"best restaurants" news and stories

"Best restaurant" lists are tricky. How can any sensible eater compare an iconic pizza parlor or the joint that serves that simply transcendent cheeseburger with the lapidary perfection of a French Laundry or the genre-bending inventiveness of a WD-50? On what terms is it possible to stack the culinary monuments of Manhattan, Chicago, or Los Angeles up against the really-very-good but necessarily more modest establishments of, say, Buellton or Murphysboro? Talk about apples and oranges.

And yet here we are offering a best restaurant list of our own.

You may quarrel with our results, quibble over the panel's choices; ask how we could call that dump a "best" or why we left out that temple of gastronomy. It would be astonishing if you didn't, in fact. We're not presenting objective truth here. In case you haven't noticed, there is no objective truth when it comes to taste in restaurants (or anything else).

Rather, think of this list as the Senate of Culinary Greatness in our country -- every region, cuisine and price level is represented. It's the best of the best from each league, which is the reason why Katz's sandwiches can stand alongside Peter Luger's steaks and Arthur Bryant's barbecue alongside Bazaar's molecular gastronomy. We think our list turned out pretty well, and sincerely thank our panelists for helping us refine it. We stand behind these restaurants -- and would sit down happily at any of their tables.

Yes, New York and Los Angeles have (deserved) reputations as great food cities, but America is full of towns that are just as worthy. After all, being jam-packed with high-end restuarants is only part of the picture. Sperlings Best Places created a list of the best food cities in the U.S. using data that actually matters: How many local restaurants dot the landscape? Cooking stores? Wine shops? They've even taken into account the number of farmers markets in each area. The result is a list of cities that belong in the big-time -- even if Michelin hasn't taken notice.

See the full list of American's Top Food Cities at CNBC.com.

Why ask just one food pro about the best new restaurants around the country when you can ask a gaggle of them? Eater did just that, and came up with its Top Newcomers and Top Standbys in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, L.A., Miami, Portland, and Austin.

When in Austin, go to newcomer Uchiko for contemporary Japanese dishes like walu walu (oak-grilled escolar with candied citrus, yuzupon and myoga), say four of the seven experts in the Texas capital. If you happen to be in San Francisco, be sure to drop by standby Pizzaria Delfina (above, and home to the "Purgatorio" pie) say three of the Bay Area critics.

And in Slashfood's hometown of New York? Thai is where it's at, according to the pros. Wander over to Kin Shop for a braised goat curry, or Lotus of Siam for crispy rice with sour Thai sausage.

At long last, the wait for the nation's biggest foodie honors is over. Slashfood spent nearly every waking second since Sunday night live-Twittering the James Beard Award winners @slashfood live from the scene.

A New York culinary favorite, David Chang of Momofuku Ko took home the best new restaurant award, while Drew Nieporent of the Myriad Restaurant Group was named outstanding restaurateur.

Dig in to the full restaurant, chef and cookbook winners after the jump along with red-carpet photos.

Minneapolis is my hometown. I'm currently visiting for the upcoming turkey day, and last night I dined at a very special restaurant which, year after year, wins "Best Restaurant" awards in local publications right and left.

What does "best restaurant" mean, really? There are so many variable traits a restaurant can have. Also, I have long been in love with Cafe Brenda, a gourmet vegetarian and seafood restaurant in Minneapolis' warehouse district. The mushroom pate is to die for. Or what about Ecopolitan's vegan fare, or the delightful lunch at French Meadow Bakery? What about Zelo? How could La Belle Vie be "better" than that?

Well, for one, the atmosphere is enchanting. You walk in, they sit you down, and a server approaches with menus and says "welcome to dinner." You relax. You settle in. You know you are in for a dining "experience."

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