Opinionated About Dining's 30 Most Important U.S. Resturants

Steve Plotnicki and Opinionated About Dining released today their list of the 30 most important (best?) American restaurants as determined by their nationwide survey. The list is pretty good, significantly better than the Gourmet Magazine list from a few years ago. It's great to see Town House (23rd) recognized as one of the country's best restaurants, and for my money, it is deserving of a significantly higher rating. The only egregious mistake (other than Le Bernardin which is always way overrated) in my opinion is Mini-bar at #6. It's a great restaurant, but at #6, it is drastically overrated (the second-to-none atmosphere leads people to over value the quality of the food). If the standard is importance, perhaps one has an argument for Mini-bar at #6, but I participate in this survey and know that the ratings are based on what's best and not what's important. Otherwise, this is a pretty good list with which to begin sampling the pantheon of American cuisine.

Here's the list:

1. The French Laundry, Yountville

2. Per Se, New York

3. Masa, New York

4. Manresa, Los Gatos

5. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills

6. Mini-bar, Washington, DC

7. Urasawa, Beverly Hills

8. Jean Georges, New York

9. Alinea, Chicago

10. Corton, New York

11. McCrady's, Charleston, SC

12. Le Bernardin, New York

13. Sushi Yasuda, New York

14. Guy Savoy, Las Vegas

15. Schwa, Chicago

16. Kuruma Zushi, New York

17. Eleven Madison Park, New York

18. Momofuku Ko, New York

19. Komi, Washington, DC

20. Cyrus, Healdsburg

20. Providence, Los Angeles

22. Marinus, Carmel

23. Town House, Chilhowie

24. Coi, San Francisco

25. Hugo's, Portland, ME

26. Bouley, New York

27. Aubergine, Carmel-by-the-Sea

28. Atelier de Joel Robuchon, New York

29. O Ya, Boston

30. Elements, Princeton, NJ

www.opinionatedaboutdining.com/2010results.html

New Belgium Ranger IPA

Moving to a state where Bell's Beer is absent was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Seriously, Larry Bell really needs to get into the country's second most populous state. Although there are plenty of solid beers available in Texas (e.g, Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye, Saint Arnold Elissa IPA, and 512 IPA), nothing has come close to approaching the flavor, complexity, aroma, balance, and drinkability of Bell's Two Hearted Ale (the world's single greatest year-round beer). At least until now. New Belgium released its highly anticipated Ranger IPA last week. While a slight notch below the aforementioned Two Hearted Ale, it undoubtedly is the best session IPA I've had in Texas.

Although it produces only a small head, it pours a beautiful, clean golden orange. The aroma is floral hoppiness at its best and showcases a lot of pine. You gotta love hops. It hits you with hops up front on the tongue and follows with a nice citrus maltiness before ending hoppy but with only a medium bitterness. Overall, it's hoppy, balanced, and ridiculously tasty. Just what an IPA should be. Although this is New Belgium's first foray into overt hoppiness (at least as far as I know), Ranger IPA is a significant achievement. It's demonstrably better than anything else in New Belgium's arsenal and is the first beer that will earn New Belgium an unqualified Monger recommendation (and definitely a lot of repeat business).

New Belgium Ranger IPA

6.5% ABV

70 IBUs

www.newbelgium.com/beer/ranger-ipa

Jeffrey's - Austin, Texas

Although somewhat of a longstanding Austin institution, Jeffrey's kitchen is currently headed by 32-year-old Deegan McClung. His supposedly "fresh take" on the Austin establishment drew Sweetmonger and I to his dining room on a recent Saturday night. All in all, it was a good meal, but when a restaurant describes itself as "on par with major dining spots around the world," the restaurant should at least be on par with the best dining spots in its own city. Jeffrey's is not.

Before we get into the food, Jeffrey's started out the evening with a major service snaffu. Our waitress brought out our amuse and then literally 14 seconds later our appetizers arrived. Probably just a one time thing but it was annoying.

