Photo by Arnold Gatilao
Opinionated About Dining revealed its inaugural list of “Top 100 Classical & Heritage Restaurants.” The list celebrates restaurants which are operated by chefs who have consistently served the same style of cuisine for the past twenty-five years. Perhaps not surprisingly, France dominates the list, but the top spot goes to a restaurant in Japan — but with a French chef at the helm. Michel Bras in Toya, Japan is located on the northernmost of Japan’s four major islands, overlooking Lake Toya, one of the most scenic locations Japan has to offer. With Executive Chef Simone Cantafio at the helm, OAD reviewers hail the restaurant as, “a must-visit for those who want an exceptional dining experience in an equally exceptional location.” At number nine on the list is Per Se, New York Times review be damned. OAD creator, Steve Plotnicki explains, “OAD was founded in part because I felt that other dining guides did their clientele a disservice by not differentiating between traditional restaurants and those trying to innovate. The OAD Top 100 Classic & Heritage list is a way to honor the chefs and restaurants whose cuisine has remained stylistically consistent for the past two and a half decades, while maintaining a long term commitment to excellence.”
Michel Bras - Toya, Japan
Troisgros – Roanne, France
Alain Ducasse – Louis XV – Monte Carlo, Monaco
Régis et Jacques Marcon – St Bonnet-Le-Froid, France
Michel Guérard - Eugénie les Bains, France
Dal Pescatore - Canneto Sull'Oglio, Italy
Schwarzwaldstube – Baiersbronn, Germany
Per Se – New York, NY
L’Ambroisie – Paris, France
Robuchon Au Dôme – Macau, China
French Laundry – Yountville, California
Waldhotel Sonora – Dreis, Germany
Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon – Tokyo, Japan
L’Osier – Tokyo, Japan
Relais Bernard Loiseau – Saulieu, France
Cuisnine(s) Michel Troisgros – Tokyo, France
Søllerød Kro – Holte, Denmark
Le Duc – Paris, France
Le Bernardin – New York, NY
Pierre Gagnaire – Tokyo, Japan
Côte St-Jacques – Joigny, France
Il Lugo di Aimo e Nadia – Milan, Italy
Taillevent – Paris, France
Alain Ducasse au Le Meurice – Paris, France
Heinz Winkler - Aschau im Chiemgau, Germany
Château de la Chèvre d’Or – Eze, France
Patrick Guilbaud – Dublin, Ireland
Château les Crayères – Reims, France
Auberge de l’Ill – Illhaeusern, France
Perbellini – Isola Rizza, Italy
Comme Chez Soi – Brussels, Belgium
Kong Hans Kaelder – Copenhagen, Denmark
Michel Trama – Puymirol, France
Apicius – Paris, France
Al Sorriso – Soriso, Italy
Peter Luger – Brooklyn, New York
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons – Great Milton, United Kingdom
De Karmeliet – Bruges, Belgium
Antica Corona Reale-da Renzo – Cervere, Italy
Bareiss – Baiersbronn, Germany
Grand Véfour – Paris, France
Kaia Kaipe – Getaria, Spain
Tantris – Munich, Germany
Bacon – Cap d’Antibes, France
Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester – London, United Kingdom
La Mere Brazier – Lyon, France
Santceloni – Madrid, Spain
Daniel – New York, NY
Bouley – New York, NY
Enoteca Pinchiorri – Florence, Italy
Paul Bocuse - Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, France
Romano – Viareggio, Italy
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Paris, France
Joël Robuchon at the Metropole – Monte Carlo, Monaco
Lorenzo – Forte dei Marmi, Italy
Essigbratlein – Nuremberg, Germany
Casa Gerardo – Prendes, Spain
L’Ami Louis, Paris, France
Rias de Galicia – Barcelona, Spain
Oustaù de Baumanière - Les-Baux-de-Provence, France
Koffmann's – London, United Kingdom
Tétou – Golfe Juan, France
Antica Osteria del Ponte - Cassinetta di Lugagnano, Italy
Le Pré Catelan – Paris, France
The Ritz – London, United Kingdom
Varoulko Seaside – Athens, Greece
Fischers Fritz – Berlin, Germany
Le Chabichou – Courchevel, France
Gidleigh Park – Chagford, United Kingdom
Echaurren – Ezcaray, Spain
La Ciau del Tornavento – Treiso, Italy
Jacobs – Hamburg, Germany
Le Chalet de la Forêt – Brussels, Belgium
L’Amphitryon – Lorient, France
Hispania – Arenys de Mar, Spain
Joël Robuchon at the Mansion – Las Vegas, Nevada
Spago – Beverly Hills, California
Hameau Albert 1er – Chamonix, France
Georges Blanc – Vonnas, France
Colline Ciociare – Acuto, Italy
Haerlin, Germany
Le Gavroche – London, United Kingdom
Miramonti l’Altro – Consorzio, Italy
Kronenhalle – Zurich, Switzerland
Laurent – Paris, France
Zuberoa – Oiartzun, Spain
Da Fiore – Venice, Italy
Le Moissonnier – Cologne, Germany
Spiaggia – Chicago, Illinois
Caino – Montemerano, Italy
Combarro – Madrid, Spain
Auberge de l’Île Barbe – Lyon, France
Rekondo – San Sebastian, Spain
River Café – London, United Kingdom
Quattro Passi – Massa Lubrense, Italy
Carré des Feuillants – Paris, France
Christian Étienne – Avignon, France
Le Dôme – Paris, France
Le Cirque, New York, NY
Akelarre, San Sebastian, Spain