Best resturant you ever dined in

[lenquixote66]

What is the best restaurant you have ever dined in as far as food ,service ,ambiance,etc ?This could be o a cruise,a land trip or in an area that you reside in.

 

My choice is Rao’s in Manhattan.

 

 

[BklynBoy8]

Chadwick's - Bay Ridge

 

Junior's - Downtown Brooklyn

 

 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

SS France, TS Bremen, TS Leonardo DaVinci and Marguerite’s in Montego Bay Jamaica.  The SS France was the best…better than any land based restaurant I have ever been to.  

[BruceMuzz]

Masa’s in San Francisco 1981

America’s first Michelin 3-Star Restaurant.

Had to book a table 3 years in advance to get in. 

[martincath]

15 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

Masa’s in San Francisco 1981

America’s first Michelin 3-Star Restaurant.

Had to book a table 3 years in advance to get in. 

Masa's didn't open until 1983 - I recall reading just last year about the tragic still-unsolved murder of the man himself within a year of it opening, after seeing his episode of Great Chefs on a streaming site. He was in the US, cooking elsewhere in IIRC Napa by '81, but his eponymous place in SF was definitely '83. That's a long time ago though, understandable error - I've certainly fluffed dates by a year or three that long ago! My own dinner there took advantage of the shorter menu introduced in ~2010, in the Greg Short years, just three courses rather than the previous tasting extravaganzas - very good, but only a single Star then and I'm pretty sure that was actually all they ever had.

 

Besides - unless both I and Michelin are forgetting something pretty important - the first US Guide wasn't published until 2005... and that only covered NYC, with the Bay Area only getting visited by inspectors the next year. That would make the first tranche of US 3-star restos Jean-George, Le Bernardin, and Per Se who all gained it in the first edition - nowhere in SF got three stars first time around, with Napa's French Laundry the first (and only for a couple of years) 3-star...

 

Perhaps you're conflating a few different experiences given quite how many Michelin restos you've dined in? Masa, no relation but an easily-confused name, in NYC did get upgraded to three stars from two, one or two editions before I moved to the left coast so '09/10-ish.

 

Regardless, I'm now thoroughly confused about the timeline and location of you having apparently been GM of 'the first' Michelin 3-star US resto - I had assumed you worked in one of the trio of Manhattan restos which can all claim to have been the first since they were announced simultaneously, but does this mean you actually worked at Masa's in SF? I do recall the sommelier then, conceivably 'nicknameable' into your handle, by any chance are you an Australian with a particular love of German wines? I won't name names so as not to doxx you just in case!

[BruceMuzz]

Martincath,

I was on the Masa’s opening Team.

Masa moved to San Francisco after leaving Auberge du Soleil in Napa.

I was one of the people who found Masa’s body when he failed to come to work.

It is true that the Michelin Guide did not rate officially US Restaurants until much later.

But when they visited Masa’s in 1985, they gave us a Three Star Certificate anyway.

[martincath]

1 hour ago, BruceMuzz said:

Martincath,

I was on the Masa’s opening Team.

Masa moved to San Francisco after leaving Auberge du Soleil in Napa.

I was one of the people who found Masa’s body when he failed to come to work.

It is true that the Michelin Guide did not rate officially US Restaurants until much later.

But when they visited Masa’s in 1985, they gave us a Three Star Certificate anyway.

Then my condolences, and apologies if I have stirred up any past trauma.

 

I had no idea there had been any sort of commemorative unofficial visit, by my time the 'real' single star was in place - like I said, exact dates forty years back are easily mistaken, and I feel terrible that my query about the later Guide inspection dates has forced you to reveal this info. Had the US been part of the Guide in that era, everything I've seen and read about Chef Masa leads me to believe he would have very likely earned three stars for Le Plaisir as well as in his own eponymous kitchen; Julian Serrano who I understood took the reins soon after, and learned much from Masa, has certainly racked up his own share of stars since; the restaurant truly did have a string of absolutely top shelf talent at the helm throughout its life-span.

 

I have at least a vague understanding of your experience, which makes my faux pas all the more galling - I've lost a couple of colleagues and friends to similarly violent and meaningless deaths, though at least the perpetrators were brought to justice which helped provide some closure. My hospice work had me at the deathbed of far too many people, but at least they were all expected. My wife's horrific experiences were actually what nudged me toward bereavement support work when I retired - she's been hugely unfortunate in not just similar losses to your own but also crushing survivor's guilt from a terror event; she still can't face talking about the lost friends and neighbours to this day.

 

Strangely enough, she ended up the kitchen just after that, making dessert for the politicians who rolled in to be seen 'showing empathy' at the scene... since the dinner service at Masa legendarily continued the very same night you too must have been involved in serving customers within hours after. Hopefully going through the familiar motions was an emotional support for you at the time, I know she feels that having a familiar job to do let her keep it together in those early days afterward.