Amuse of carrot-ginger soup

This was very tasty, probably the best thing I had all night. Balanced, yet boldly flavored. I wish I would have had more time to savor it though (see the above mentioned service snaffu). Very good.

Kennebec Potato Gnocchi, roasted Artichoke, "Boggy Creek Farm" winter greens, Chilis de Arbol, Parmesan & Artichoke Oil

The gnocchi were light and expertly textured. The broth was very tasty. This was a nice, opening dish. Good approaching very good.

Crispy Oysters Original on Yucca Chips with Habanero-Honey Aioli & Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Fried oysters with habanero-honey aioli and pineapple Pico de Gallo. It's hard to screw up a combination of these ingredients, and Jeffrey's did not. Although apparently these have been a Jeffrey's signature for some time, they are every bit as modern as the rest of the menu tries to be. I could have eaten many, many more. Very Good.

Barnaget Lighthouse Scallops with Richardson Farm's Pork Belly, Sweet & Sour baby beets, Broccoli "Cous Cous," & Pork Jus

Other than the obvious attractiveness of scallops and pork belly, we primarily got this dish to see how it compared to a similar dish we had at a month ago at another restaurant. Unfortunately, there was no comparison. Whereas the earlier version was graceful and precise, this dish was clumsy and heavy handed. The pork belly was not skillfully integrated into the dish but rather just stuck on the plate between the two scallops. The plate was covered in a beet juice sauce that appeared to have been just thrown on the plate. The Broccoli "Cous Cous" was nothing more than an afterthought and completely unnecessary, revealing a chef who is not yet confident enough to limit the number of things he puts on a plate. Now, all that being said, the scallops were very nicely textured and tasted very good. The pork belly was too dry though. Good.

Dewberry Farms organic Chicken paneed with carmalized Salsify, Boggy Creek Garm Greens, and sauce Grenobloise

When we ordered this dish, we missed the "paneed" in the description. Thus, when it came out breaded, we were a little surprised--although we have no one but ourselves to blame. Otherwise, there isn't a whole lot to say about this dish. It was slightly over salted but nothing too egregious. The presentation was nothing to write home about. It revealed, again, a heavy handedness that is a major detraction at a fine dining restaurant. Okay

Also, the portion sizes at Jeffrey's are significantly larger than what Sweetmonger and I are accustomed to (although some may view this as a good thing). Thus, we were way too full to try dessert.

My overall impression of Jeffrey's is that it is a good restaurant with significant room for improvement. The appetizers showcased very nice flavors and displayed skill in presentation. The entrees, while decent, showed little skill in integrating flavors and creating attractive presentations.

Jeffrey's Restaurant & Bar

1204 W. Lynn St.

Austin, Texas 78703

(512) 477-5584

www.jeffreysofaustin.com

Corton & Momofuku Ko in 8 hours: The Monger's Cousins visit New York City

So my cousins went on a whirlwind culinary tour of New York City two weekends ago. Here was their schedule and take on the food.

Friday

Lunch: The Spotted Pig (1 Michelin Star)

"Best deviled eggs ever." "Very good hamburger."

(My own dinner at The Spotted Pig a year or so ago was 3 1/2 cutting boards.)

Dinner: Tasting menu at Daniel (3 Michelin Stars)

"Exceptional service and very good food (though not as good as Per Se)." "Daniel Boulud was there working the room."

(My own dinner at Daniel a couple years ago was a huge disappointment: barely 2 1/2 cutting boards. I'm glad to see it has improved.)

Saturday

Lunch: Momofuku Ko (2 Michelin Stars)

"Very good food." "Our favorite thing was actually quite simple: a bagel bite. It was like a tiny ball that burst with scallions and bacon cream cheese when eaten. It was quite impressive."

Dinner: Tasting menu at Corton (2 Michelin Stars)

"By far the best meal of the weekend." "More complex and interesting than the others." "Flawless flavor combinations." "Excellent wine pairings including a 1968 Maderia and a 1985 Gewurtzraminer."

Sunday

Lunch: Marea (1 Michelin Star)

"The pastas were excellent." "Unfortunately, we didn't try that much because we were so full."

