Located in the heart of Tribeca, Corton is a partnership between renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent and chef Paul Liebrandt. Chef Liebrandt’s modern French menu melds the tradition of classical cuisine with a contemporary approach to ingredients and technique. The flavors are clean, precise and intense. The restaurant offers a three-course prix fixe menu, as well as a chef’s tasting menu. Corton, which was previously occupied by the well-respected Montrachet for more than 20 years, reflects a light and intimate style. With 65 seats, the serene dining room features vine and leaf embossed walls, vaulted ceilings, natural-toned chairs and inviting banquettes. Named for the largest area of Grand Cru in Burgundy, the restaurant highlights selections from Corton on its wine list. An extended portfolio of world-class wines is also available, and can be explored here.
Corton
239 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013
USA
T: +01 (212) 219-2777
Graydon Carter’s Monkey Bar is more than just an uptown version of the Waverly Inn: The setting is that perfect mix of elegance and high-powered drive that makes everyone feel like they’re stepping onto the set of a James Bond movie. This place is swank–in fact, you can practically feel the energy of movers and shakers who’ve tossed back their martinis here while taking in the frisky simian motif. Once you perch yourself on one of these olive-shaped bar seats, it seems as though almost anything can happen. Be prepared for a meat-centric meal, however–Monkey Bar doesn’t really do vegetables. Open 2pm-4am daily.
Monkey Bar
60 E. 54th St.
(Madison & Park Aves.)
Midtown
New York, USA
T: +01 212.838.2600
The Upper West Side has lost one Peruvian restaurant but gained another: Realizing that few can resist the allure of rotisserie chicken, the owners of Sipan have redone their restaurant as the fifth branch of Pio Pio (below), the popular Peruvian chainlet. The menu is more or less the same as the other Pio Pios: A $30.50 Matador Combo (a whole well-marinated rotisserie chicken, rice and beans, tostones, avocado salad, and a giant pile of fries topped with sliced hot dogs) is enough food to feed a small Peruvian army.
Pio Pio Restaurant
210 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016-4847
T: +01 (212) 481-0034
Hours : Daily, 11am-11pm
Majik Cafe
Corner of Palmotićeva and Džordža Vašingtona St.
T: +381 11 334 86 90
As you’d expect from the folks who brought you Paris’ St Germain and La Société, the new hot spot, Germain, a sleekly modern cube of a restaurant on the Left Bank, is a cut above. For years, the restaurant was fairly ignorable, your basic piped-in jazz and bar food type of place. But then the Costes brothers took over the restaurant, whipped it into shape and gave it a life. The main level is a brightly colored 80’s-esque look and feel – and even the music screams 80’s – while the second level VIP lounge is a bit more relaxed with couches and pool table. Nothing terribly exciting. But, then there’s Sophie.The single most noticeable feature of the restaurant is the massive yellow sculpture of a woman – “Sophie” – in a yellow overcoat and high heels. Sophie’s lower half stands on the restaurant’s main level while the upper torso and head break through the ceiling and into the second-level VIP lounge. The sculpture is one of three sculptures that Paris-based multi-disciplinary artist, Xavier Veilhan made of his friend Sophie for an exhibition at the Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery in Miami. Thierry Costes asked Veilhan to contribute to Le Germain, the artist thought that the three-story space could use one of his “Sophies.” So the structure was installed. So effectively, in fact, that it seems as though Sophie were always there, and that the restaurant had been built around her, much like a tree that was too precious to cut down.
Le Germain
25-27 rue de Buci
75006 Paris
T: 01 43 26 02 93.
Olivino offers a large selection of fine quality Italian and Sardinianwines as well as specially imported produce mainly from Sardinia.You can also find a selection of cured meats, cured / smoked fishand cheeses as well as freshly made sauces, salads, and sandwichesmade to order, and in true Italian style you can always grab a quickshot of Espresso at the counter.Because of its proximity to Olivomare, Olivino has the added benefit ofbeing able to offer a selection of fresh fish and shellfish which can beordered 24 hrs in advance. Our chefs can also clean and fillet any fish if requested.We also offer various ’special orders’ such as food hampers made toorder, filled with whatever you choose.And if you buy any case of wine (12 bottles) you will receive a 10% discount.
Olivino Delicatessen
12 Lower Belgrave Street
London, SW1W 0LJ
United Kingdom
T: 020 7730 9042
(Junior Suite from 820 EUR)
Hotel Sacher Wien combines contemporary Viennese comfort and luxury with the charm and feel of the old Habsburg monarchy. It is right in the city centre, close to the pedestrian shopping area Kärtnerstraße, opposite the Opera House and only a tiny walk away from St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Hofburg and the elegant Ringstraße. The hotel’s elaborate art collection and antiques shape the atmosphere of the hotel and allow guests to experience the traditional Viennese lifestyle. The character of the Hotel Sacher Wien is forged by elegant furniture, selected antiques, precious materials, as well as our famous collection of paintings. Stylish materials lend each room its unique charm.
