Opinionated About Dining

2009 Opinionated About Dining Survey

Read the Results of the 2009 Opinionated About Dining Survey For the U.S. & Canada, or Download the Entire List at Opinionated About Dining

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The 100 Places I would Like to Eat at in 2008

I always thought that posts on other blogs that included a list of where that blogger wanted to go eat were a bit cheesy. But given the number of reviews I have to write for the survey these days, and given how it is easier to write them after visiting a restaurant, I found myself compiling such a list over the weekend. Of course I'm so busy with the survey that it didn't take long for me to realize that it's a simple way to update the site, and by listing the names of lots of different restaurants, a good way to attract additional hits to your site. So forgive me if I get a little cheesy here but, here is a list of the 100 places I would like to eat at in 2008.

I'm sure some of you ware going to be surprised by some of the choices. Especially places that serve traditional French cuisine which anyone who reads this site knows, often makes me feel like I am drowning in a sea of veal demi-glace. So I feel it is important to explain myself. I like to think of myself as a dining martyr. Someone who will take consume gallons of gooey, over-reduced and over-salted stocks in order to take one for the team so to speak. But also, there is some benefit to sampling styles of cuisine that have become passe which is to understand what it was that made a chef important at the height of their culinary powers. And on occasion I come across a chef who has lightened his cuisine and is turning out some top-notch food. Witness my review of L'Auberge D'Ill below.

So without further delay, here is my list of 100 Restaurants I Would Like to Eat at in 2008. Of course if you happen to have been at any of the restaurants on this list, click the link at the bottom of the page and rate them for the survey.

Adour - New York City

Allen & Delancey - New York City

Amador - Langen, GR

L' Amphitryon - Lorient, FR

Arnolfo - Colle Val d' Elsa, IT

Au Pied de Cochon - Montreal

August - New Orleans

Bacchanalia - Atlanta

Back Bay Grill - Portland

La Bastide de Capelongue - Bonnieux, FR

Bernard Loiseau - Saulieu, FR

Bistrot d'Eygalières - Eygalieres, FR

Blackberry Farm - Walland, TN

Blackbird - Chicago

Botafumeiro - Barcelona

Botín Restaurante - Madrid

Cafe Annie  - Houston

Canlis  - Seattle

Carlos' - Highland Park, IL

Carré des Feuillants - Paris

Charleston - Baltimore

Château Cordeillan Bages  - Bordeaux

Cibrèo - Florence, IT

Le Cinq - Paris

City Grocery - 0xford, MS

Le Clos des Sens - Annecy. FR

Club Chasse et Pêche - Montreal

Coi - San Francisco

La Côte St-Jacques - Joigny, FR

Craigie Street Bistrot - Cambridge, MS

Da Fiore - Venice, IT

Dal Pescatore - Canneto sull'Oglio, IT

De Karmeliet - Brugges, BE

De Librije - Zwolle, NE

Dieter Mueller - Schloss Lerbach, GR

Dining Room, The - Pasadena

Eigensinn Farm - Singhampton, CA

El Calima - Marbella, SP

Eve - Alexandria, VA

Enoteca PinchiorrI - Florence, IT

Everest - Chicago

Fiamma Osteria - New York City

Frasca Food and Wine - Boulder, CO

Galatoire's - New Orleans

Gambero Rosso - San Vicenzo, IT

Graham Elliot - Chicago

Guggenheim Bilbao - Bilbao, SP

Guy Savoy - Las Vegas

Hatfield's - Los Angeles

Highlands Bar & Grill - Birmingham, AL

Hugo's - Portland, ME

Inn at Little Washington - Washington, VA

Le Jardin des Remparts - Beaune, FR

Joe Beef - Montreal

Joël - Atlanta

Joel Robuchon at The Mansion - Las Vegas

L2O - Chicago

La Rosetta - Rome

Lai Wah Heen - Toronto

Lameloise - Chagny, FR

Le Champignon Sauvage - Cheltenham, U.K.

