The San Pellegrino Top 50 Restos in the World

[Jenise]

Some of you may be unaware of this list, but chef friends of mine pay a lot of attention to it year after year even though none of them run run with the big boys.

Here's the list, including the status of this year's placement vs. previous years. Two notable things to my eye: The French Laundry got booted off completely, and Paris' once venerable but recently notsomuch L'Arpege is back on.

I don't see the list. Am I doing something wrong?

[Robin Garr]

http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners

[Jenise]

Thanks, Robin!

So I must ask...who's been to any of them and how were they? I must confess to feeling the whole idea is elitist, a sort of trophy list of places most of us can't afford. Can a meal really be worth the kind of money it takes to dine in this sort of place? Or am I just being resentful and jealous? If I had unlimited funds I suppose I'd be interested, but somehow in a world so full of hungry people it seems decadent and unnecessary. My most memorable meals have been in more humble places, and the memory of them is as much of the company I kept and the aura of friendship, as the food I ate.

I have been to #6, 11, 18, 24, and 44. Alinea and Troisgros were special meals on their own merits.

I don't think it's elitist. It's a thrill. One doesn't ride roller-coasters every day; one doesn't eat off this list every day, either.

Bob -

I don't really see this list as elitist, either. It could certainly be used in a "well YOU'VE not eaten at the places I'VE eaten" fashion, but I don't think that's its only reason for existence. For me, it makes for a list of attainable peak experiences. I most certainly will not eat at many of them, or possibly any of them. I have a shot at several, though, and these are the kinds of places that make for meals you remember for the remainder of your life. I'm pretty sure I'll never own a Ferrari or a house in Monaco (and that's fine by me). I may very well get to eat at one of the world's great restaurants, though, and assuming I can trust this list, it will help ensure that I know which will provide me with the ecstatic experience I'm looking for.

Thanks for some perspective. I can relate to the driving a Ferrari metaphor. On the other hand I have zero interest in a house in Monaco which
DOES seem elitist and to which I would say, I'd much rather live in some place a lot more obscure and unknown.

I'd much rather live in some place a lot more obscure and unknown.

I'm willing to bet that for much of the non-elitist 'down to earth' crowd, Monaco is obscure and unknown!

I've never been, but they do have great seaside views for the tennis tournament.

Thanks for some perspective. I can relate to the driving a Ferrari metaphor. On the other hand I have zero interest in a house in Monaco which
DOES seem elitist and to which I would say, I'd much rather live in some place a lot more obscure and unknown.

It was an example. Feel free to substitute "apartment in Manhattan" or "ranch in Montana".

So I must ask...who's been to any of them and how were they? I must confess to feeling the whole idea is elitist, a sort of trophy list of places most of us can't afford. Can a meal really be worth the kind of money it takes to dine in this sort of place? Or am I just being resentful and jealous? If I had unlimited funds I suppose I'd be interested, but somehow in a world so full of hungry people it seems decadent and unnecessary. My most memorable meals have been in more humble places, and the memory of them is as much of the company I kept and the aura of friendship, as the food I ate.

I've been to #2 for my 50th birthday in '09. It was a special treat and a fantastic experience. I wrote up my impressions here back then.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

Can a meal really be worth the kind of money it takes to dine in this sort of place? Or am I just being resentful and jealous? If I had unlimited funds I suppose I'd be interested

Are the Oscars elitist? Is the Masters elitist? Is Wimbledon? Are Michelin ratings? Is any list/awards/tournament that attempts to identify the best of the best wrong because it celebrates talent and proficiency that most of us don't have access to, for whatever reason? I don't think so. Averting one's eyes make neither them nor the excessive and unfortunate hunger that's also on this planet go away. As to being worth the money, that would depend on your perspective. My husband and I have personally spent up the wazoo a few times for exemplary meals and have to say each offered transformational experiences that are with me in detail to this day. Some dishes brought tears to my eyes they were so exquisite, and others broadened my perspective of what's possible which in turn heightened my standards for my own cooking. Can't put a price tag on that, Bob.