Hotel Sacher Wien *****
Philharmonikerstrasse 4
Vienna, A-1010
Austria
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Yoli Frozen Yogurt
Invalidenstrasse 112
10115 Berlin
Mon-Fri : 11.00-20.00 / Sat : 2.00-18.00
LS Club is the new select design location for Prague’s business and entertainment elite to relax, dine and talk business if they wish. LS Club is to be more than a club; it wishes to be a space, a lifestyle, a privilege. The LS Club consists of several different rooms including the Members’ Lounge, the Crystal Bar, the Library, and Restaurant Shiso. Upon arrival the uniformed valet parks your vehicle, the doorman respectfully greets you and the floor manager then shows you to the Members’ Lounge, which is complete with designer leather armchairs by John Hutton, designer chandeliers by Rony Plesl, plasma screens showing worldwide news, and dark suede walls decorated with a photography exhibit by Rossano Maniscalchi. While you relax in the Members’ Lounge you can sip on cocktails made especially and expertly for LS Club served in designer glassware. Members can then treat themselves to the eclectic Asian cuisine created by top chefs and served in the stylish Restaurant Shiso, where the calm soothing Asian inspired interior invites lively conversation (Restaurant Shiso is open to the public but requires a reservation). After dining one may find him or herself in the warm library offered at LS Club, which features leather bound classics, comfortable leather armchairs, aged whiskeys and a humidor filled with top cigars. After a stimulating conversation and a rich whiskey one can then make their way to the Crystal Bar, named so for the multitude of crystals hanging from the ceiling, where one can relax to ambient beats from international DJs bouncing softly off the dark velvet walls. The Crystal Bar is furnished with plush comfortable seating and offers only the best-imported whiskeys, vodkas and gins, as well as vintage champagnes. The LS Club also employs a receptionist offering 24-hour concierge service. Membership is limited to select clientele, new members will be personally invited to join or will require an endorsement from a member of the LS Club. The application form can be downloaded from their website. Nowhere in Prague can one find such decadence, sophistication and style.
LS Club
U Milosrdných 6,
Praha 1
T: +420-222-312-677
Designed by architect/designer, Christian Biecher, the store has a bakery, a caviar bar, cafe and a wine tasting area called The Counter. With a mix of materials, including woods, metals for reflective high shine and some haute pink and polished finishes, Biecher has all the ingredients for any foodie’s gastronomic adventure.
Fauchon Paris
30 Place de la Madeleine
75008 Paris
France
T: +33 01 70 39 38 39
So-trendy-it-hurts restaurant bar on the top two floors of the LVMH building above the Kenzo store. As the name suggests, its South East Asian-inspired, with bad boy designer Philippe Starck bringing typically brash touches like a green florescent stairway and seats with female face prints on them to the glassy, light-filled duplex space of architect Jean-Jacques Ory. Pouty Parisian model types poke at their pricey Asian food and spend much of their time looking for the more beautiful types to enter. Cocktails are tasty but as pricey as the roof is high, while the view of the Seine is magnificent and the kudos of getting a table here well worth enduring the pretension.
Kong
1 Rue du Pont Neuf
75001 Paris, France
T: 01 40 39 09 00
Negro de Anglona Restaurant, housed in a palace in Hapsburg Madrid, Negro de Anglona offers a unique atmosphere, different and very meticulous (they bring the check in a music box).Faintly lit, the decor catches visitors? attention with its black and white contrast. The whiteness of its tablecloths, tableware and chairs appear almost in the darkness.The interior design is by Luis Galliussi, who made this atmosphere cosy and included an area featuring an exclusive lounge bar.In terms of gastronomy, Negro de Anglona boasts a menu with clear Mediterranean tendencies, a touch of fusion and unique desserts.A few examples of this are their gyozas over ponzu sauce, the mushroom and foie-gras mille-feuille, the venison sirloin with chestnut purée, the red tuna tataki or the vanilla-infused veal cheek. And for dessert, deconstructed tiramisu.
Negro De Anglona
C/ Segovia 1328005 Madrid
Spain
T: 91 366 37 53
Via DailyIcon … The Nomiya restaurant is replacing the Hotel Everland on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo for one year. Designed by the artist Laurent Grasso, the glass cube is part of the ‘Art Home’ culinary project by the Palais de Tokyo and Electrolux. The Nomiya concept developed for the Palais de Tokyo is a project that’s both inspired and named after the tiny Japanese bars. In the creation of Nomiya, Laurent Grasso was assisted by his brother, Pascal Grasso, an architect. Nomiya Space is a rectangular glass box about the size of a shipping container. “We tried to create an overall impression of airiness, transparency, floating,” said the French artist Laurent Grasso.