It really blows my mind how they were able to do 9 Michelin stars (and more impressively 17 cutting boards) in 48 hours. Perhaps it should be something I aspire to in the future. Anyway, congratulations to them.

24 Diner (Breakfast) - Austin, Texas

It's been a tough last 24 hours for The Monger. First, the Texas wide receivers couldn't catch a football to save their lives last night and (along with Mack Brown's amateur moment) essentially handed the national championship to Alabama on a silver platter. Second, Sweetmonger and I followed up our disappointment last night with breakfast this morning at 24 Diner where we tasted, without doubt, the worst waffles ever made by man. I mean they were terrible: bland like cardboard, tough like concrete, and served at room temperature. I mean seriously . . . how hard is it to make a decent waffle. This is especially egregious at 24 Diner because waffles are a prominent feature on their breakfast menu. What makes matters worse is that we also tried a delicious veggie frittata, a very good house-made veggie sausage (24 doesn't try to conceal the vegginess with a ton of salt), and very tasty, deeply flavored coffee. But the unparalleled awfulness of the waffles are a big deterrent from ever returning.

24 opened about a month ago across from Whole Foods. I think the plan is to be somewhat of a more upscale competitor to Kerbey Lane Cafe and Magnolia. The menu is certainly upscale comfort food and is attractive. The restaurant has a good beer list, and as I mentioned above we tasted some good food there. But I don't think I can say this enough: The Waffles Are Terrible. If these waffles are 24's answer to Kerbey Lane's pancakes, 24 is going to be in for a slaughter.

24 Diner

600 North Lamar

Austin, Texas 78703

(512) 472-5400

www.24diner.com

Lunch - Austin, Texas

Austin has a lot of good or really good lunch spots throughout the city. Here are The Monger's five current favorites.

Food Heads

This is a wonderful sandwich spot a little north of campus. Sweetmonger and I have probably made a monthly visit since we moved here and have tried many different things on the menu as the sandwiches are semi-creative and extremely well-executed.

The star is a Spicy Apple Pork Tenderloin sandwich with grilled pork loin combined with smoked Gouda cheese, spicy apple and onion relish, spinach, and a homemade honey Dijon mustard served on a toasted baguette. This is a great sandwich with an exciting flavor combination of the savory, sweet, bitter, and spicy. It also is a textural marvel as the bread is perfectly crisp, the Gouda is delicately smooth, the loin is porky, and the apple relish crunches just right. Other great sandwiches include: a Garlic and Herb roasted lamb with eggplant, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber-feta mayonnaise which is a great Austin take on Mediterranean; and a refreshing Grilled squash, fresh mozzarella, cilantro pesto, and blackberry balsamic.

Although it is not cheap and the restaurant can get a little crowded at peak times, one can really not go wrong with a sandwich from Food Heads.

Food Heads

616 W. 34th St.

Austin, TX 78705

(512) 420-8400

www.foodheads.com

Lulu B's

The Lulu B's Chinese BBQ pork sandwich is the best sandwich I have had since I moved to Austin. It is deeply flavored yet refreshing, and the various textures at play (perfectly crisp french baguette, cucumbers, carrots, jalapenos, and the smooth pork) make this such an interesting piece of food. The other sandwiches, which include a spicy lemongrass chicken, are not slouches and are almost just as good. On food alone this is probably Austin's best lunch spot. However, it is a trailer off the side of the road with limited kitchen space, and it does not appear as if Lulu B's was ready for quick popularity. Multiple visits have yielded an average wait time of 30 minutes. At any other sandwich place, including Food Heads, this would be unacceptable, but Lulu B's is worth it. I have been upset by the wait multiple times and have vowed never to return, but as soon as I taste the sandwich, I disregard my vow.

Lulu B's

2113 South Lamar Blvd.

Austin, TX 78704

(512) 921-2828

www.myspace.com/lulubssandwiches

The Screaming Goat

This place is great for a good, cheap, and wet lunch. The tacos are tasty and cheap. The daily beer specials are cheap as well, and the spicy queso is excellent: probabably as good as anywhere in the city. While the tacos don't quite approach the quality of the city's best quick tacos (Torchy's, among others), the price and the queso make The Screaming Goat hard to beat.

