By Iron Chef Leftovers
The website thedailymeal.com, released their list of the 101 best restaurants in America. Seattle did fairly well, sporting 3 restaurants on the list, with Canlis coming in the highest at number 31. Here are the Seattle restaurants that make the list:
96. The Walrus and the Carpenter
70. Herbfarm
31. Canlis
Portland, despite the same number of restaurants on the list, did better in the overall rankings:
69. Beast
62. Le Pigeon
12. Pok Pok
Of the 6 on the list from the Northwest, I have been to 2 of them – Canlis (once) and Le Pigeon (four times). Honestly, Le Pigeon is a much better restaurant than Canlis and I can think of at least a half dozen places that I would rank ahead of Canlis just in Seattle.
Overall, the list is predictably dominated by restaurants from New York and San Francisco, which should surprise no one.
My problem with this list, and list like it, is that you end up with a lot of places on the list that have been around for a long time and, while they are excellent meals, are very dated and on their list because of their reputation. A couple that jump out: Peter Luger in NYC, Katz’s Deli in NYC, Al Forno in Providence, RI, and Canlis. I have eaten at all of these places. Canlis (which I have been meaning to review for a few months now) was a fine experience and well prepared, but was horribly expensive and didn’t really leave me thinking I have to come back to this place. Peter Luger and Al Forno were both the same way as Canlis and Katz’s is an overpriced tourist trap.
That being said, I think this list does a pretty good job accounting for newer restaurants and probably got the top 10 close to right.
One thing that I did notice – Boston, which is apparently on the short list for the next Top Chef season along with Portland, only had 1 restaurant on the list – O-Ya at number 88. Just another reason Boston is not really a great location for Top Chef to visit.
FlatbreadGarden 