Posted on 04/29/2003 1:59:43 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
A British-dominated panel of food critics has decreed that the best place to eat in the world is the French Laundry, a French restaurant run by Americans in California.
Eleven of the top 50 restaurants are in Britain, up from five last year, according to the Restaurant magazine poll of 300 chefs and restaurant reviewers.
The French Laundry opened in 1994 in a two-storey 1890s steam laundry in Yountville, Napa Valley. Thom Hetherington, of Restaurant, said: "The stunning location in the hills of the Napa Valley was a big plus factor. But their cuisine was deemed better than any restaurant in France because, while they had a French-trained chef, they were not restricted by the more conservative tastes of many French clientele." There is a two-month waiting list for customers to pay around £80 a head plus wine.
Britain's highest-rated restaurant, at five, was Gordon Ramsay's establishment bearing his name in Chelsea, west London. According to the magazine, it only slipped from second in last year's inaugural list because of the exceptional standard of those above it. Mr Hetherington said the poll was dominated by British tastes, although voters were based around the world.
The top 10 were: 1 French Laundry, California; 2 El Bulli (last year's No 1), north of Barcelona; 3 Le Louis XV, Monaco; 4 Jean Georges, New York; 5 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London; 6 L'Arpege, Paris; 7 Comme chez Soi, Brussels; 8 Rockpool, Sydney; 9 L'Ambroisie, Paris; 10 Gramercy Tavern, New York.
The Merchant House, in Ludlow, Shrops, was 14th and was awarded the prize for Outstanding Value restaurant.
And I second that sentiment. "Bad British food" is a 20th century hangover stereotype.
The pubs in England offer a first person in the door a free drink and lots of working people are waiting for that drink with lunch in the pub. The leaders have kept this, a lifestyle of casual drinking, in place cause they have no plan for the children being better off than their parents.
I suspect that soon it won't be nearly as much fun to snigger at fat American tourists.
Oxymoron
I can't say anything current but in the '60s and '70s you ate Chinese, Indian, and Greek if you wanted to eat well at a reasonable price in London.
BION--Believe it or not, the BEST food to be had is at Epcot Center's "World Showcase" in Orlando.
Even the coffees and ices from the little push-booths are the best you've ever tasted. Don't ask me how this is accomplished--there must be some great kitchen management going on.
Not to mention, it ain't all that expensive, either.
Had an incredible Mediterranean meal at "Morocco"--the best Mexican food I've ever eaten in "Mexico" (and I've spent most of my life in Texas), fantastic pastries everywhere. Japanese was even good, and I'm not fond of Japanese food.
The most expensive meal I had was thirty bucks, and that was with dessert and a glass of wine, and live entertainment.
Let your kids ride, and you can eat.
Stayed once at a Sofitel place on Bora Bora. The food was most unremarkable, especially after one has eaten at Bloody Mary's. It was only marginally better on Moorea. However, there was a small restaurant about 1/4 mile down the road on Moorea run by a native French chef and his wife who moved to French Polynesia some years before that (and this was in 1985). They were delightful and the food was wonderful and reasonably priced.
For aviation aficianados, one of the world's shortest scheduled commercial flights is from Papeete to Moorea. The scheduled flight duration is TWO MINUTES. The aircraft departs Papeete International to the south, makes a 90-degree right turn and is perfectly lined up on-final to the airstrip on Moorea. I'd be surprised if the flight goes any higher than 1000 feet.
Needless to say, Moorea is very very close to the isle of Tahiti.
Michael
However, "beans and greens" at Cracker Barrel is mighty fine at $3.99. Pintos/ham, greens/ham, corn bread. Yum.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.