Le Pont de Brent - Montreaux, SW

Lucques - Los Angeles

Madonnina del Pescatore - Senigalia, IT

Marc Veyrat, La Maison de - Annecy, FR

Marinus - Carmel, CA

Mélisse - Los Angeles

Michael's Genuine Cuisine - Miami

Michy's - Miami

Noma - Copenhagen

O Ya - Boston

Olivier Roellinger - Cancale, FR

Ortolan - Los Angeles

Osteria La Francescana - Modena, IT

Palena - Washington D.C.

Patrick Guilbaud - Dublin

Paul Bocuse - Lyon

Perbelini - Isola Rizza, IT

Le Petit Nice - Marseille, FR

Pic - Valence, FR

Primo - Rockland, ME

Quince - San Francisco

Régis et Jacques Marcon - St. Bonnet, FR

Restaurant Heinz Winkler - Aschau, GR

Sa Qua Na - Honfleur, FR

Schwa - Chicago

Schwarzwaldstube - Baiersbronn, GR

Sona - Los Angeles

Sooke Harbour House - Sooke, CA

Splendido - Toronto

Spring - Chicago

Texture - London

Toqué - Montreal

Torre del Saracino - Massa Lubrense, IT

La Tupina - Bordeaux

Ubuntu - Napa, CA

Vau - Berlin

Vendôme - Cologne, GR

Villa Crespi - Lake Orta, IT

Zalacain - Madrid

Opinionated About Dining Survey

 

Most Overrated Restaurants 2008

MOST OVERRATED RESTAURANTS 2008 NOW ONLINE!!!

Wise, witty, snippy and snarky - no I'm not talking about The Colbert Report - I'm talking about the Opinionated About Dining Most Overrated Restaurants of 2008. Click on the link below to read the ten most overrated in the following regions: New York City; United States; United Kingdom and Europe.

Most Overrated Restaurants 2008 

You can also now read the 100 Best Restaurants in North America & Europe online using our new cool and groovy flip-book technology. Just click on the link below and wait for the cover to loads. Then just click the top right corner to begin turning the pages.

100 Best Restaurants in Europe & North America

Happy reading and don't forget to rate as many restaurants as you can!

Opinionated About Dining Survey

Top 100 in London

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

GET A FREE COPY BY PARTICIPATING IN OUR 2009 SURVEY OR YOU CAN PURCHASE COPIES BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW

The results of our 2008 Fine Dining Survey have now been published. Over 900 people participated in the survey, with 25% of them being located outside  of the U.S. The ratings are broken down into categories which correlate to how important a restaurant is.

London Update

Read Jay Rayner's  review of the survey in The Guardian

I just hung up the phone with DHL at Heathrow and the books are being delivered in the morning and they should be in various London shops by Monday or Tuesday. Also, it's not too late to get a free copy. Just click on the link for the homepage and register. As soon as you begin rating restaurants, our London office will put a copy of the guide in the mail to you.

Happy reading and eating!

The 100 Best Restaurants in North America & Europe

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

GET A FREE COPY BY PARTICIPATING IN OUR 2009 SURVEY OR YOU CAN PURCHASE COPIES BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW

Opinionated About Dining Survey

The results of our 2008 Fine Dining Survey have now been published. Over 900 people participated in the survey, with 25% of them being located outside  of the U.S. The ratings are broken down into categories which correlate to how important a restaurant is. Though this guide only covers restaurants in the first three categories because of its limited scope. Here are the results:

Opinionated About Dining Top 50 Restaurants in North America with Rankings

Worth Planning a Trip Around

Urasawa, Beverly Hills, California 113
The French Laundry, Yountville, California 111
Jean Georges, New York, New York 109
Manresa, Los Gatos, California 109
Per Se, New York, New York 107
Alinea, Chicago, Illinois 106
McCrady’s, Charleston, South Carolina 106
Minibar, Washington, DC 105
Splendido, Toronto, Ontario 105

Worth Going Out of Your Way For

Le Bernardin, New York, New York 104
Providence, Los Angeles, California 104
Sushi Yasuda, New York, New York 104
Bouley, New York, New York 103
Hatfield’s, Los Angeles, California 103
Kuruma Zushi, New York, New York 103
Masa, New York, New York 103
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, New York 102
Eleven Madison Park, New York, New York 102
Marinus, Carmel, California 102
Craft, New York, New York 101
Spago, Beverly Hills, California 101
Sugiyama, New York, New York 101
Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California 100
Il Grano, West Los Angeles, California 100
Uni, Boston, Massachusetts 100

