Interesting list, although none too surprisingly, the best restaurant in the world and the best retaurant in Europe are both in the U.K. (stop sniggering), and the magazine that compiled the list is.....you guessed it - a U.K. publication.
I've only eaten at two of the places on the list: Chez Panisse - Alice Water's place in Berkeley, CA, and The Spice Market in NYC. So...lots of places to go to!
The hubris of Americans sniggering at UK food never ceases to amaze me. I mean it is not in the UK that you could make a film like 'Supersize Me', now is it? My experience of eating in the US runs to some fantastic restaurants at the upper level, plenty of adequate bistro-type places in the cities but beyond that all one gets are faddy gimmick outlets or woeful greasy-spoons and EVERYBODY serving portions that are the gastronomic equivalent of the Ford Edsel.
anonymous- I think the british reputation for serving horrible food is actually an earned one, although america has always (and stilll does) serve insanely large portions. The deep fryer is still the national stove of the british isles. Of course, haute cuisine in London has caught up with what is going up in New York, but that has only happened in the past 20 years or so.
I have eaten at Chez Panisse. Very very good, but I think Waters greatest contrabution to american cuisine was creating a distinctively american culinary identity, and she did that 20 years ago. I waited on her and her husband once. She was nice enough, but he actually yelled at me for not carrrying a bottle of champagne like it was the Holy Hand Granade. Mind you, I'm fully capable of handling champagne correctly. He was just irritated that I didn't seem to treat it with the proper reverence... not to mention I don't particularly care for guests yelling at me, I don't who they are or what restaurant the represent.. I thougtht he was an asshole.
The hubris of Americans sniggering at UK food never ceases to amaze me. I mean it is not in the UK that you could make a film like 'Supersize Me', now is it? My experience of eating in the US runs to some fantastic restaurants at the upper level, plenty of adequate bistro-type places in the cities but beyond that all one gets are faddy gimmick outlets or woeful greasy-spoons and EVERYBODY serving portions that are the gastronomic equivalent of the Ford Edsel.
C