Gourmet's Top 50 Restaurants 2006

by Nicole Weston, Posted Sep 27th 2006 @ 4:03PM

How can you compare a restaurant like Alinea, where some of the dishes test our conceptions of the term "food" to a restaurant like Zuni Cafe, which makes wonderful contemporary bistro fare? You really can't, but Gourmet magazine tried to do just that when they put together their list of America's top 50 restaurants for 2006. The two types of food at Alinea and Zuni are almost at the opposites of the dining spectrum, so the reviewers at Gourmet compared the innovation, execution and satisfaction that arose from dining at both of them, as well as every other restaurant on the list below. Since they are subjective assessments, it is safe to say that the order of this list might not be precisely accurate, at least not for your personal tastes, but it is still a list of excellent restaurants, all of which are worth eating at if you have the chance.

1. Alinea – Chicago, IL
2. Chez Panisse – Berkeley, CA
3. The French Laundry/Per Se – Yountville, CA; New York, NY
4. Spago – Beverly Hills, CA
5. Joël Robuchon at the Mansion – Las Vegas, NV
6. La Rêve – San Antonio, TX
7. Masa – New York, NY
8. Alan Wong's Restaurant – Honolulu, HI
9. Daniel – New York, NY
10. Le Bernardin – New York, NY

11. Magnolia Grill – Durham, NC
12. Michel Richard Citronelle – Washington, D.C.
13. Charlie Trotter's – Chicago, IL
14. Arrows – Ogunquit, ME
15. Cyrus – Healdsburg, CA
16. Striped Bass – Philadelphia, PA
17. Babbo – New York, NY
18. Locke-Ober – Boston, MA
19. Canlis – Seattle, WA
20. L'Auberge Carmel – Carmel, CA
21. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare – Las Vegas, NV
22. Restaurant August – New Orleans, LA
23. The Inn at Little Washington – Washington, VA
24. The Dining Room in the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead – Atlanta, GA
25. Vetri – Philadelphia, PA
26. Fore Street – Portland, ME
27. Jean Georges – New York, NY
28. Higgins – Portland, OR
29. Da Marco – Houston, TX
30. La Belle Vie – Minneapolis, MN
31. Parker's New American Bistro – Cleveland, OH
32. Michy's – Miami, FL
33. Frasca – Boulder, CO
34. Gramercy Tavern – New York, NY
35. Providence – Los Angeles, CA
36. Restaurant Guy Savoy – Las Vegas, NV
37. Zuni Café – San Francisco, CA
38. Urasawa – Beverly Hills, CA
39. Bacchanalia – Atlanta, GA
40. Sanford – Milwaukee, WI
41. York Street – Dallas, TX
42. Manresa – Los Gatos, CA
43. No. 9 Park – Boston, MA
44. Trattoria Nostrani – Santa Fe, NM
45. Cafe Juanita – Kirkland, WA
46. Paley's Place – Portland, OR
47. Lantern Restaurant – Chapel Hill, NC
48. L'Etoile – Madison, WI
49. Herbsaint – New Orleans, LA
50. Nana – Dallas, TX

Source

Filed Under: Magazines, Lists, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants
Tags: america, best, best restaurants, gourmet, list, lists, magazine, restaurant, restaurants

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-28-2006 @9:02AM reese said... What a great list of restaurants! I will be checking out the two listed in Boston for sure. I'm also glad to see that Chez Panisse continues to be in the top ten.
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9-28-2006 @11:00AM Boggo said... Why is French Laundry and Per Se considered ONE restaurant? They are two restaurants in different cities. I don't see other chefs having their restaurant mini-empires being grouped as a single entry. What's the deal?
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9-29-2006 @1:18AM Adriane said... I went to No. 9 Park a while back for my mothers 50th birthday. DELICIOUS. Things I never thought I liked before (Scallops) were transformed into amazing dishes that I ate with gusto.
Although, I have heard on the grapevine (and from family friend who used to chef there) that things are a bit rocky since they keep losing long-time chefs. I'm sure it's still great, but worth noting.
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