composed of 3 well lit rooms rather starkly decorated, but there is a feel of elegance to the place. It is run by 3 brothers and the night we were there Massimo Troiani, who is over the wine selection, was there but his brother Angelo who runs the kitchen and Giuseppe, who is over the dining rooms, were not. They want to be known for their healthy cuisine and are open about their suppliers as well as content of the dishes. Continue reading →
A smaller place with less than 12 tables and divided into several rooms. Some of the servers were a bit aloof. It is one of the places that serves women a menu with no prices. We sat in a room of 2-tops that were occupied by a number of other English speaking guests. They offer 8 or 10 course tasting menus as well as a la carte. A nice touch was the warm wet cloth before you started your meal. Continue reading →
This was our third visit to Chef Alain Passard’s 3 star Michelin restaurant that emphasizes vegetables and is a delight for the tastebuds. Chef is in the kitchen actually overseeing what diners are served but later in the meal will be out working the room and visiting with all the guests. He truly seems to enjoy his work. It is a medium sized place with light wood and beautiful glass sculptures on the walls. They offer 3 tasting menus and an a la carte option. Continue reading →
A beautiful and elegant setting starting with the friendly doorman who admits you to the building. The dining room is located on the second level which affords the diner a lovely view but some difficult sunlight for some diners. They offer 3 different tasting menus as well as a la carte ordering. There is quite a price differential to them. Continue reading →
This restaurant opened in 2013 and they appear to have done massive decorating to give an old and ornate feel. It is medium sized but they have a terrace out back that is available at lunch. They received their Michelin star this year and are definitely trying to fit into that mold, serving several amuse bouche, presenting some beautiful treats to finish your meal and having purse stools. The owner greets you at the door and it is a pleasant and beautiful place to enter but the service still has some kinks to work out. It has an extensive Burgundy wine list, which is one of its claim-to-fame. Continue reading →
A little over 6 months ago Guy Savoy moved his restaurant from the it’s location of 28 years, to the French Mint building. They have the top floor and the beautiful entrance and building add to the experience of going there. The rooms have some similarity but each has a character and different art but more importantly have windows even in the kitchen. Continue reading →
A relatively small place with incredible old school service – like the guest gets a menu without the prices, purse stools and lots of napkin re-folding – it felt like a treat to be there with friendly not waitstaff that anticipated your every need. They have several choices at lunch with a large or Prestige tasting menu, an a la carte menu and a lunch menu. The last sounded the best to us and was without a doubt the best deal. They also offered a couple specials of the day, one being the aged parmesan sauce pasta with white truffles, which we added to our 3 course lunch.
Located in Bray (a quaint village), about a 45 minute train ride out of London, the Fat Duck is now re-opened after a nine month hiatus in Australia. It consists of about 12 tables in a house. Heston Blumenthal is the chef behind the concept but is rarely on the premises. While on hiatus the restaurant underwent some updates, especially to their kitchen and wine cellar. They also re-designed the menu to follow a day in a child’s fantasy journey as Blumenthal would have it. It is a tasting menu, with accommodation to allergies and preferences, and no supplemental options. All reservations are by prepaid “tickets” on their website. It is about a 4 hour meal, but ours lasted almost 5 as we had a trip to the wine cellar and kitchen tour.
Bubbledogs is the front restaurant, serving hot dogs and champagne, that allows James Knappett and his wife to also offer the Kitchen Table, which is behind the main restaurant. They offer 2 seatings for a total of 20 people, with the earlier grouping starting desserts as we started savories. The menu is a tasting menu only but offers an optional 3 extra courses for 45 Pounds. They are well worth it and if anything were among my favorites for the night. They offer wine pairings which looked like nice pours with top-offs if needed but we selected our own wines. Continue reading →
This is a good sized place but even with hard acoustics the noise level is good. The main dining room is a reservation seating but there area seats downstairs that seemed to be available to walk-ins. Just a couple servers worked the whole room with the assistance of a couple kitchen people bringing out food, and they really moved but managed to provide the diners with a relaxed feeling. Continue reading →
This is a small three-story business, with the lowest floor being the kitchen and the street level and balcony at the serving areas. We were lucky enough to get a table on the edge of the top-level so we could watch the room, see the food coming up the stairs and watch the kitchen. It is cozy with fabulous service. We ordered the chef’s dinner, where he does an extended tasting of most of the stuff on the menu. Otherwise you order 3, 4, 5, or 6 course meals and pick within the categories. We also asked them to supply wine pairing with each course, thus the number of wines shown.