- Art Home
- Travel with Frank Gehry
The Sage restaurant is located right next door to Spindler & Klatt in Kreuzberg, the industrial district that is increasingly becoming known for its assortment of various design showrooms and restaurants. It is a bit of a middle-of-nowhere, to be honest, on the very waterfront of the river – however, the neighbourhood comes alive during the last hours of the day, and there is definitely no shortage of clubs and bars for spending the evening. Like most other Kreuzberg tenants, Sage is housed in a converted building of a former factory. The area is huge, and the immensely high ceiling just makes it look even more impressive. The exposed and somewhat tattered brickwork seems to have remained unchanged from the original interior. A practically endless communal table stretches across the middle of the room; it is as high as a bar counter, therefore you are unlikely to be able to reach the floor even when sitting on the high stools. Elsewhere an area with smaller tables is marked off by soft sofas while another part of the restaurant is reserved for guests enjoying a more formal dinner: white chairs, white tablecloths and a whole different ambience. The result – so many different moods in a single room – is surprising. The menu is likewise full of variations, from the sophisticated bouillabaisse for EUR 16 to the classical large pizza for two that will only set you back EUR 8. Whatever you choose, everything is fabulously delicious. The kitchen is partly open and visible to the customers; the restaurant bar surprises with an excellent choice of cocktails.
SAGE Restaurant
Köpenicker Str. 18-20
10997 Berlin
Germany
T: 030 75549407-1
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The Loft, nestled high above the hustle and bustle of Clapham High Street, is a super-sleek restaurant brought to you by the team from Plan B in Brixton. The open industrial space, candlelit tables, and award-winning cocktails give The Loft a New-York-style vibe, attracting south London’s fashionistas and well-heeled hipsters. The modern-Euro menu is surprisingly robust. Signature dishes include the roasted Gloucester Old Spot pork belly served with roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, caramelised apples and home made apple chutney; rabbit rillettes with sourdough toast and chive oil; and the home made Scottish beef burger served with chunky twice-cooked Maris Piper chips.
The Loft
67 Clapham High St
SW4 7TG
T: +44 (0)20 7627 0792
Scala Vinoteca
Sina 50 & Anagnostopoulou
Kolonaki
Atehns
Greece
T: +30 210 3610041
Vanilla is a luxury members only club in London and offers a stylish lounge that brings vibrancy and glamour to the London bar scene. The white interior provides a backdrop for the light of subtly changing colours that reflect the bars mood throughout the evening. Delicate drapes surround each contemporary table and chairs, providing privacy but allowing a view of the lively bar. Head chef, Izu Ani simply describes his food as ‘different’ not wishing to follow any particular cuisine but drawing influence from his own culture and putting into practice ideas he has gained from his experiences whilst working in some of the finest Michelin starred restaurants the world has to offer. Vanilla strives to provide an experience for guests, not just a meal.
Vanilla London
131 Great Titchfield Street
London, W1W 5BB
T: +44 (0)203 008 7763
La Bouitte, is like the home you’re only too happy to find after a long, hard day’s skiing in winter, or after a day’s hiking along the peaks in summer La Bouitte is about warmth, a fire in the grate, the table waiting, the covers set. The charm of the panelled bedrooms, warmed by their sumptuous beds, the charming ladders leading to dreamy lofts, and the sleep of the innocent. La Bouitte, it’s the home imagined for you by the Meilleur family. A concentration of welcome, refinement, smiles, knick knacks, knowing glances, warming souvenirs. La Bouitte is also and perhaps even firstly… the house that dares: an avant-garde cuisine, a bubbling hot tub in the snow, a dazzling centre of wellbeing in a traditional chalet.
Hotel Restaurant La Bouitte
Hameau de St Marcel
73440 St Martin de Belleville
France
T: +33 (0)4 79 08 96 77
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Legendary is an overused term, but it can be applied without hesitation to Joël Robuchon. Named Chef of the Century by the Gault Millau guide, Robuchon shocked the culinary world when he retired in 1996 at the age of just 50. He shocked the world again in 2003 when he burst back onto the Paris scene, not with a temple of gastronomy, but with his highly individual, up-market take on a tapas bar.The city queued around the smart 7th arrondissement block for the opportunity to grab one of the 36 stools arranged around the open kitchen, to sample tasting plates of Fresh Mackerel on a Thin Tart with Parmesan Shavings and Olives, Crispy Langoustine Fritter with Basil Pistou, and Quail stuffed with Foie Gras.It was a formula for considerable success, and now an army of black-uniformed chefs work around the world in a series of Ateliers as far afield as Hong Kong and Las Vegas, all sporting variations on the original black, red and dark wood contemporary design.If you’re lucky, you might just see the great man himself whipping up a portion of his world famous mash, but a team of dedicated lieutenants, including Eric Lecerf, man the kitchen with aplomb on a day-to-day basis.
Joel Robuchon
5-7 rue de Montalembert,
75007 Paris,
France
T: +33 (0)1 4222 5656
To dine at Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo’s Hôtel de Paris is to step back into a time of old-fashioned luxury. Each feature in the dining room, from the crystal chandeliers to the portraits of courtesans that hang on the gilded walls, mirrors the opulence of Versailles. As the name of Alain Ducasse’s restaurant suggests, each of the 50 diners who come to the Louis XV for lunch or diner are given the royal treatment.The hands of the marble clocks around the dining room are all stopped at 12 to remind guests of the gastronomic pleasures that await them. No one at Le Louis XV is starved for choice. There are 18 types of bottled water available, 10 varieties of herbal tea on the fresh infusion trolley, and the Sommelier Noel Bajor offers 950 different wines.Despite this amazing variety and the lavish décor, the menu reflects what Ducasse calls the “essential” cuisine of the French Riviera. Head Chef Franck Cerutti creates each dish with great technique, but as a native of Nice he also knows how to utilise the simplicity of Mediterranean cuisine. Ducasse knew that Cerutti would be perfect at the helm of Le Louis XV because he has “olive oil running through his veins”.