The Screaming Goat

900 W. 10th St.

Austin, TX 78703

(512) 477-4628

www.thescreaminggoat.com

Phoenicia Bakery and Deli

There isn't a whole lot to say about this great little Middle Eastern deli on South Lamar. They simply make an excellent chicken shawarma (very garlicy) and a lamb and beef gyro (less garlicy).

Phoenicia Bakery and Deli

2912 South Lamar Blvd.

Austin, TX 78704

(512) 447-4444

www.phoeniciabakery.com

Salvation Pizza

This is most likely Austin's best pizza: thinish crust, minimal yet enough cheese, very tasty tomato sauce, and an abundance of available toppings. What makes it a great lunch spot is its daily special: $5.99 for two slices, a salad, and a non-alcoholic drink (although I typically go for one of the craft beers on draft).

Salvation Pizza

624 W. 34th St.

Austin, TX 78705

(512) 535-0076

www.salvationpizza.com

Russian Monger reflects on the decade in film

Here are my thoughts on this decade in film:

Good stuff:

Almost Famous - Simply the best.
High Fidelity - I guess I like music related movies.
Wonder Boys - Michael Douglas usually portrays slick talkers, but he is much better as a disheveled pothead.
Frost/Nixon - Nixon was always fascinating to me.
City of God - Everyone liked this. I did too.
The 40 Year Old Virgin - Had to put in some comedy, this was a good one.
The Hangover - Another good comedy.
Minority Report - I like sci-fi; this was a good one.
Love Actually - My favorite of the many recent great romantic comedies.
The Lives of Others - Liking foreign films makes me smart.
Oldboy - Might as well include a good Asian foreign film.

Stuff that annoyed me:

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - 10 hours of hobbits searching for some lava...seriously?
Crash - We get it, everyone is prejudiced in some way...thanks.
Garden State - It was the decade of the hipster.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Hipsters love quirky nonsense stories.
Juno - Annoying hipster dialogue.
Little Miss Sunshine - Annoying hipster Proust references.
Wes Anderson Films - These films go nowhere.
Into the Wild - Why would anyone glorify a dumbass who went to live in the Alaskan wild without basic supplies or a brain?
The Dark Knight - How do you wire an entire hospital with bombs without anyone noticing?
Star Wars Prequels - George Lucas became an idiot.
Anything with Sean Penn - He annoys me, especially his nose.
Musicals: Chicago, Moulin Rouge, Dreamgirls, etc. - Really? Who can actually sit through one of these?
Adults watching Pixar/Dreamworks cartoons - You are not 12. Finding Nemo should not be your favorite movie.
Michael Moore Crap - Easily the worst films by biggest idiot in the world.

Uchi - Austin, Texas

Sweetmonger took me to Uchi recently for one of my Christmas presents. We ended up fashioning our own 7 course tasting menu. And here we go:

Thinly sliced flounder, smoked sea salt, yuzu zest, daikon, quinoa candy

Our opening course was delightfully refreshing. The flounder was tasty and smoothly textured. Certainly a palate enhancer. Good.

5 Piece Sushi

We followed the flounder with a 5 piece chef's sushi selection. From left to right, we got tuna, halibut, salmon, flounder, and escolar. Other than inexplicably giving us a flounder sushi since we had just ordered the flounder dish, this course was very nice. Although I am not a sushi connoisseur, I found the fish nicely textured and border-line delicious. The escolar was certainly the star . . . what a balanced fish. Very good.

Bluefin Tuna Belly Sushi; John Dory, finger lime, wasabi

We ordered two of the daily sushi specials. The tuna belly was what tuna belly should be: rich, smooth, and delicious. Very good. The John Dory was a waste of $7 though: just unbelievably disappointing and wiry textured. Not good.