We just made it into this restaurant – it was their last night in this location. A tasting menu of wonderful things but in their move they failed to get me the descriptions of the items, after they discouraged me from writing my own. I wish I could tell you all but it’s fun looking even if I can’t tell you all the ingredients!
We were there on a lovely day and could enjoy the beautiful grounds. It is a tasting menu and we started with a kitchen tour to see some of the action. The savory courses were served in the dining room and then we moved to a lovely spot on the patio to enjoy the endless supply of desserts.
Another gorgeous setting just outside of San Sebastian. The inside dining room is lovely, but the patio offers beautiful vistas of the surrounding green covered hills. Dates after the food description reference the date the dish was introduced to the menu.
Unfortunately the lighting here was not optimal for pictures so many are fuzzy but I hate to use a flash and disturb other diners and had to deal with candlelight, which did provide great ambiance for this wonderful restaurant.
This lovely restaurant is one big room just beyond several rooms of another portion of the Trump Hotel. It offers a good deal at lunch is what we did with another couple. The food was all very nice with some better than others, but all presented beautifully. The service was excellent.
Located in the Nomad Hotel is their named restaurant and a couple very popular bar areas. It has 3 dining areas with the middle atrium room being the most noisy but all have a significant buzz going. A couple of years ago we had lunch in the atrium and had their famous delicious roast chicken. The hot bread at the table was much better that visit, but the flavor does change regularly. Service is very relaxed but then so is the atmosphere and that was nice as we stuck up a fun conversation with the couple at the next table. We started with the chicken liver mousse which didn’t taste much like liver but was tasty nevertheless but some of the rye bread was over-toasted for my taste.
Per se is one of the finest restaurants in this country – the name meaning ‘unique’ or ‘in and of itself’- and it fully lived up to its reputation and name on this visit. We enjoyed the Chef’s Tasting Menu as opposed to the vegetarian menu that is also offered at lunch, and we took it as is and didn’t order either of the offered supplements. (That would be one objection I’d have: if you order the supplement you miss the
A most friendly couple runs this place and Chef is very excited about his food. They offer tasting menus of different sizes but he really wanted to guide our choices. The food was decorative but also tasty, which way too many “pretty” places neglect. The cappelletti were divine with a burst of broth inside each piece.
Located in a small boutique hotel, this is definitely not one you’ll drive by and see. In fact we wandered around the surrounding fence for sometime trying to figure out how to get in! A creative, tasty and very pretty meal was definitely presented in typical 2 star Michelin style – lots of table service, plenty of treats and professional staff –
A tasting menu at a smaller, quiet place that has Barcelona foodies buzzing. As with many of the Barcelona restaurants they have particular ways to eat many of the courses, like here’s 3 things eat this one first, etc or eat this with your hands. I understand the chef has a plan in mind but I didn’t care for the intrusiveness on my dining experience. Otherwise this place is quite good. The flavors were assertive and the foie gras was a standout with it’s wonderful pastry underneath. The restaurant’s name is to indicate that the chef wants to appeal to all five senses and he did a nice job.
Another of Albert Adria’s Barcelona restaurants, a combination of Spanish, Japanese and Peruvian chefs to produce a Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese twist. It sounded strange to me but they make it work. There were some really good flavor combinations on the main menu but the dessert portion fell short with only the sweet potato donuts leaving you wanting more. The red
Tickets is a hot reservation to get in Barcelona and is one of several restaurants run by Albert and Ferran Adria. It was my least favorite of the several that we visited. Here the atmosphere trumped the food. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad but too much had been put into the theme of being a an old-time movie theater. The staff was mostly helpful but didn’t look like they
The place for seafood in NYC! Eric Ripert has led his team to a 3 star Michelin rating for several years now, and the accolades are well deserved. The dining room is one large room with a bar/waiting area located on one side of a wall. The opposite end of the room is filled with a huge painting of a wave which perfectly sets the tone for the place. Totally professional service is part of the what you’re paying for
This restaurant is not in Venice but in Padova which is a short train ride away. Massimilliano Alajmo is the Italian chef, the youngest person in history to have his restaurant awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide. He is quite personable, coming out to the table to visit as your meal starts and to say goodbye as you leave. The restaurant is serene and peaceful with obvious thought being given to many details. One detail I read about prior to going was a good warning – the table has a lovely round indentation in the center where the bread is placed in a warming package after the initial ball of yarn is removed. A fun and useful feature but a hazard for moving wine or water glasses about the table.
exterior
The greeting gougere was delicious and a small packet of crispy bread is individually placed at each seat. The doughy crusty warm bread comes a little later and is particularly good. The menu consists of 3 tasting menus and it is suggested to start with the “Classic” as we did. We also enjoyed their wine pairings
A small bistro serving French style food in Germany, Erno’s was a tasty and comfortable place to have lunch. The lunch menu allows you to try a special set of choices at a much more reasonable price point, with all the elegance you’d receive in the evening. Everything was good but nothing left a mark on my memory as outstanding.
