Restaurant reviews

Scott’s London

Scott’s (4/5) joins Bentley’s Oyster Bar (3/5) at the top of the seafood list. I am even forced to lower the original Bentley’s score of 4/5 because Scott’s resets the benchmark. On food they are probably equal but Scott’s is such a nicer room that I cannot imagine going back to the wonderful Bentleys!

New York has an equal with Le Bernadin (4/5) which is more gourmet but stuffier. The king of seafooders is in Brussell where the Sea Grill (5/5) at the downtown Radisson is fantastic. The pressed lobster (like the duck in Paris) will blow your mind.

Celebrity Restaurant Chains

Nobu (4/5) started it with a unique menu that has been copied worlwide. The rise of the celebrity chef who can no longer be found behind the stove of any of his restaurants. He flys around slipping in and out of aprons and making appearances in the empire while trusted "right hand men and women" try to keep up with the master. Joel Robuchon has now done the same with L'Atelier (3/5) in Tokyo, Paris, Las Vegas and now London. Alain Ducaisse has restaurants in Monaco, Paris and New York. Wolfgang Puck has a frozen food brand in addition to the restaurants. These places are all good enough except that you pay maximum dollar for the chef's name without getting the quality of the original inspirational chefs cooking. Same high price, almost as good just doesnt seem quite right.

Shanghai

Shanghai Uncle 3/5 is very authentic but you have to watch what you order. We got poisoned at the St Regis hotel 1/5 and had our best meal at T8 3/5. We had the most fun at M on the Bund 3/5 for atmosphere but then returned to London and remebered how it's done at Royal China Club 5/5 (try the duck rolls). I am still looking for a killer chinese meal in Shanghai. Any advice?

Better than Royal China London

Is it possible that there is now a better Chinese restaurant in London than Royal China? Well, yes. it is the Royal China Club opened in the previous location on Baker Street. It is being positioned as high end chinese when I thought Royal China was already premium! So they have lobster dumplings and other delicious items. ..but...the clincher is the installation of london's first live tanks of fish and seafood just like Hong Kong. I can't wait to go back.

Megu New York

A 35 foot concrete bar and an ice buddha which gets chopped up and served as ice in the next nights drinks (circle of life?). Great! So how's the food? Well...typical sushi place with $150 Kobe beef...pretty good actually. These places are a dime a dozen in all major cities..well worth visiting but the food is dull. Sushi: they don't cook it, you don't get any sauce and it's expensive.

The Most Amazing Single Plate of Food

My long lost friend Juanca (married to Speedy Bee) now works at Dell and tracked me down. He reminded me of the single greatest one plate culinary achievement known to man. La lechona de San Andresito in Bogota Colombia. Get this: They take a whole pig and pull all the meat out and fry it up with various combinations of rice, peas and corn. They take this already scrumptious mix and stuff it back into the pig and roast the whole thing all night long in a giant oven until the pig skin is crispy and crunchy. These works of gourmet art are then loaded onto pushcarts and served onto small plates to be eaten standing up in the middle of the street while surrounded by illegally imported tax free television and TV players. I challenge anyone anywhere to find one thing that is more delicious!

Best restaurants of 2006

The undisputed king of outrageously great restaurants is Marc Veyrat from Annecy France in the summer and Megeve France in the winter. He is a double 3 Michelin star holder and double Gault Millaut 20/20 holder. This is the best food ever prepared anywhere.

Second comes El Bulli Spain which is just as good as Marc from a talent point of view but his menu could use a bit more substance.

Third is Alinea from Chicago who is a newcomer chasing Verat and Bulli with insanely creative cuisine.

Standouts in the USA are Il Mulino New York 5/5, Prime 112 5/5 Miami and The Lark 5/5 in Detroit. In London it's all asia with Royal Chine 5/5, Maze, 5/5, China Tang, 5/5, Amaya 4/5 and New Nobu 4/5. while San Francisco over-promises and underdelivers led by the charming but ordinary French Laundry 3/3.

Best Steakhouses in the world

Best steakhouses are a hard fought category where Ruth's, Morton's, Smith & Wollensky all score 4/4 with great steak and live lobsters. Behind them are Flemings and Del Frisco which have steaks that are just as good but serve frozeen lobster and therefore get 3/5. The next wave of great steak house in Brazil and Argentina are all outstanding with massive salad bars and high quality steaks and sausages 4/5 as exemplified by the Brazilian chain in the USA called Fogo de Chao 4/5. In Europe the steaks are terrible except in France where they are covered in delicious sauce. So, where is the best steak house in the world? It is Prime 112 (5/5) on Miami Beach Florida. How is this possible?

Steaks are all Prime grade and perfectly cooked. The Blue Cheese Wedge with burnt bacon is the best in the world. What can be said about 4 cheese macaroni with truffles? To hell with Atkins. Great Jumbo shrimp, live lobsters and a great wines.

Londasia

Now comes China Tang (see London eats Asia below). It is just the most beautiful chinese restaurant in the world with food to match. China Tang is just a notch behind Royal China in London for food and places like Long Beach in Singapore but it deserves 5/5 anyway.

A Star is born

Alinea in Chicago is the best restaurant ever opened in the history of the United States. I have always said that the best 20 restaurants in the worlsd are in Europe. Well, this is the 3rd best behind El Bulli in Spain and the king - Mark Veyrat in France. It is the same idea - experimental food executed at the highest level - more to come. I am returning to Chicago and Alinea in December to test the hypothesis that Chicago is better than NY and SF for dining out!