Biendo Roll: Tempura and raw tiger shrimp, spicy viet vin, frozen grape salsa

This was the best seafood dish of the night as it was an great combination of spicy, sweet, smooth, crunchy, hot, and cold. I would not hesitate to order it every time at Uchi. Very good.

Pan-seared diver scallops, dehydrated lime, salsify, Thai chile

This was a nice dish. The scallops were sweet and juicy, and the dehydrated lime provided a good crunchy texture contrast. The aromatics were also very nice. Good . . . almost very good.

Bacon sen: roast pork belly, granny smith apple puree, cilantro, sherry vinegar, shaved fennel

I love this dish. I believe it would work in terms of taste and texture (although obviously not stylistically) in any restaurant in the world. The pork belly is rich and salty, and the apple puree is delicious and is a great contrast: a salty and sweet combination that would probably make any chef proud. Excellent.

Dark chocolate sorbet, maple, tobacco, scotch

I was not expecting this as my previous dessert experiences at Uchi have been disappointing, but this was truly delicious. The scotch-tobacco puree that brought everything together was something of an oxymoron: a mild-yet very tasty addition. Excellent.

I really enjoy eating at Uchi, and all things considered, it probably is Austin's best restaurant (and almost certainly its best fine dining experience). However, in the grand scheme of things, I'm not really sure what that means. I certainly would not call it a "must" on a visit to Austin. The Mexican and BBQ in this city are almost just as praise worthy and certainly more uncommon in quality relative other versions in American cuisine than is Uchi. Also, as much as I love dining at Uchi, in 5 meals I have only had two things that have wowed me: the various versions of the Bacon Sen and this recent chocolate-tobacco dessert. For a Japanese restaurant supposedly specializing in exciting uses of fish, I find this fact a little disconcerting.

Uchi

801 South Lamar

Austin, Texas 78704

(512) 916-4808

http://www.uchiaustin.com/

Kitchen 2404 - Washington, DC

If family or friends were looking to move to the DC area, and wanted to live in a neighborhood with the highest proportion of good restaurants, I'd have to direct them to Clarendon.... But if they were insistent on living in DC then Glover Park would be the choice.

Every restaurant that moves into Glover Park seems committed to maintaining a certain quality standard, and Kitchen belongs on that list. Although I've only eaten at Kitchen a few times and only can speak to a handful of items on the menu, I have really enjoyed every meal and have heard my basic sentiments supported by almost everyone else that frequents Kitchen.

The ribs, in particular, are fantastic. They are significantly better than any other ribs I've eaten in DC or the immediate suburbs (read: Rocklands, Red, Hot & Blue, Urban BBQ), and left me completely satisfied. The wings also are supossed to be great and I like the Mac & Cheese.

Despite my high opinion of Kitchen, there are two basic reasons I've highlighted that almost everyone enjoys this restaurant. First, it is awfully expensive for comfort food. Something about a po boy sandwich costing $12 just doesn't seem right - no matter how good it is. Second, it seems to be caught up in the bizarre culture conflict in DC between oxfords and ironic t-shirts. I'm not going to entertain the sheer stupidity of this high school clique conflict other than to say that I believe that the restaurant's atmosphere turns-off certain people despite its good food.

All in all, Kitchen deserves 2 and a half cutting boards. It would be rated higher if it was a little more affordable.

Kitchen 2404

2404 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 333-3877

www.kitchen2404.com

Town House - Chilhowie, Virginia

Nothing like a year-ending meal at Town House to bring The Monger out of seclusion. 2009 was not a great dining year for me. First, law school has drastically shrunk my dining (and travel) budget, and this year has seen my wife and I cook more than we ever have. Second, Austin just isn't a world-class (or even a very good) food city. Outside of BBQ and Mexican, the food is simply hit and miss, with an emphasis on the miss. Thus, when I say that my fourth 2009 meal at Town House was my second-best meal of the year (the best was an absolutely flawless six-course not blogged about meal at Town House in May), it probably isn't saying that much. Nevertheless, Tuesday's meal was extraordinary. John and Karen Urie Shields are cooking at a level that few chefs in this country are. Town House obviously remains The Monger's favorite restaurant.