Entrance to Geranium building. They are on the top floor
This is your more typical Michelin starred restaurant, with all the service perks and a choice of a long or short tasting menu. The folks bringing the trays from the kitchen all wear toques but unfortunately we were facing the window and all my photos of them were too dark. The meal is definitely choreographed with the presentation of the item, the saucing or garnishing done table side, a break in the middle for a course in the kitchen
This is a small place that states it is focused on food, no fuss or muss and is certified organic. You have 2 menus to chose from, omnivore or herbivore – same number of courses and price. We chose the omnivore and the accompanying wine pairings. An extra was offered (our asparagus) as is a cheese course. Emphasis on simplicity and quality are good credentials to me
It would be hard for any restaurant to live up to the expectations that come with knowing it’s re-taken the #1 spot on “best restaurants in the world”. Noma is totally creative and serves only what it can source locally in its take on Nordic cuisine. It is located in an old warehouse on the waterfront and is very nice inside yet rustic. The atmosphere is the best – very casual – with lots of banter going on between the folks in the open kitchen.
WOW! I could write forever about this place – a wonderful experience on so many levels! The restaurant offers 2 tasting menus, one seasonal and the other vegetarian. They do not offer wine pairings but the staff were very helpful in advising on wine selection. In fact the staff was awesome and there was no pressure to eat and move on so the table could be turned.
Entrance to the NoMad restaurant in the NoMad Hotel
NoMad Restaurant is located in, where else, the NoMad Hotel. It definitely was not just for hotel guests though as the room for lunch was filled with business dealings, lady shoppers, and couples looking for a quiet and tasty retreat. It offers a small menu at lunch but everything we tried was delicious and beautifully presented.
It’s been a couple years since we were last here and the ratings of EMP continue to rise. Its chef also manages the NoMad Restaurant so you will see some similarities of preparation. Stellar credentials but somehow it misses the mark with me. The food is beautifully presented, the room is gorgeous and the staff totally spoil you, but the flavor impact is just not there. It is one of those restaurants that is lost in the presentation and show of the food.
A delightful little place with pretty and good tasting food! Their tasting menu is about 20 courses and is supposed to tell a story with each course, many to do with Portuguese life. They are big on freshness, flavor and less fat and it works. Lovely details like the orchid and linens as well as a helpful and friendly staff make it a wonderful experience.
What a fun evening! This is a family operation with dad cooking in back and son working the service portion out front. We were seated in the first kitchen (a second one was behind another door) as the son noticed we were from out of town and thought we might enjoy the action. He was right! A very stylish place, with lots of thought thrown into every detail.
A wonderfully creative building located in a park in Vienna. It offers the options of a 6 or 7 course tasting or ordering a la carte. They also offer wine pairings for the tasting menus. Each course offers you 2 options and we both choose differently, to once again try the most of what they offer.
A relatively new restaurant for London, the chef/owner Michael Jonsson has already received a Michelin star. It is well given considering the flavor content of this meal! The chef background as an ingredients expert drives him to obtain the finest and freshest ingredients possible.
Fera is in the gorgeous Claridge’s hotel in the Mayfair section of London and just opened in May of this year. Simon Rogan is the chef and co-owner but splits his time between here and 3 other restaurants he runs. We visited his first London restaurant, Roganic, on our last trip and loved the place, so we went with great expectations.
Dinner at Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel
This restaurant is located in the lovely Mandarin Oriental Hotel and thus I’ve included a number of photos of the hotel reception and pass through to get to the restaurant. They set up a feeling of elegance for the diner and the restaurant did not disappoint.
The Ledbury was another repeat visit and I believe it’s gotten even better! It’s a fairly small place and offers a tasting menu as well as a la carte. You quickly start with several amuse bouche which were all quite tasty and nice bites of intense taste. The meal had a few blander spots but nothing bad, just not overwhelming.
