FALL 2011
celebratedliving.com
16
RESTAURANTS
DININGBYASSOCIATION
N
ot surprisingly, thehistoryof culinaryassociations
began inFrance, circa 1900.AndreMichelin, then co-
ownerofMichelinTireCompany, providedhandy travel
information formotorists, includingwhere toeat. By 1920 the
food sectionbecameamust-readand led to the creationof
an inspector-ratedone- to three-star system.
More recently, asurveyof friends’ favorite restaurants
led to thecreationofZagat (akindof precursor toYelp.com,
whereeveryonehasanopinion).AndAAA,whichbegan
in1902asa federationof independentmotorclubs, started
dishingout restaurantdiamonds (one to five) in1986.
Today’s Internet-savvy foodiesmayscoff that theseguide
entriesarenotalwayson themoney,butgivenourover-
informationage, thesimplicityofa time-testedratingsystem
offersagreatplace tostart.That,plusadashof input from
trusted friends,andyou’re likely tohaveaverymemorablemeal.
Here is a key to someof themost popular guides and someof the restaurants that deserve their top rankings:
Theoriginal restaurant
rater,
MICHELIN
, relies
on anonymous,
professionally trained
experts and rarely
doles out three
stars.Oneplace
that deserves every
star in the sky: chef
Christopher Kostow’s
TheRestaurant at
Meadowood, possibly
thebest dining
experience in the
country.michelinguide.
com,meadowood.com
Formerly known as the
Mobil Travel Guide,
FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE
is considered the
industry’s unbiased
gold standard thanks to
its panel of anonymous
expert inspectors. Its
top rating, Forbes 5
Stars, was bestowedon
a verydeservingThe
Inn at LasDos Brisas,
agem in theheart of
TexasHill Country.
forbestravelguide.com,
dosbrisas.com
Foundedby Tim
andNinaZagat and
coveringmore than
100 countries
worldwide,
ZAGAT
is
theultimatedemocratic
culinary resource— a
synthesized collection
of real diners’ opinions.
Amust:Manhattan’s
Per Se, with a28out
of 30 scorebringing it
close to “perfection.”
zagat.com,
perseny.com
AAA
, whose reviewers
dine at around25,000
restaurants in theU.S.,
Canada,Mexico, and
theCaribbean to rate
establishments, doles
out betweenone and
fiveof its diamonds
basedonpre-set
quality standards.
Connecticut’sWinvian
was theonlyU.S.
restaurant added to
the list of five-diamond
establishments in2011.
aaa.com/diamonds,
winvian.com
Considered theOscars
of the culinaryworld,
the
JAMES BEARD
FOUNDATION AWARDS
are
the industry’s ultimate
pat on theback, with
panelsmadeupof
industry experts. The
2011winner for best
new restaurant,
ABCKitchen, stars
famedowner/chef
Jean-Georges
Vongerichten.
jamesbeard.org,
abckitchennyc.com
One star, threediamonds, thousands of opinions…here’s how tonavigate theworldof restaurant review sources.
—NICOLEALPER
From themomentyoustepaboard thisspectacularvessel,
youarenotonly transported intoa relaxing, luxuriousspace,
youhavealsoenteredculinarynirvana.
OCEANIACRUISES
has
sparednoexpense todeliverwith thenewestaddition to
their fleet,
Marina
.Thediningcollection includeselegant
FrenchcuisineatJacques,masterchef JacquesPépin’s first
restaurantat sea; seven-coursewinedinnersatLaReserve
craftedby
WineSpectator
magazine; and the firsthands-on
cookingschool at sea, the
BonAppétit
CulinaryCenter, just
tonamea few.But the
piècede résistance
is
PRIVÉE
(pictured),
theultimatechef’s table forup to10guests.Meetwith the
chef, createapersonalizedmenu, andenjoyanexperienceof
a lifetime—withaviewandsurroundings tomatch.
oceaniacruises.com/ships/marina
—MICHAELWOODY
OceaniaGoesGourmet