Top Local Choices

Alex, Las Vegas, Nevada 99
Avenues, Chicago, Illinois 99
Blue Hill, New York, New York 99
Coi, San Francisco, California 99
Daniel, New York, New York 99
The Dining Room at the Langham, Pasadena, California 99
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, New York, New York 99
Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, DC 99
Picasso, Las Vegas, Nevada 99
Sushi Seki, New York, New York 99
WD-50, New York, New York 99
Alan Wong’s, Honolulu, Hawaii 98
Fore Street, Portland, Maine 98
Lampreia, Seattle,Washington 98
Matsuhisa, Beverly Hills, California 98
Mistral, Seattle,Washington 98
Sona, Los Angeles, California 98
Susur, Toronto, Ontario 98
Joe’s Stone Crab, Miami Beach, Florida 97
Komi, Washington, DC 97
Masa’s, San Francisco, California 97
Morimoto, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 97
Troquet, Boston, Massachusetts 97
Boulevard, San Francisco, California 96
Cyrus, Healdsburg, California 96

Opinionated About Dining Top 50 Restaurants in Europe with Rankings

Worth Planning a Trip Around

Troisgros, Roanne, France 116
Bras, Laguiole, France 115
The Fat Duck, Bray-on-Thames, UK 114
L’Arpège, Paris, France 114
Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France 114
El Bulli, Roses, Spain 112
L’Astrance, Paris, France 112
L’Arnsbourg, Baerenthal, France 111
El Poblet, Denia, Spain 110
Le Calandre, Sarmeola di Rubano, Italy 109
Les Ambassadeurs, Paris, France 109
Oud Sluis, Sluis, The Netherlands 109
Etxebarri, Axpe-Marzana, Spain 108
La Broche, Madrid, Spain 108
Le Louis XV–Alain Ducasse Monte Carlo, Monaco 108
Mugaritz, Errenteria, Spain 108
L’Ambroisie, Paris, France 107
El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain 106
Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark 106
Arzak, Donostia–San Sebastián, Spain 105
La Pergola, Rome, Italy 105

Worth Going Out of Your Way For

El Racó de Can Fabes, Sant Celoni, Spain 104
Hof van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Belgium 104
L’Auberge de l’Ill, Illhaeusern, France 104
Les Maisons de Bricourt—Olivier Roellinger, Cancale, France 104
Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris, France 104
Taillevent, Paris, France 104
Comme Chez Soi, Brussels, Belgium 103
Elkano, Getaria, Spain 103
Lameloise, Chagny-en-Bourgogne, France 103
Guy Savoy, Paris, France 102
La Maison de Marc Veyrat, Veyrier du Lac, France 102
Le Bristol, Paris, France 102
Hibiscus, London, UK 100
The River Café, London, UK 100
Sant Pau, Sant Pol de Mar, Spain 100
The Square, London, UK 100

Top Local Choice

Apicius, Paris, France 99
Arnolfo, Colle di Val d’Elsa, Italy 99
Gordon Ramsay, London, UK 99
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris, France 99
The Capital, London, UK 98
Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence, Italy 98
Hispania, Arenys de Mar–Caldetes, Spain 98
L’Ami Louis, Paris, France 98
Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, UK 98
Tetou, Golfe-Juan, France 98
Cibrèo, Florence, Italy 97
Da Fiore, Venice, Italy 97
Tom Aikens, London, UK 97

If you participated in the survey, a copy will be mailed to you shortly. If you would like a free copy, you can get one by filling out our survey. Just click on the link to our homepage to register for the 2009 survey. If you would like to purchase copies, you can do so on the home page by using a PayPal account.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. This is just the beginning. I am planning to expand the scope of the survey for 2009 to include moderate and inexpensive dining with the goal of publishing comprehensive guides to dining for bothe continents in the coming 12 months.

OPINIONATED ABOUT DINING SURVEY