Any list of the "world's best"

(a) is going to focus on things that the vast majority of people in the world consider "elitist" and
(b) is going to be controversial (that including of course my own lists)

In the case of restaurants, it is clear that a vast perfentage of the world population cannot afford to dine at such places or even to consider such dining. That does not mean that at least some of us can dine occassionally at places on such lists. Nor does it mean that we are "elitists". What it does mean is that from time to time we splurge on things we consider important to our lives. And, simply stated, there ain't nothing wrong with doing that. Nor is there any need to feel guilt over it. Life is paintful and when we can we are morally obliged to put ourselves in a position in which we can rise above the pain to see and feel the beauty.

Going a step further, there is certainly no sin involved in experincing such restaurants (or wines or automobiles or whatever) vicariously by reading about them.


Best
Rogov

Nor does it mean that we are "elitists".

Nothing wrong with being elitist. It just means you have standards.

I think/hope everyone on this board is some sort of elitist when it comes to wine. The whole question is what are the standards by which one judges something worthy of being elite. Old-fashioned metrics like family, sex, race, class, points (for wine) etc do not get much support from me. But everyone here seeks elite/good wine (regardless of points, price, origin, etc) and that is certainly worth doing.

Good thoughtful posts all, and I thank you for your thoughts. Since reading what all of you had to say, I went back and researched some of the restaurants listed, looked at their menus with regard to price, and realize I may be mistaken as to just how expensive they actually are. A few years ago my wife and I stayed in Saulieu, home of Bernard Loiseau's famous restaurant (closed in January when we were there) and I calculated that it might cost us around $400 to have lunch there and that dinner would be substantially more. I forget the source for this assessment, but I based my post here on the assumption that the price of a meal at any of these restaurants would be in the stratosphere. Perhaps I am wrong about this. My initial words were not really to say "I don't approve of any of this" but more to voice some reservations in the back of my head about conspicuous consumption. Certainly I celebrate the skills and creativity of these chefs and they deserve all the accolades they get. I certainly don't resent those wealthier than me - hey some of my best friends are rich, and some of my best friends might well call me elitist, a badge I would wear proudly. I appreciate, as I'm sure everyone here does, excellence in food and wine and I expect to pay for it. But to elaborate on Mike's dream house analogy for a minute, I have 2 dear friends who live on the coast of Oregon. They bought an old farm many years ago, improved it, added on to it, bought adjoining property. I'm sure it is worth a ton of money now and it is a gorgeous piece of property. From the top floor of their house, you can just see the ocean. One of the things I find most appealing about it is that it is mostly hidden from the world. I contrast this with a newer property near them, a huge mansion perched on the top of the cliff for all the world to see, glass front facing the setting sun to the west and the ocean below, also worth a ton of money. But I look at the latter and see mostly an overblown ego, a lack of proper proportion. I think about those restaurants and when imagine Jenise, tears welling up for the beauty of the food, I so totally approve. When I imagine Bernie Madoff eating there, not so much. Is there not a point at which the cost of a meal, or a bottle of wine is just way out of proportion to its worth? Or am I just talking about Ruth's Chris? Or to put it another way, do you really love her, or is she just your trophy wife? FWIW. Bob

I have only a mild interest in this list as I don't go to restaurants any more. I do like the fact that some can go to these restaurants or any restaurant for that matter and have a good experience and feel their money was well spent. I look back over the years I did eat out and what remains with me is the thought of how many awful meals I had or times I got ripped off. There is in particular a french chef in Chicago who is constantly in the news and rated high in the culinary world here that gave me at least three of the worst meals I have ever had. That leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

However I did take a look at the list to see what countries had the most activity. I did not take into account who was new or who was up or down... just a fast count. It looked like France took the top spot with Spain, Italy and the US a close second. Does this tell us anything about a shift in where the culinary focus is in the world these days.

Tim