 

Western society generally deems only close relations 'worthy' of bereavement leave, expecting everyone else involved to just soldier on with time off for a funeral service at best - it's just not taken at all seriously enough. All the losses which have impacted me the most have been in this vein, friends/colleagues/mentors taken unexpectedly young rather than even my closest relatives - those I have always been fortunate enough to say had the proverbial good innings, or at the very least were freed from the pain of a known condition so we could prepare in advance. The folks who came to group suffering from loss of less 'societaly-valued' relationships than parent/spouse/sibling/child were always hardest to help, literally expressing guilt at 'taking time away from the folks with real problems' all too often - the only good thing that ever came out of my own such losses was being able to share them, and give permission to grieve to these folks, as absolutely ludicrous as that sounds!

 

All of Western society is pretty good about celebrating births, but even in the more stratified religious rituals like sitting shiva support around death is so focused on immediate relations that almost everyone else is just left to figure it out - I truly hope you managed to grieve in your own way at the time Bruce, and can look back with fondness now on the good times without feeling too much pain.

 

Again, I'm sorry to have raised this - I can only plead ignorance, I simply never expected in the context of a cruising board restaurant discussion that bereavement would be something to factor in. Regardless of intentions I was an ass - I cannot blame you at all if you want to put me on your ban list over this, as ignorance is no excuse.

 

Your standing in my eyes as an experienced source of insider knowledge remains unblemished in case that's any consolation - and I am as always glad to learn new information, about unofficial-but-Michelin-issued stars.

 

It has been a very odd couple of days for me on these boards - triggering and being triggered about death while discussing trains and restaurants. You can't make this stuff up!🤷‍♂️

[norn iron]

The Fat Duck in Bray Berkshire UK.

Dined there twice, 3* Michelin, it was rather good, but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

 

I also enjoyed The Waterside Inn in Bray (400 yards from the Fat Duck), also 3* Michelin and slightly more conventional.

[MBP&O2/O]

We had a pretty good all round experience at Restaurant Jules Verne atop the Eiffel Tower. Spectacular views and a great meal to boot!

 

Didn't the Fat Duck get closed down for a short while due to breaches of hygiene regulations? 

Back to 5 again on Scores on the Doors 🙂

[norn iron]

29 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

We had a pretty good all round experience at Restaurant Jules Verne atop the Eiffel Tower. Spectacular views and a great meal to boot!

 

Didn't the Fat Duck get closed down for a short while due to breaches of hygiene regulations? 

Back to 5 again on Scores on the Doors 🙂

The Fat Duck’s problem was a one off and was it not external if I recall correctly.

Was it not a problem with oysters delivered from Whitstable that were poor quality.

 

They closed the restaurant for a couple of days to get to the bottom (excuse the pun) of the problem.

The Michelin man didn’t see it as a problem by docking stars etc.

 

It just became headlines because it was the Fat Duck.

[MBP&O2/O]

13 hours ago, norn iron said:

The Fat Duck’s problem was a one off and was it not external if I recall correctly.

Was it not a problem with oysters delivered from Whitstable that were poor quality.

 

They closed the restaurant for a couple of days to get to the bottom (excuse the pun) of the problem.

The Michelin man didn’t see it as a problem by docking stars etc.

 

It just became headlines because it was the Fat Duck.

Precisely.... UK press at its finest.... never let the truth get in the way of a good story 😄

[Hlitner]

The best restaurant/meal we have ever had was many years ago in Nice, France at Chanteclar.  As the time, that restaurant had a Michelin star and their chef was Dominigue LeStanc.  Once the chef got his 2nd star he retired from the world of haute cuisine and opened a tiny place in Old Town Nice (Le Merenda) where he only cooks pretty basic regional cuisine.  We recently dined at Le Merenda) where we were somewhat disappointed in the cuisine.

 

The 2nd best meal was also in France at Boyer Les Crayeres (Reims) which is now a  Michelin 2 Star restaurant in a gorgeous hotel.  At the time, Gerard Boyer (a 3 Star chef) was at the helm and our entire experience was simply amazing!  He has since retired and we have not returned to experience their current chef.

 

Hank

 

[Harters]

I'd also make it the Fat Duck. Went for my 60th birthday, in 2010. It was then rated as the third best restaurant in the world.

 

The Waterside was for our 40th anniversary (2012). It would certainly be in my top five places, along with Le Manoir in Oxfordshire. I'd have to really think which other two places to put on that list. Maybe the now closed Club Allard in Madrid would be one

[norn iron]

3 hours ago, Harters said:

I'd also make it the Fat Duck. Went for my 60th birthday, in 2010. It was then rated as the third best restaurant in the world.

 

The Waterside was for our 40th anniversary (2012). It would certainly be in my top five places, along with Le Manoir in Oxfordshire. I'd have to really think which other two places to put on that list. Maybe the now closed Club Allard in Madrid would be one

 

I agree, The Fat Duck is remarkable and truly memorable. It is genuinely a special journey, especially when we live in Belfast. The sad part is, we have in-laws who wouldn't even entertain 75% of the dishes that are served.

