Best ofs

The end of year inevitably brings a round-up of best-of meals.  They tend to be fairly monochrome - often it is just one reviewer, in one country, very often one city.  However well respected the author is, the lists are often all rather predictable.

Which is exactly what sets the Opinionated About Best of 2008 apart.  Uber-gourmand Steve Plotnicki approached a number of chefs, restaurant owners, food writers and bloggers what their best experiences were this year.  It makes for fascinating reading, because the restaurants and chefs are dotted around the globe and as a group, you're not going to get a much more informed bunch of diners.

Some highlights for me are:

Long-time friends of Silverbrow on Food, Alex Talbot & Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food named Per Se as their meal of the year, with Mike Lata, owner of FIG as having the most potential.

Andy Hayler, the Michelin bagger, named Christian Bau's cooking at Schloss Berg his meal of the year, with Ambassade de l'Ile as the most potential.

Claude Bosi, chef patron at Hibiscus said Noma was his meal of the year, with Momofuku having the most potential.

Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns said Els Casals was the most beautiful lunch he'd ever had, let alone this year, with Oriol Rovira having the most potential.

As for me, I named the Grill at The Dorchester, when it was still under Aiden Byrne, as the best meal with Aaya having the most potential. 

I've just realised I never wrote up Aaya for the blog, which is a bit silly.  It's a while ago now so can't quite remember all the details.  It probably requires another visit, just to see whether it's fulifilling that potential.

Sorry to be a doom-monger, but as I've said before, I wonder how many of these places will be going in a year's time.

Comments

[Trig]

Well my meal of the year by a good winning margin was at El Celler de Can Roca, with Cinc Sentits offering the most potential for an exciting future. Hope you had a great Xmas and wishing you both a Happy New Year.

[tim]

i guess you saw that aaya closed?

[Anthony Silverbrow]

@tim, I did not, when did that happen? That's a real shame.

[Margaretg]

I spent a great long weekend in the Rheingau and ate at Schloss Berg and also at the fab place we stayed Zum Krug. While Schloss Berg was great Zum Krug was superlative. I had eaten there before and both occasions were memorable. I will have to go back sometime for Sunday lunch .. they roast and smoke ducks outside and you have to book the duck in advance

Margaret
homeorganics.ie

[Anthony Silverbrow]

Thanks for that Margaret. I've been reading some great things about Schloss Berg.