Here's the rundown (the pics are from Town House's blog as it proved impossible to get my pics off the camera I borrowed):

Black Olive Oil Cookie

These cookies are delicious.

Pork Belly Taco

This was one of the best things I had all night. The taco shell was perfectly crisp. The pork belly was fatty and salty, and the cilantro on top was refreshing. I probably could have eaten 10 (or more) of these little things and been content with my meal. I would love to have a larger version somewhere in the tasting menu. Excellent.

Link to Picture, # 2 (from MessyCuisine's meal at Town House)

Chilled Vegetable Minestrone

Deceptively simple but an incredible amount of work goes into this dish. The 16 vegetables are shaved razor thin and topped with an enhancing chilled vegetable broth. This is one of Town House's best exercises in restraint as the chefs really allow the vegetables to speak for themselves. Excellent.

"Brulee" of Smoked Salmon Roe with flavors of coconut, mustard, avocado, banana, celery, and cilantro

This dish was a triumph. It was bold yet balanced. Striking yet graceful. The roe, while the centerpiece, allowed everyone else to showcase their talents. This is as good as food gets. Superb. Astonishing. Beyond belief.

The Orange from Valencia

This was the only miss of the night. The technique was impressive: pureeing an orange and then reforming it to hide a mayonnaise of mussels, olive oil, saffron, crystallized onion, and bread. However, I found the pureed, reformed orange to be too bitter. I couldn't get passed it to enjoy the hidden mussel mayonnaise. Okay.

Scrambled Egg Mouse with fall spices and birch syrup

The mouse topped some pickled ramps. A smooth, rich dish. Excellent.

Chorizo Bouillon

I was not a big fan of this dish when I had it about a year ago. Two things changed. First, Town House made some delicious shrimp and pig chorizo (not pictured) to go along with the soup. Second, I didn't pop the cuttlefish dumpling in the bowl this time but rather allowed it to pop in my mouth. It was an explosion of flavor. Very Good.

Nantucket Bay Scallops and Pork Belly with sprouted mung beans, red cabbage juice, finger lime, and topped with toasted garlic

This was the Town House's take on bacon wrapped scallops. I think that is enough said. Excellent.

Lamb cooked in Ash with dried fruit, black garlic marmalade, and wild rice "polenta"

The lamb is actually cooked in ash to get some smokey flavor and the kitchen then refashions something to look like ash. It's a great presentation, and the lamb was juicy and tasty. Very Good.

Covered in Snow . . . Foggy Ridge's Pippin Apple with Thai beef-green curry, cumin, aerated milk chocolate and peanut.

Considering Southwestern Virginia got blasted with a foot of snow over the weekend, this dessert was timely, although I'm not really sure what was going on with it. There were a lot of Asian flavors. Something that reminded me of peanut butter. No matter, it was the best dessert of the night. Excellent.

Candied Parsnip

Flavors of lemongrass provided another Asian-themed dessert. Very Very good. That's about all I remember.

Powdered Chocolates with a steamed yuzu sponge, bergamot, and an aromatic "salad" of herbs

A lot of chocolate textures. Excellent flavor. A great end to a great meal.

This was a wonderful way to end 2009. Hopefully, 2010 will be a better dining year for me. I will be working in Washington, D.C., during the summer, and I am already planning trips to Per Se and Corton in New York, Volt in Maryland, and Tarver King's Ashby Inn in Paris, Virginia. I may even throw in a trip to the other Paris before the end of the year. Of course, next summer will see at least two trips to Town House.

I also want to mention Riverstead, Town House's inn. Although my wife and I aren't staying there this Christmas vacation, we did spend our wedding night (after a Town House prepared wedding reception) in one the the inn's two luxurious guest rooms. It is fabulous and is situated along the Holston River on a 40 acre farm. I recommend that anyone traveling to Town House spend the night there.

Town House

132 East Main St.

Chilhowie, Virginia 24319

(276) 646-8787

www.townhouseva.com

townhouseblog.blogspot.com