Alchemist - Copenhagen
Not only a dinner, but an “experience”, complete with video projections and performances. Some of this worked, but some of it didn’t, which made for a memorable evening with some untapped potential
Benu - San Francisco
Elegantly executed, technically perfect Korean-inspired cuisine. Unfortunately, the flavors were a bit too muted for my taste
Le Gabriel - Paris
A tasting menu inspired by the chef’s native Brittany had some good seafood dishes and an truly outstanding chicken. Overall though, this was among the weaker of Paris’ three-starred restaurants
La Table du Castellet - Le Castellet
Two seasonal tasting menus, one based on vegetables, one based on seafood, are both very well designed - a great choice for vegetarians and pescatarians. Dishes were generally lovely, but only a single dish was solidly in three-star territory
ES:SENZ - Grassau
Over two dozen unique presentations often acknowledged the restaurant’s location near the Bavarian Alps. Great main courses were bookended by a few misses among the appetizers and desserts
Quattro Passi - Marina del Cantone
A beautiful ocean view and a few amazing pasta and seafood courses - a nice payoff after our arduous journey to get to this restaurant
Localis - Sacramento
The menu changes completely every five weeks, but always contains some gems. An engaging at-the-counter experience and a great wine pairing made for a fun dinner
The Ledbury - London
Excellent modern French cuisine with many British ingredients, including several mushrooms grown in-house. Many delicious dishes made it easy to forget a few service mishaps
Ikoyi - London
Lots of spices (often African) and frequent combinations of savory and sweet make for an exciting fine-dining experience. Most dishes are very good, but occasionally the interplay of flavors becomes a bit overwhelming
Harutaka - Tokyo
Japan’s only current three-star sushi restaurant serves consistently delicious nigiri, but its appetizers are a bit more hit and miss
Atomix - New York
Small bites inspired by Korean cuisine are generally pleasant, but rarely reach the heights suggested by the restaurant’s lofty 8th place on the 50 Best Restaurants list
Quince - San Francisco
San Francisco’s usually dependable three-star was surprisingly rocky after a recent remodeling. Desserts were still excellent, but the savory dishes were uneven and the service often haphazard
Noor - Córdoba
A tasting menu of Andalusian dishes from the 17th century contained more misses than hits. Without the historical context of the dishes, it was hard to appreciate them fully
Disfrutar - Barcelona
A tour de force of molecular gastronomy, with countless surprising, fun and tasty courses. Many dishes could have been made similarly delicious without using culinary trickery, though
Aqua - Wolfsburg
Modern German cooking at a high level. The seafood dishes were particularly delicious
Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler - Brunico
Seasonal, local cuisine from the Italian Alps is still the name of the game at the successor of restaurant “St. Hubertus”. The setting has become much nicer, but the fall menu was a small step down from the summer menu that we had previously enjoyed
Cloudstreet - Singapore
French cuisine with some Sri Lankan and Australian influences and great service. The food is best when it leans into the chef’s Sri Lankan heritage
La Marine - L'Herbaudière
Seasonal seafood and vegetables star in a tasting menu with many fantastic dishes. Maybe a bit repetitive overall, but that might be due to the season
Hiša Franko - Kobarid
Seasonal cuisine with local ingredients, wines and cheeses from Slovenia. Preparations and ingredients were varied, and generally very tasty
Chao Shang Chao - Beijing
Technically impressive execution of Chinese regional Chaoshan cuisine, but the flavors and textures were only a mixed success