Comment by tastyfishy | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tastyfishy | Hacker News Reader

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It's interesting that the NY times critics wield so much power with the chefs and NY public (and maybe even american public), when there are plenty of review systems (michelin, pellegrino) that are more worldly and forward looking. IMO, New York high end cuisine has always been more about hedge fund people and old money impressing each other with higher spend, rather than better food. Maybe that's why there's an aggressive restaurant review culture that serves well to these aggressive customers (born out of finance).

IMO bay area fine dining cuisine is #1 in the nation right now (NY might have even be #3, had Chicago not have some unfortunate chef deaths in the last few years)

If you look at new york times's 4 star restaurants list:

Le Bernardin/Jean Georges (old french cuisine, tons of sauces, boring)

Per Se << French Laundry

Del Posto (mario battali's strong/strange flavors are either love/hate) Quince (sf) is much more consistent and tasty.

Sushi nakazawa - very good nigiri, but lacks decent cooked seafood. Yoshizumi (sf) is much better in both nigiri/cooked food, taste great, is cheaper, and the place has a great minimalistic japanese feel.

And there's no direct answer from NY to Benu (out of this world Chinese), atellier crenn (if she only did desserts for all courses), saison (highly innovative), californios, mourad

SF might be in top five cities in the world right now for great food (low end and high end)

As much as I like SF restaurants, high end cuisine in the bay is at least as much about VCs impressing each other as NY restaurants are for hedge fund managers.

You're completely missing the next wave of high end NYC dining, smaller destination chef oriented places like Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, or Torst, or Blanca.

Now one could certainly argue the merits of those places, but pretending that NYC fine dining is defined by midtown and expense accounts just makes it seem like you don't spend much time here.

Not to mention the real money types go to Eleven Madison Park, which is still stellar and curiously absent from your list.

Le Bernardin is the furthest thing from boring, there is a reason Eric Ripert has lasted so long - he is always renewing. It is one of the world's greats.

Or especially for Eleven Madison Park (missing above), another continuous innovator.

I agree about Benu and Saison, though, both exemplary. SF has come along way the past 7 years or so.

4 star places are interesting to compare and contrast, but they're only a small fraction of the story as far as food critics are concerned. Moreover, for diners, they're typically rare special-event experiences.

You really have to investigate the 1/2/3-star places to see what's really exciting and up-coming. If you do that, almost every major city (hell, even many 'burbs and rural) has something special and worthwhile to offer.

Stack-ranking stuff like SF>NYC or #1,2, 3 or whatever is kind of pointless, as is saying that a sushi place is lesser because it lacks "decent" cooked fish. Much more fun to consider each restaurant on its own terms and in the context of the city and population it serves. All the great critics do that and while some may "stack/rank" their reviews, there's a lot to say about 2-star places (and no, 4 is not "greater" than 2, it depends on the occasion and the intent of the diner).

Per Se is now (infamously) two stars, and you missed Eleven Madison.

Ah, good catch about per se. and I haven't had eleven madison park in 3 years; wanted to withhold my opinion. I really wanna go back, but if I'm going for a farm-to-table restaurant, I might as well as go to a restaurant on a farm :)

I've never heard Eleven Madison described as farm to table. The authoritative tone claimed in your original post is becoming more and more dubious.

If the account is 9 hours old, it's almost certainly crap. Especially if the username suggests it's a throwaway for a specific article.

If you're not willing to post your opinion under your main account, I can't say I'm terribly interested in those opinions.

From wikipedia:

"The restaurant offers guests one multi-course tasting menu inspired by the agricultural bounty of New York"

"Daniel Humm's cuisine is focused on the locally sourced ingredients of New York"

11 Madison is not a farm to table restaurant. Perhaps you're thinking of blue hill?

What are the other four in the top five, globally?

Besides Sf, Chicago, nyc? Lima, Mexico city, Copenhagen, London, Paris

Tokyo has to be in there

Loved your list. Though, I thought Benu was more Asian fusion rather than Chinese.

Benu considers themselves to be New/Contemporary American and I have it on good authority would be highly amused by the accusation of being "out of this world Chinese" or even Asian Fusion. :)

Ok, contemporary American it is. TBH, I only read about these restaurants and think about them. Cannot justify spending that much money on a meal, knowing that people where I could grew up will survive the whole year with that kind of money

Thank you :) love to hear yours.

Frankly cooked fish is less than irrelevant in judging a sushi joint.

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