Reserve your tables and save your pennies so you can enjoy these amazing meals.
While I am only an official food critic in my own mind (and, yes, on Yelp), this list includes five of the many restaurants I endeavor to visit — as soon as my wallet and schedule will allow. Each one emphasizes values such as quality ingredients, artful plating, and superior service, in order to create a highly memorable experience for every guest that walks through the door.
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(Note: The term ‘top restaurant’ can cost any amount, offer any kind of cuisine, and be located in any part of the world. This list caters to the top of the top, those over which critics such as the Michelin Guide have swooned. Each restaurant also resides in my individual top 5 because it in some way embodies a sense of spirit that propels the staff forward into creativity, self-awareness, and meticulousness.)
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In no particular order, I bring to you, ‘the list’:
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Gaggan (Bangkok, Thailand)
Chef Gaggan Anand creates, well, whatever the heck he wants. After becoming frustrated with past culinary positions, and the reputation of the profession itself, Anand decided to blaze a trail of food experimentation in Bangkok. The enormous tasting menu takes each diner through the chef’s many food memories — with a twist of modernity that offers a highly unique meal from start to finish.
Diners venture into the world of color, texture, and chemistry, that extends from the food itself to the vessels in which it is housed. His spices range from mustard leaves to gunpowder, and his treatment ranges from ceviche to ice cream. Some menu items remain mysterious — in the most inviting way.
The food’s well-balanced and quirky nature give insight to Chef Anand’s own personality. Diners can feel the ‘spark’ and continued effort that Chef Anand puts forth, making this an ideal restaurant for foodies and ‘regular folk’ alike.
Make your reservation at eatatgaggan.com.
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2. Grace Restaurant (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
One word that comes to mind when mentioning this restaurant is ‘conscientiousness’. Every detail in Grace was considered from the perspective of a chef, a server, a sommalier, and most of all, a patron. The chairs, tables, and decor were all chosen to create a blissful memory — and it seems that Grace is doing so for every diner. I personally look at the dishes and wonder where I would even begin. Do I try to catch each aspect in one bite? Do I enjoy them individually? Will I weep from actually understanding the value of wine pairing, instead of pretending to do so? Such questions allow Grace to remain a strong contributor to this list.
Behind the scenes, the kitchen is nearly silent during prep and service. Each member of staff is fully focused on the task at hand. Everything from the famous King Crab course, to another in which the diner opens a questionably-edible foil cover to reveal a specific scent emitted from the jar in which it is served, is conscious in both its inclusion and order of presentation. As I watch their periodic live stream of the kitchen I usually fail to identify each ingredient, but then I remember one of my favorite quotes from Rilke and remain hungry: “Live the questions.”
Plating is a symphony of moving hands as each ingredient is treated respectfully, coming together piece by piece to create a work of art. Every sense is awakened; every aspect of the palate comes forward; and, whether you choose the Flora or Fauna menu, you will surely be blown away.
Make your reservation at grace-restaurant.com.
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3. Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark)
As the fifth best restaurant in the world, Noma has proven that it is beyond special; the excellence of the meal has entered into a surreal world where one wonders how simplicity can taste so complex. The food has been manipulated in a variety of ways, but time is likely the most important aspect of the process.
Chef Rene Redzepi‘s use of local ingredients is nearly exclusive and he is known for his keen foraging eye. Items are used fresh, cooked, or fermented; whole, chopped, or liquefied; and are combined based on the staff’s ability to compose well-balanced and curiously delicious dishes. They often pilot new ideas among themselves and gain valuable feedback, in order to not only contribute to the success of the restaurant, but to feel supported as part of an unstoppable culinary team.
By seeing endless potential in every component, Chef Redzepi and his team continue to create courses that mix traditional food with things one may not have previously considered edible. (I never thought I would want to eat moss, but after someday visiting this restaurant, it may just become my new favorite snack.)
The staff at Noma is devoted to highlighting culinary beauty. However, they go above and beyond by providing the epiphany that diners are among this beauty every single day.
Make your reservation at http://noma.dk.
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4. Sukiyabashi Jiro (Ginza, Tokyo, Japan)
It’s easy for one to say he or she is a sushi lover. However, I do wonder how the sushi we claim to love would stack up against Chef Jiro Ono’s simple, yet famously incredible, raw fish dishes. I myself am primarily a vegetarian, but I make exceptions, especially when I know the ingredients were locally sourced. Chef Ono and/or his son goes to the fish market every day to hand-pick only the freshest of the fresh products. If something isn’t in stock, or doesn’t seem right, they won’t include it on the menu. There is no compromise to their quality standards. Their courses are seemingly basic, yet they offer allegedly mind-blowing flavors.
Not only do I endeavor to reach this restaurant because of the food itself, but also because of Chef Ono’s long-term commitment to his profession. At 90 years of age, he continues his unrelenting journey to provide a dining experience that is simply unmatched.
Make your reservation at http://www.sushi-jiro.jp.
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5. Atelier Crenn (San Francisco, California, USA)
To Chef Dominique Crenn, food, family, and words are symbols for one other and can conjure up everlasting memories. This is the hope for her diners as they eat their way through her menu.
Instead of names and descriptions, this menu is entirely unique; it consists of one of the most beautiful poems I’ve ever read. Each dish corresponds to a line or phrase and simultaneously activates your palate and your mind. Diners are sure to read the entire poem at first and re-read throughout the meal. It is amusing in the moment, but enters into their long-term memory as they continue to analyze it. A brilliant concept that could not be more up my alley.
Chef Crenn tends to be social with her diners as well, building relationships and enriching their time at her ‘house’. As a poetry lover, a food lover, and one who appreciates those who operate based on the love they have in their heart, I absolutely had to include Atelier Crenn on this list.
Make your reservation at ateliercrenn.com.
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The End (and The Beginning)
As I now prepare to cook my own simple dinner of semi-decent ingredients, I will continue to dream about the dining experiences that will surely startle my taste buds and endlessly impress my entire being.
Until then, I will continue to view food in a different way, thanks to such restaurants as the ones above: as a magnificent source of biological, artistic, and spiritual energy.