Best of the Best

Our best of list
For each category, (other than the top ten restaurants) we list our favorite first then a runner up below in in italics. If no runner up then we really couldn’t think of a close second.
Last edited (05/30/10)

	Wife	Self
Restaurant	1. Alinea 2. Le Bernardin 3. Schwa 4. L’Osier 5. Quintessence 6. Per Se 7. Crush 8. Izusen 9-tie. Komi 9-tie. Minibar at Cafe Atlantico 10. Tartine	1. Quintessence 2. Le Bernardin 3. Alinea 4. La Fontaine de Mars 5. Crush 6. Yubani 7. Schwa 8. Craigie Street Bistro 9. Tartine 10. Per Se
Ambiance	L’Osier - – - – - Schwa	Schwa - – - – - Gary Danko
Decor	Uma no Me - – - – - Per Se	Uma no Me - – - – - 2941
Service	L’Osier - – - – - Gary Danko	Star Bar - – - – - Sushi Dai
Romantic	Crush - – - – - Komi	Schwa - – - – - Gary Danko
Best Value at a High End (excluding RW deals)	“Lunch Lickity Split” Menu, Restaurant Eve - – - – - Gary Danko	Lunch “Lickity Split” Menu, Restaurant Eve - – - – - Palena’s Cafe Menu
Best Meal under $12 per person	China Bistro	Minerva
Plating	Alinea - – - – - L’Osier	L’Osier - – - – - Per Se
Disappointment	Mushroom - – - – - L’Ambroisie	Central Michel Richard - – - – - Range
Wow Dish	Spoonful of Happiness, Koo - – - – - Far Breton, Quintessence	Botarga (Polenta, Chocolate), Schwa - – - – - Far Breton, Quintessence
Bread	2941 - – - – - Farrah Olivia	La Masion Kayser - – - – - Restaurant Eve
Drink	The Fig Tree, PX - – - – - Muscat Grape Gin, Star Bar	Luscious and Sexy Flight, Minibar at Cafe Atlantico - – - – - Weingut Kerpen – Graacher Himmelreich , Mosel-Saar-Ruwer (Riesling spatlese), 2941
Amuse Bouche	Mushroom Amuse Bouche, Martini House - – - – - Salmon Tartare with Sesame Cone, Per Se	Chilled Melon Soup, Per Se - – - – - Oyster Shooter, Schwa
Appetizer	Spoonful of Happiness, Koo - – - – - Raw Egg on Top of Mushrooms, Taberna del Alabardero	Pancetta Wrapped Frog Legs with Sunchoke Purée, Potato and Lentils, Gary Danko - – - – - Petite Pate Forrestier, La Fontaine de Mars
Raw Fish	Sashimi of Atlantic Fluke, Per Se - – - – - Bluefin Toro with Black Truffle and Porcini Mushrooms Crudo, Komi	Sashimi of Atlantic Fluke, Per Se - – - – - Horse Mackerel, Sushi Dai
Foie Gras Dish	Foie Gras with Pickled Shallots & Ginger Dates Stuffed with Mascarpone, Komi - – - – - Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, 2941	Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras “Steak”, Crush - – - – - Foie Gras (Pear, White Wine, Allspice), Alinea
Soup	Yuzu Soup, Izusen - – - – - Soupe de Potiron Grand-Mere Servi en Etouffe de Potimarron, Chez L’Ami Jean	Parmentiere de Noix de Saint-Jacques au Cresson Truffle Blanche O Berluti, L’Ambroisie - – - – - Soupe de Patate Douce, Quintessence
Salad	Chilled Maine Lobster, Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad, Martini House - – - – - Maine Lobster Salad, 2941	Duck Pastrami Salad with Balsamic Vinegar, Restaurant Eve - – - – - King Trumpet Mushroom Carpaccio, Martini House
Entree	Skate, Le Bernardin - – - – - Fresh Shucked Maine Lobster & Potato Gnocchi, Crush	Veritable Cassoulet aux Haricots Tarbais, La Fontaine de Mars - – - – - Black Bass, Le Bernardin