Le Louis X
Hôtel de Paris
Place du Casino,
MC 98000,
Monaco
T: +377 98 06 88 64
One of Dubai’s favourite designers, Karim Rashid has designed Switch fusion restaurant at the recently opened Dubai Mall. The ‘futuristic’ dining joint by Saudi Arabia-based Al Bassam Group will open in early January.
- Switch
Via Wallpaper … The first in a string of new riverside establishments in Seville has created waves among locals, who are flocking to this glass box with oxidised steel awning. The dining room carries the distinct trademarks of designer Jaime Montaner
Roselló, who has used floor-to-ceiling windows to give every table a serene view. Diners can enjoy an aperitif on the terrace overlooking the Guadalquivir River before feasting on head chef Willy Moya’s monkfish ceviche or coconut sorbet floating in a shrimp and salmorejo sauce.
Abades Triana
Calle Betis 69, Seville
T: 954.286 459
Gold fever is back! Italian designers Dolce and Gabbana have moved on in their pursuit of Gold. The duo has opened a new glitzy-ritzy restaurant with an entirely gold interior (not real gold to be exact). The 202-seat boite, just behind their Metropol show space, sports a first-floor gourmet restaurant, a ground-floor casual bistro and a small food shop that carries items from Gold’s traditional Mediterranean menu. Everything, from the stairs to the luminaries gleams in sparkling yellow hue.
D&G Gold
Via Carlo Poerio 2/A
20129 Milano
Italy
Exclusive, unique, a one-of-a-kind experience – the Hotel im Wasserturm, international luxury hotel in what used to be Europe’s largest water tower, is one of the most unusual hotels in Germany. Classified as a heritage site, you will find an extraordinary interior design of timeless modernity behind its 130 year-old walls. Designed by the interior designer Andrée Putman, the first-class hotel was opened in 1990 and today presents itself in an elegant style.
Restaurant La Vision : Pure enjoyment high above the roofs of the city: the art of Haute Cuisine is at home in our gourmet restaurant “La Vision”, awarded with 1* Michelin star, on the 11th floor. Our head chef Hans Horberth conjures up his proven classic gourmet cuisine modern and contemporary interpreted influences in what must be the kitchen with the “best prospects” in Cologne. Simply gorgeous – the view from the roof terrace, not only on summer-like days.
Hotel Im Wassertrum
Kaygasse 2
Köln, Germany
Some way out of town, an imposing concrete bunker-like building is home to cocoon, founded by techno-guru DJ Sven Väth. Images projected on the 100m membrane wall help create an underwater ambiance. Cocoon-like openings offer private party spaces. The complex has two restaurants : Silk is a loungery supper club with a set menu while Micro, the chocolate-toned bistroclub, offers communal tables heind curtains of glittery threads.
Micro, Silk & Cocoon Club
Carl Benz Strasse 21
Frankfurt
T: 900200
The Domaine des Andéols has a passion for the regions delightful fragrances, aromas, colors, and infinite nuances. It is also the passion of Alain Ducasse, who created the Domaine des Andéols – making it his fifth home. The extraordinary domain is composed of nine warm and beautiful, modern and independent houses. Each is a unique blend of originality, charm and comfort, a showcase of an amazing collection of rare and unusual objects.The nine guesthouses of the Domaine des Andéols are all different, for each one is a collection of memories. Memories and souvenirs of journeys, experiences, sensations that each piece of furniture, each color, each objects, recounts in its own specific way. The guesthouses include The Lovers House, The Cascade House, The Forever House, The House Afar, The Terrace House, The Red House, The White House, The Artists House and The Traveler House. All Nine independent houses are all large, friendly and comfortable.The table at Les Andeols is a voyage into the heart of the flavors of Provence, revisited, reinvented and re-orchestrated by Alain Ducasse. It is a gastronomic promenade where flavors and fragrances intermingle and blend, gathering and merging to the rhythm of the seasons.Body and Soul. Everything at Domaine des Andéols is designed for guests’ comfort, relaxation and joy. The covered and open-air pools, hammam, fitness and massage rooms will help guests achieve optimal well-being.
Domaine des Andéols
Les Andeols
Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, 84499
France
Via Yatzer … The opening of the first branch of the restaurant chain WakuWaku in Hamburg gives the starting signal for the company’s self-proclaimed revolution of the fast food sector. WakuWaku’s philosophy revolves around a consistently implemented concept of sustainability and good value, healthy food, which is prepared extremely quickly. The key theme of sustainability is realised in an undogmatic, creative and unconventional way. It is already inherent in the name: ‘Waku’ is Japanese and means stir-fried, cooking hot, and at the same time exciting and tantalising.WakuWaku’s culinary approach pursues a front-cooking concept, which allows you to watch the cooks at work. All dishes are wok-based and prepared using only organic ingredients. Wok cooking makes it possible to prepare individual dishes very fast (in under 5 minutes); it retains the nutrients and aroma of the ingredients, and uses only a small amount of oil. The menu is also unconventional, offering classic Asian dishes alongside German culinary classics such as Currywurst and Tafelspitz.The sustainability concept pervades the entire technical restaurant equipment – from energy-efficient kitchen technology, to the team uniform made from FAIRTRADE-certified materials, to economical hand dryers in the toilets.