This is a highly regarded Indian spot with some interesting twists on standard dishes. Not a large place it is almost impossible to secure an evening reservation, but they offer the full menu plus a lunch value menu midday. We did a combo with one lunch menu and several a la carte options with guidance from our server and reviews we’d read.
Our first night in Vienna and with a bit of jet lag we took on this nice little chef owned place. They offer 2 tasting menus of 4 or 6 courses with wine pairings and we opted to each have one of the 6 course tastings with pairings. Thus the photos look like a lot more food and wine than we consumed individually. Overall tasty food and nice service but not either in an outstanding category.
This restaurant holds about 50 people and offers two tasting menus to choose from. The Degustation du Chef option has everything on the Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise and adds about 6 courses and those proved to be some of our favorites. A very stylish place with a black and white check motif in the kitchen, menu and bill presentation, it offers very friendly and helpful service.
Sometimes the exterior just doesn’t tell the story, cause the outside window only hinted at the action going on in The Clove Club. It is a place that likes to serve often overlooked British ingredients, like cobnuts. They usually serve a 5 course menu and offer small plates at the bar but we asked for the extended tasting when we made the reservation to be able to taste a larger number of their products. We didn’t make the wrong choice here!
This was a place I really looked forward to going back to after our first meal there a couple years prior. The service surprisingly had some holes but then Gagnaire was not in the house this night. One of the features of this place is that they like to serve a number of plates at the same time and they add to your meal with a number of amuse bouche to begin and sweets to end the meal.
A very modern two level restaurant by Chef David Toutain, previously of Agape Substance Restaurant. We were seated on the second level which turned out to be a little quieter than the first floor and lucky since the bathroom is also on the second level. The menu is a tasting format and your choice involves how many courses you want to have.
Another small gem which finally received their first Michelin star rating this year. The older of our 2 servers was definitely proud and although I would agree the food is creative and good enough the service needed a little help. Another problem we had was language difficulty, but that would be more expected as we venture farther from the standard tourist dining path. But all that said, it was a lovely evening and as the place was filled with folks celebrating and enjoying dinner. They offer some a la carte items but the menu is simply do you want 4, 7 or 10 courses and any dietary restrictions? The portions are well sized so having the 10 courses was not a problem.
Another small place located upstairs in part of the Thoumieux Hotel, has a lounge like setting – lots of couches rather than chairs. I found the bench seat way too low for comfortable dining and needed to cram their pillows behind me to give me back support. It had a weird vibe to me from the start, with the staff being efficient but not all that friendly. The lunch menu was presented without adequate explanation and we had to ask several times and people for a wine list. The contrast of a place resting on their already received 2 Michelin stars vs those still trying for that rating was huge.
An elegant little place overlooking the Arno River, tucked into low building that houses it and a more casual dining spot. Next door is the medieval tower of San Niccolo. The interior is modern but comfortable and the kitchen is open through a large window in the dining room where diners can watch their dinners being prepared. They offer both 6 and 8 course tasting menus. Starting with a little pigeon liver sandwich covered with seeds was a very tasting way to start. Even a radish, so simple yet with the bit of butter it became special.
A return to Coi proved to be a good choice. They have improved their dining room to a warmer interior but their service is just as friendly and fun. They serve a tasting menu an offer pairings however we chose to order our own wines. They started everyone with puffed rice crackers and a totally creamy avocado spread. The egg yolk, served in smoked olive oil was a mild taste but all the ingredients blended very nicely.
We cancelled our reservation here last year but got rave reviews from a friend we suggested go there and am glad we got there this year. An Italian inspired cuisine but with a California twist they are well deserved of their Michelin one star rating for the second year. We went on a Sat. when they offer a pasta tasting menu with wine pairings optional.
What a place, what a meal! We were going to try their new chef’s counter but the Sous Chef was injured and so Joshua Skenes had to be in the main kitchen. However on Fri and Sat nights all eat the Discovery tasting menu so it was none-the-less an over the top menu. We opted to not have their wine pairing and instead Mark Bright, co-owner and wine guy, chose several half bottles to accompany things and then through in several glasses of stuff we ‘just had to try.’