 

If I was adding to my list I couldn't go past Core by Clare Smith, and a real blast from the past The Oak Room Marco Pierre White. Another classic was Azurmendi in Bilbao. Sadly we haven't got to the Manoir yet. There is still time.

[Harters]

1 hour ago, norn iron said:

we have in-laws who wouldn't even entertain 75% of the dishes that are served.

Almost all of our relatives would be in that camp. One of my nephews will try anything but he's probably the only one

 

Went to Core in 2020. Was fantastic.

 

I suppose I better throw into the mix Simon Rogan's L'Enclume. Not been since he got his third star but previous visits have been outstandng.

 

We're so fortunate on these islands by way of good eats. I confess to not yet making it to your part of the world. An old pal of mine, in Ballymena, always used to say that I had not lived until I'd eaten a proper Ulster Fry.

Edited July 11, 2023 by Harters

[norn iron]

4 minutes ago, Harters said:

Went to Core in 2020. Was fantastic.

 

I suppose I better throw into the mix Simon Rogan's L'Enclume. Not been since he got his third star but previous visits have been outstandng.

 

We're so fortunate on these islands by way of good eats.

You're dead lucky not to travel across the Irish Sea for restaurants like L'Enclume.

If you ever make it to Belfast, Eipic is 1* and excellent. 

Our favourite in Dublin is Patrick Guilbaud which is 2* and definitely worth the journey.

[Tapi]

Quintonil, Mexico City. 

Rated as one of the World's 50 Best Restaurants.

 

https://quintonil.com/

[agape01]

Before I boarded a Oceania cruise from Civitavecchia, Rome to Miami last year, I jokingly put my name on the waitlist for Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain last year. 

At that time, Disfrutar was the no.3 restaurant among the Top 50 restaurants in the world.

When I disembarked for my shore excursion, I got a pleasant call from the restaurant saying that someone had bugged out of their reservation and offered me a spot. Took it up without any hesitation.

 

Had a amazing 4hr dining experience which was the highlight on that vacation.   

[norn iron]

On 7/13/2023 at 9:19 AM, agape01 said:

Before I boarded a Oceania cruise from Civitavecchia, Rome to Miami last year, I jokingly put my name on the waitlist for Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain last year. 

At that time, Disfrutar was the no.3 restaurant among the Top 50 restaurants in the world.

When I disembarked for my shore excursion, I got a pleasant call from the restaurant saying that someone had bugged out of their reservation and offered me a spot. Took it up without any hesitation.

 

Had an amazing 4hr dining experience which was the highlight on that vacation.   

Great story, what a treat.

[MBP&O2/O]

On 7/13/2023 at 9:19 AM, agape01 said:

Before I boarded a Oceania cruise from Civitavecchia, Rome to Miami last year, I jokingly put my name on the waitlist for Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain last year. 

At that time, Disfrutar was the no.3 restaurant among the Top 50 restaurants in the world.

When I disembarked for my shore excursion, I got a pleasant call from the restaurant saying that someone had bugged out of their reservation and offered me a spot. Took it up without any hesitation.

 

Had a amazing 4hr dining experience which was the highlight on that vacation.   

If it is not a rude question ... what was the price tag? I presume an arm and a leg 😄

[agape01]

16 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

If it is not a rude question ... what was the price tag? I presume an arm and a leg 😄

You missed out the heart and kidneys if you had wine pairing which I didn't have.

Price is found here

https://www.disfrutarbarcelona.com/

Edited July 17, 2023 by agape01

[Harters]

3 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

I presume an arm and a leg

At €255, it's pretty much on the money for a Michelin 2* place. Our recent 2* meals in the UK have been £225 and £230. 

[Lemorvan]

So many to choose from but for the all round experience, food, service, wines, ambience etc. I would have to choose the Taillevent, Paris 2003. At the time 3 Michelin stars. I had the pleasure of dining with the then owner of the Taillevent, a couple of years later, Jean-Claude Vrinat at the excellent family run fish restaurant 1star Michelin (since the 60’s) La Duchesse Anne, now changed hands.

For very personal reasons I have to include the restaurant of my childhood and life in fact, The French restaurant at The Midland Hotel, Manchester.

[Harters]

I am a very big fan of the Midland French. We visit once or twice a year. I liked the original French - every major city should have a restaurant like that in the "grand old lady" of its hotel. I was disappointed when they decided to rebrand under the Michelin starred chef, Simon Rogan (who was never able to bring a star to Manchester). If you've been recently, you'll know that the restaurant has again been rebranded as "Adam Reid  at the French". Very different from the "old French" but still a great evening -

https://www.hungryonion.org/t/manchester-city-centre-adam-reid-at-the-midland-french-2022-visit/31447/3

[neverlaysup]

El Bulli in 2007 after we completed a TransAtlantic cruise. We have dined in at least 30 3 star restaurants in the last 20 years and this is the one that I will ALWAYS remember. There has never been another meal that has come close to this experience.