WakuWaku
Schauenburgerstr. 55-57
20095 Hamburg
Germany
A seamless continuity, a modernism that grows naturally and instinctively out of the ancient, is the aim at Bras. If that sounds rather poetic, it’s meant to. This isn’t a restaurant that does anything as prosaic as merely feeding people. Instead, it’s an attempt to conjure the history, landscape and soul of this area of southern France in a series of thoughtful, attractive plates of food.At first glance, Bras itself – a light-flooded glass, granite and slate structure – may not seem that pastoral. But the building, built in 1992, is deliberately intended to root staff and diners into the land. Uninterrupted views of the surrounding countryside are best enjoyed from the raised, panoramic lounge, while the buildings are meant to mimic the stone peasant ‘burons’ that once littered the surrounding plateau.In many ways Bras is a traditional family business. Father and son, Michel and Sébastien, cook. Mother Ginette and daughter-in-law Véronique work here, too. While eating, you will use a traditional Laguiole (the local town) knife, and perhaps enjoy the local unpasteurised cow’s milk Laguiole cheese, in a dining room decorated with regional art works.But this is a traditional family business producing food that even the most radical ‘techno-emotional’ chef would appreciate the ambition of the cooking. Bras’s famous ‘gargouillou’, reinvents a peasant dish as an ever-changing, painstakingly assembled salad of 40 vegetables, flowers, herbs and seeds. Elsewhere, dishes are designed to insinuate a rusty autumn garden, or the winter light breaking through clouds. These are intended as multi-sensory, emotional and intellectual prompts that “resonate complex waves of pleasure”.To paraphrase a popular TV advert, this isn’t just food, this is Michel Bras’s interpretation of Aubrac on a plate. And it’s a truly gourmet experience.
Bras *** (3 Star Michelin)
Route de l’Aubrac
12 210 Laguiole
France
T: +33 (0)5 65 51 18 20
This extravagant cocktail bar and restaurant is positioned on Haymarket in the heart of London’s West End. Complete with carousel bar, lavish Vegas mirrors, stunning monochrome Fibonacci patterned walls and floor, imposing black stallions, giant bird cages, turquoise hand shaped chairs and lashings of fluorescent pink, the exaggerated splendour of The Electric Birdcage creates a magical environment in which to savour a superlative range of innovative cocktails, alongside contemporary Pan Asian cuisine.
The Electric Birdcage
11 Haymarket
London SW1Y 4BP
T: 020 7839 2424
In Casino de Madrid gastronomy has always been a form of union between healthy expression and the “tertulia”(social gathering). From the very hand of Ferran Adria (Michelin, three stars), gastronomic assessor of the Casino and his outstanding disciple Paco Roncero, head chef, come the best prepared gastronomic delights. From the restaurant “La Terraza del Casino” (Michelin,one star) on to the events and celebrations of the Halls and Function rooms to the Members Restaurant (Recoletos Restaurant), Casino de Madrid offer their members and clients a modern kitchen with rigorous selection of prime materials from the market. See more pictures Here.
La Terreza Del Casino * (1 Star Michelin)
Alcalá, 15
28014 Madrid, Spain
T: 915 321 275 – 915 218 700
This magnificent wedding cake of a chateau was once owned by Madame Pommery, that vivacious lady whose name, in the world of champagne, rivals that of the old widow Clicquot herself. And even now, Les Crayères is the essence of Champagne country. The parkland on which it sits is meticulously sculpted, with formal pebbled paths that take you past trees planted by Madame Pommery herself. Inside, the halls are graced with portraits of plump, creamy women and be-wigged men. Bedrooms have fat cushions, pale sprigged muslin over the windows and on the beds, the salon sports soaring ceilings and massive chandeliers and the dining room is a masterpiece in turn-of-the-century overstatement — all cherubs, tapestries and gilt.Start your day off with fresh chevre and coffee, then count the hours until lunch. Didier Elena’s cuisine is exquisite and almost surreally simple. This being Reims, the champagne flows and the foie gras abounds. In the summer, dine in the chateau’s garden — what distinguishes Les Crayères is its unpretentious atmosphere.This is a loving hands-on operation. Some of the staff members have been here for decades, and the maitre-d’ is generally acknowledged to be the most charming man in France. Each day he will meet you in the salon to go over your menu. Have you got the right balance of traditional and modern, fresh and pungent, rich and light? And once you thought you were finished, he scurries back with the wine list. It’s a good twenty-five minute process.Should you want to explore the surrounding country, just one call from Les Crayères to the Pommery vineyards will get you a free tour followed by a tasting of the best. Nothing is more reassuring. For wherever you go, apparently, your hosts will personally ensure that you are treated with utmost care.
Their restaurant has (2) ** Michelin Stars.