Funky Gourmet exterior- lights upstairs is main dining area
The name is enough to put you off this restaurant but after eating there it does seem an appropriate label. They received their second Michelin star last year after 5 years in business. An average size dining room with lots of mirrors and windows to make it feel quite spacious. Diners are offered 3 different menu options, 2 degustation choices and a smaller option all trying to stress unique local products and seasonality. Wine pairings are offered but we chose to pick our own with the help of their sommelier. We ordered the larger of the degustation choices, which had 2 additional courses – the picnic and langoustine. Continue reading →
Quite a change since a couple years ago when we visited. A new larger location and you can now take pictures! At least twice as many people can partake and the timing is thus more staggered. I missed the intimacy of the former location but still the staff are all extremely friendly and it is a long meal of a variety of tastes with an Asian overtone. Everyone gets the tasting but you have the options of wine pairings which we opted not to do. One other change is the addition of music, which I thought to be a tad loud with all the commotion already there. David Chang, founder and owner of Momofuku was in the house, which is unusual probably because Anthony Bourdain and friend were there (or did he just know we were coming?) Continue reading →
This is a hidden restaurant for 12 people hidden in the back of Roberta’s, a very popular pizza restaurant in Brooklyn. We’ve heard lots of good things about it but being small and only open Wed – Sat. it’s a hard reservation to come by. The kitchen is an open format with the guests sitting in a “U” shape on one side of the square room. You actually enter thru the pizza spot and after you get to the front of their line the staff will come and take you back to a spartan room whose main decoration is a fish head. Continue reading →
This is a large and elegant dining space. They have had a couple Michelin stars for years and it shows in the seamless service. At lunch they offer a 2 or 5 course fixed price menu, with the latter including some of the upcharge items and dessert. With the 5 course tasting they do scale down the portion sizes. They were willing to substitute the pasta course offered for another on the menu but do not offer any items on their dinner menu that are not on the lunch one. Continue reading →
An place full of beautiful food and some great tastes. Another modest entrance into a lovely setting with casually dressed waitstaff. Everyone starts with a 8 appetizers some of which made you long for larger bowls of them. The pork belly was one of them, full of complex tastes and melt in your mouth deliciousness. Also the radishes were a surprisingly tasty spicy taste with totally crisp texture. Continue reading →
This place is about a 25 minute drive from Bilbao, Spain. A large place with gardens, huge reception area and massive kitchen, the tables are well spaced and service is typical Michelin. The main dining room is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that offer a gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside. The food is beautifully presented and it’s easy to see why they have such a huge kitchen and staff however, as a whole the food was very mildly flavored. The service was attentive but not personal and thus overall I would not be inclined to ever visit them again. Continue reading →
An absolutely charming and lovely spot for dinner with excellent food! A short ride from the main part of San Sebastian, it is a fairly casual room of about 10 tables with additional tables on a patio. They offer a tasting menu as well as a la carte selections and the waitstaff were quite agreeable to substituting a few items on the tasting menu. In fact the entire staff couldn’t have been nicer and more welcoming without being invasive. Overall the food has lots of wonderfully intense tastes and fine gelatinous sauces. A total winner!
About a 30 minute drive from San Sebastian is this wonderful place that specializes in fresh fish. The trick is to ask the owner, who takes your order, what is fresh today and he will direct you on what to order from the relatively small menu. His dad started the place many years ago with the cooking technique used on boats to cook the fish. Cooked over a wood fire it was novel at the time but it stands the test of time. There are a few tables on the outdoor patio for those without reservations and a nicely priced wine list. Everything was outstanding and incredibly fresh. Tastes were mild but exquisite in that way. Everyone started with the day’s amuse of white tuna tartar. The Hake cheeks were a rare find and I think my favorite was the green sauced ones. The turbot was so moist and wonderful that it was a must to hunt through the bones for any remaining tidbits. The drippings also made a good use for the bread. Both desserts were quite tasty, the hazelnut biscuit being a special that day, but I loved the caramelized French toast. The chocolates and Madeleines were a lovely way for all to finish their meal.
A small place that has 2 Michelin stars and calls itself “relaxed elegance” – it lives up to its reputation and motto. There are 5 tables and 8 stools facing the open kitchen and probably as many service people as patrons. Continue reading →
Located in the Grand Hotel, this small place has only seven 2-tops and three 4-tops, but they do have a separate small room for around 10 that serves a chef dinner.
Another building that looked industrial but contained a very elegantly appointed dining room. They offer 2 tasting menus – nearby and faraway – with the former supposedly highlighting local products and the latter involving some suppliers not quite so close. We chose the faraway but in hind sight have wondered if the chef favored and we should have ordered the nearby. No one from the kitchen ever made an appearance. Some service issues plagued us here with extremely long wait times between courses and many of the courses were difficult to eat with the utensils provided and/or plating.