Fowl Dish	Herb Roasted Four Story Hill Farm’s Squab , Per Se - – - – - Supreme de Volailee Roti Pais Crème Fracon Blauquette, L’Ami Jean	Herb Roasted Four Story Hill Farm’s Squab, Per Se - – - – - Jidori Chicken Breast & Black Truffle Agnolotti, Crush
Beef Dish	Kobe Beef, Wakkoqu - – - – - “Philly Cheesesteak”, Minibar at Cafe Atlantico	Steak Diablo, Ray’s The Steaks - – - – - Roasted Lion of Bison with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Glazed Cipollini Onions and Herb Spaetzle, Gary Danko
Pork Dish	Pork Belly, Alinea - – - – - Sausage Platter, Kurobuta	Veritable Cassoulet aux Haricots Tarbais, La Fontaine de Mars - – - – - Rohsu-katsu Tonkastu, Tonki (Hoten)
Fish Dish	Black Bass, Le Bernardin - – - – - Cusisson Nacree, Quintessence	Black Bass, Le Bernardin - – - – - Some creamy fish dish at Taberna del Alabardero (Sorry this was before I took notes)
Seafood (Not Fish) Dish	Skate, La Bernardin - – - – - Fresh Shucked Maine Lobster & Potato Gnocchi, Crush	Seared Sea Scallops, Foreign Cinema - – - – - Lobster (Parfait, Salad, Soup), Alinea
Pizza	Funghi Pizza, A16 - – - – - Shrimp & Shrimpy Tomato Sauce, Olives, Capers, Garlic and Parsley Pizza, 2 Amy’s	Funghi Pizza, A16 - – - – - Pizza with Mozzarella, Fresh Asiago, House Made Bacon, Rapini and Red Onions, Zuni Cafe
Pasta/Noodle	Tagliatelle (Huckleberries, Black Truffle, Veal Heart), Schwa - – - – - Goose Egg Ravioli, Palena	Spaghetti in Black Octopus Ink, Some other Restaurant in Venice - – - – - Seiro Soba, Kanda Yabu Soba
Potatoes	Duck Fat Fries, Hot Doug’s - – - – - Shoestring Potatoes, Zuni Cafe	Dauphine Potatoes, Palena - – - – - Shoestring Potatoes, Zuni Cafe
Dessert	Banana Cream Tart, Tartine Bakery - – - – - Ambrosie, Hidemi Sugino	Chocolate-Sweet Potato, Le Bernardin - – - – - Cherry Crostata with Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato, Babbo
Cheese	Beer and Pretzel (Chimay), Schwa - – - – - Dancing Ewe Caciotta Fritters with Honey and Thyme, Babbo	Dancing Ewe Caciotta Fritters with Honey and Thyme, Babbo - – - – - Mini Pizza, Komi

Ethnic Food List located in the DC/Baltimore Area.

American	Palena
Chinese	China Star - – - – - Mama Wok
French	Marcel’s
Indian	Minerva - – - – - Curry and Kabob
Italian	Obelisk
Japanese	Sushi – Ko - – - – - Sushi Taro
Korean	Lighthouse Tofu
Latino	Minibar at Cafe Atlantico - – - – - Granja de Oro
Middle Eastern	Rose Kabob - – - – - Reston Kabob
Spanish	Taberna Del Alabardero
Vietnamese	Viet Royale - – - – - Huong Viet

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2 Responses to “Best of the Best”

Jon Says:

Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 12:39 pm
“Spaghetti in Black Octopus Ink/gnocci, Some other Restaurant in Venice” – was it a small dark lit restaurant with dark wood trim located closer to Strada Nuova and not near the main tourist areas? I shared in those dishes and it was the ONLY great meal I had in Venice, could be one of the same.

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moldiver Says:

Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I do remember the dark wood trim, and it was a bit off from the main tourists area. Though I don’t think it was near the Strada Nuova area.

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