Chateau Les Crayères ****
64, Boulevard Henry Vasnier
Reims, Champagne, France
Taking Museum dining to sophisticated new heights, The Modern is a fine dining restaurant located at the Museum of Modern Art featuring the original French-American cuisine of Alsatian-born Chef Gabriel Kreuther, with desserts by Marc Aumont. The Modern offers two distinct dining experiences:The Dining Room – The stunning space overlooking the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden features a multi-course prix-fixe menu of Chef Kreuther’s elegant, creative French cuisine.The Bar Room – The casual, vibrant and bustling space serves small plates of rustic, Alsatian cuisine. In addition to accepting reservations. the Bar Room welcomes guests on a walk-in basis.
The Modern (1* Star Michelin)
The Museum of Modern Art
9 West 53rd Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)
New York, NY 10019
Via Yatzer … Wallpaper magazine voted it as the best new restaurant. Banq restaurant is located at the base of the old Penny Savings Bank, in an early 20th century building abandoned for years in Boston. After the building’s reconstruction two segments emerged, the front area programmed to be a bar and the larger hall which would serve as the dining area. Office dA managed to overlap any structural problems and create a fancy restaurant out from an abandoned place. Find out how inspiration can help a project find its place in the world’s best restaurants list.
Pictures by John Horner Photography
BANQ Restaurant
1375 Washington Street
Boston, MA, USA
T: +01 617.451.0077
Designer/ entrepreneur Alex de Bétak and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell have set up a chic new, New York style bar -slash -restaurant. The sombre interior, all shiny laquer and metal surfaces, serves up a neo American cuisine. Think minimal burgers for an anorexic fashion set.
Black Calvados
40, Avenue Pierre Premier de Serbie,
75008 Paris, France
T: +33 (0 )14720 7777
The French Laundry has something of a checkered past. Built in 1880 as a saloon, it was later turned into a brothel before finally gaining respectability as a French steam laundry in the 1920s. Although it was first run as a restaurant in the 1970s, it wasn’t until Thomas Keller bought the building in 1994 that it began to gain critical attention as one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world.Dining at The French Laundry is an event. There’s a sense of anticipation as you wander along Washington Street, the main street of Yountville in Napa Valley wine country. There’s Keller’s Bouchon Bakery and next to it Bouchon itself. Ad hoc, the latest family-style dining addition to the Keller stable is next, and then you arrive at that famous blue door.Keller, along with Chef de Cuisine Cory Lee and Pastry Chef Claire Clark offer two daily changing, nine course tasting menus. With extras thrown in for good measure, the meal can easily double in the number of courses for lucky, valued customers.Keller isn’t afraid to be whimsical in naming some of his dishes. Macaroni and Cheese, for example, is butter poached Maine lobster served with mascarpone-enriched Orzo Pasta, while oyster and pearls is in fact a “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar.There might be four or five hours between your first bite of Salmon Tartare and Red Onion Crème Fraîche Savoury Cone, and last nibble of Peanut Butter Truffle. But being pampered by a crack front of house team led by Nicolas Fanucci, Maitre’d Larry Nadeau and Head Sommelier Gregory Castells means that the end of what will have been an astounding culinary tour de force will have come all too soon.
The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street,
Yountville, CA 94599, USA
T: +1 707 944 2380
This is a cooking mecca for those in the know. Established in 1820, this family-run, dusty, ramshackle destination caters primarily for kitchen professionals, stacked high as it is with quality basics and many hard-to-find accessories — but its culinary gadgetry is also the sort that can make the amateur kitchen fun, efficient and stylish. You’ll find top-quality knives, baking utensils, pans, boards, moulds in every shape, size and material, and elusive extras such as ceramic baking beans and sharpening stones. The service is serious and professional — a certain level of expertise might be assumed.
E.Dehillerin
18, Rue Coquillière
F-75001 Paris
T: +33 1 42 36 53 11
Three star dining with a stunning backdrop … In an elegant Napleon III villa with a listed interior, right in the Forest of Boulogne, talented chef Frédéric Anton creates an inventive and refined fine dining experience, and was awarded the coveted third star in the 2007 Michelin Guide.
Le Pré Catelan *****
Route de Suresnes, Bois de Boulogne
75016 Paris, France
T: (01) 44144114
At 58, life is sweet for Pierre Gagnaire. He is respected by his peers, his eponymous Paris restaurant holds three Michelin stars and he oversees a portfolio of restaurants stretching from London to Tokyo.Better still, he has achieved all this while maintaining a youthful enthusiasm, and a wry distance from the fuss that surrounds him. Maybe it’s the beard, but Gagnaire increasingly radiates the aura of some wise, beatific sage. In 2004, when one critic awarded Gagnaire a career-first 0/20 for Sketch, he was, at worst, amused. “I’m neither proud, nor humiliated,” he told The Guardian, “just learning the English sense of humour.”That Gagnaire has such a mature perspective may well be because it is only in the past decade that he has started to truly enjoy his work. For years, whether manning the spit-roast at Charbonnières-les-Bains or cooking in the French navy, this chef’s son hated the roughhouse kitchens and the dull repetitive work.In the 1980s, he embraced nouvelle cuisine and was invigorated by its creative possibilities. Nowadays, he describes himself as an artist, one constantly evolving his “means of expression”. Gagnaire relocated to Paris and truly let rip, finding particular inspiration in his friendship with the chemist (and catalyst for the molecular gastronomy movement), All this feeds into the Pierre Gagnaire dégustation menu, an extraordinary nine-course cavalcade. Simple headings, such as Le Rouge and Soupe Aux Choux, are followed by long descriptions of apparently irreconcilable components. They are nonetheless brought together stunningly on the plate, often with a little last minute improvisation.It’s all about cooking effusively, with character, and it clearly works. “I am not a businessman,” Gagnaire told the Japan Times recently. “I am someone who creates cuisine.” Nonetheless, he will open two new restaurants in Dubai and Seoul this year.
Pierre Gagnaire
6 Rue Balzac
75008 Paris
France
T: +33 (0)1 5836 1250
No, it’s not in Soho, it’s in the Meatpacking District, the west-side warehouse neighborhood that’s suddenly found itself enjoying a second career as something of a dining and nightlife mecca. The Soho House name, rather, refers to its status as the New York chapter of the legendary London members club — the fact that it’s north of Houston is but a footnote. So it’s a hotel, yes, but it’s a private club first. The waiting list for memberships, we’re assured, is miles long, but this being America, it is possible to buy your way in; hotel guests are members for the duration of their stay, with access to spaces that most locals can only daydream about. The membership policy means Soho House doesn’t have to rely on challenging design to put off would-be trespassers. Here the interiors pointedly refer to New York loft apartments, with hardwood floors, brick walls and exposed ceiling beams, and the interior design is noticeably British in character, mixing as it does modern elements like stark egg-shaped tubs with updated versions of country-house antiques, like the occasional chandelier or an ornate headboard topping an otherwise perfectly Zen platform bed. And here membership, however temporary, has its privileges, including 24-hour butler service, the Cowshed spa, and a rooftop pool with views over the Hudson and the West Village. You’re assured an in at the restaurant and bar, normally among New York’s hottest tickets, and a drawing room and games room round out the not-so-public public spaces, perfect for retiring from the always-on Meatpacking District scene.
Soho House (London)
40 Greek St
London W1D 4EB, United Kingdom
T: +44 20 77345188
Soho House (New York)
29 9th Ave, New York,
NY 10014, United States
T: +1 212-627-3647
Chef Fina Puigdevall converted the ground floor of her family’s 13th-century house into one of the ‘world’s best-looking dining’ establishments with typical Garrotxa gastronomy and she added five luxury rooms where diners can spend the night. Local RCR architects took glass as their main ingredient. ” Les Cols wants to offer the most intimate and familiar meals in today’s language. Fina likes the ennoblement of humble products; nature and landscape as her source of inspiration; reinterpreting and adapting the products from the land and her surroundings; the game between emptiness and space in the presentation; the contrast between tradition and avant-garde -the same ideas which have inspired the architectonic reforms of the restaurant.” Olot is a bit off the radar of mainstream tourism, but for hungry ones on the road between Bilbao and Barcelona, Les Cols is well worth a visit, even if it was only for the volcanic landscape of La Garrotxa.
Les Cols
Carretera de la Canya
017800 Olot, Spain
Nimb is Denmark’s—and maybe one of Europe’s—best new hotels. With 13 spacious suites, all individually designed with fireplaces, antiques and atmosphere to boost, Nimb knows what’s best. They are pricey, but with every last touch guaranteed to be pure, unadulterated luxury, they convince most that splurging has it’s perks.In the ground floor of in the food temple (where Hotel Nimb is located) you find Restaurant Nimb, the brasserie of the establishment. A bit more stuffed than other dining establishments here, the idea is that you should be able to fill your belly with good food without draining your credit card. But given how overflowing the entire complex is, you’ll be sure not to go hungry and have all your other desires tended to.
Hotel Nimb/Restaurant Herman
Bernstorffsgade 5
1577 Copenhagen
T: +4588700000
When Café Opera opened up in 1980 as a brasserie with nightclub and casino, it immediately became the hot spot and most renowned place to be for people of all ages, and has remained so. This venue – dating back from 1895 – offers an endless scope of possibilities, featuring unique decorations, chandeliers and stuccos as well as several bars with modern design.
Cafe Opera Nightclub
Karl XII:s Torg
111 86 Stockholm
T: +46 08-676 58 07
Via Yatzer … Since 12 December 2007 Le Meurice has been under an enchantment and we are eager for you discover our reception areas that have been completely redecorated by that incomparable genius of design, Philippe Starck, and his talented daughter, Ara. They have added a modern twist whilst preserving the special atmosphere of luxury that is the very soul of our establishment. The invitation to get away from it all and unwind remains intact with the exciting escapism of three-star chef Yannick Alléno’s new culinary concept in our restaurant Le Dali …
Le Meurice
228 rue de Rivoli
Paris, France
Located within a tourist map’s throw from Potsdamer Platz, this hip cocktail bar is the antithesis of the steel-and-glass mall and towering sterility of Berlin’s newest district. A long narrow corridor offers a sleek wooden bar running the length of the room, paneled in rich mahogany featuring several shelves of high-end alcohols and liquors. Guests are arranged shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar, intersected by leggy fashion-types arriving from nearby media offices and clothing boutiques. A large sketched mural and a sedate warm-green banquette area are located at opposite ends of the bar – the seating fills-up early on weekend nights. Well-styled guests and a 30-something business crowd descend on the bar for midweek happy hour and decent tapas menu serving-up slow-cooked meats, sandwiches and salad appetizers. Weekends offer a younger crowd of visiting bar-hoppers and local nightlife looking to avoid the trappings of the all-too-cool Mitte district.
Victoria Bar
Potsdamerst. 102
D-10785 Berlin, Germany
T: +49 30 25759977
Parts of the building data back to 1135, with nooks and crannies and crooked floors. For the warmer months, enjoy local ales and eats from our summer kitchen in our huge meadow garden, or in the winter, make yourself at home inside by our open fires. Only an hour from central London, 20 minutes from Heathrow with good transport links and wifi throughout. The Olde Bell is the first in a family of modern day Inns, all in historic timber framed buildings. Rates from $400 USD
The inn’s seasonally inspired, gastropubby menu has been created by Rosie Sykes (author of The Kitchen Revolution) and changes daily. All bread is baked fresh on site, and in summer, there’s an outdoor barbecue offering local meat and fish.
The Olde Bell In
High Street, Hurley,
Berkshire SL6 5LX , UK
T: +44 (0) 1628 825 881
Via Yatzer … The white rabbit is a restaurant & bar housed in an awe-inspiring and beautifully restored old chapel located off the Dempsey area in Singapore. They serve a fresh take on both classic European comfort food and age-old coctails – all inspired by the past, while cleverly showcasing the present. A place where time stands still! The White Rabbit’s Head Chef is Daniel Sia, who was most recently working with Chef Justin Quek at Le Platane in Shanghai. Prior to that, he had also run the kitchens of the Harvey Nichols restaurant in Hong Kong and Marmalade in Singapore
The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Singapore
T: 6473-9965
Via Yatzer … The new daily bar is situated in the centre of Schwäbisch Hall, a medieval city in the south of Germany. The building, a former castle, belongs to the five still delivered aristocracy towers of the city and was documentary mentioned in 1356 for the first time. The historical substance of the building with its ancient seeming, its almost meter-strong walls and its polygonal spaces forms the framework for a few, precise interiorarchitectural implants: the two kitchen blocks and four large desks are standing – as only items – freely in the space. The open kitchen is the central item of the bar and enables the guests to participate on the work of the cook. The atmosphere is determined by a floral topic, the blossoming bud as a symbol for the awaking of the old walls. The whole space is dipped into a vague red and gives to the bar a moody appearance, that radiates trough the windows into the lanes. Special feature: flower topic directprint on the glassesName of the bar:
Olli`s Tagesbar
Haalstrasse 474523
Schwäbisch Hall, (near Stuttgart)
Germany
Via Unlike … Restaurant Prémisse is one of Copenhagen’s finest restaurant’s with prices to match. Located in the cellars of Molktes Palæ, with its wonderful white arched ceilings, Prémisse is the ultra successful pairing of chef Rasmus Grønbech and sommelier Christian Aarø. Between them they have decades worth of experience working with top chefs throughout Europe, gathering a handful of prizes and accolades along the way. They take their crafts seriously, describing their their kitchen as innovative and avant-garde, producing food to be savored and relished according to their “Modern Gastronomy.”The food, mostly classical European with hints of influence from around the globe, is delivered in a minimal environment of white walls, simple black chairs around plain white tables atop a marble floor. A hit with clients and critics alike, the restaurant was awarded full marks by all of Denmark’s major newspapers. For food lovers who don’t mind paying for quality.
Premisse
Dronningens Tværgade 2
1302 Copenhagen, Denmark
T: +4533111145
Sketch is a well known restaurant on 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London, England, which opened in 2003. The restaurant is owned by Morad Mazouz and the Head Chef is Pierre Gagnaire. The cuisine is described as ‘New French’, and is a loose adaptation of the cuisine served in Gagnaire’s three Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris and is executed by Pascal Sanchez.
Sketch Restaurant
9 Conduit Street
London
Per Se is a gourmet restaurant located at Columbus Circle in New York, New York, on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center. The executive chef and owner is Thomas Keller who is also involved in the restaurants French Laundry and Ad Hoc in Napa Valley, Bouchon, in Napa Valley and Las Vegas, and Bouchon Bakery, which is also located in the Time Warner Center in New York, New York. The chef de cuisine is Jonathan Benno. It opened in February 2004 in the Time Warner Center in New York City, and was a hotly anticipated restaurant, given Keller’s high profile. The restaurant features Keller’s distinctive hands-on approach, including his intense focus to detail that extends to cuisine, presentation, mood and surroundings. In August 2005, it was one of only four restaurants in the United States to be awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide. They received the same honors in the 2007 and 2008 guides. Check out this YouTube clip.
Per Se
10 Columbus Circle (at 60th Street),
4th Floor, New York, NY 10019, USA
T: +1 212 823 9335
