Toss Out Every Other List — *These* Are the Best Restaurants in America
We’re midway through the week and the struggle is real when it comes to making dinner after work tonight (okay, many nights). Why order in from that greasy takeout place or grab a table from that mediocre spot down the block when you can indulge in some of the best restaurants in America?! You’ll find those must eats on Business Insider, which combined five noteworthy lists from food critics, experts and diners to present a definitive ranking of the top restaurants in America at the moment. Cue the hunger pangs.
The 44 Best Restaurants in America were determined through multiple factors. First, each restaurant received a numerical rating that was determined by combining the number of times a given food provider landed on any of the five lists with how high it charted on each. For placement on this list, dining spots that secured a ranking on numerous lists ended up higher on this one compared to ones that only made solo appearances on any of the others. If interested, you can dive deep into the full methodology + numerical scores here. Or you could totally just take the list at face value and start making reservations.
Though we would totally be open to indulging in all 44 restaurants, that would definitely not be ideal for our waistline or realistic to our budgets. So we picked out a few we’re going to try out and you should too ;)
The list features standouts like two Momofuku restaurants (Ssäm Bar + Ko), Wolfgang Puck’s flagship dining spot Spago and Top Chef winner (and our creative LAY’S recipe maker) Stephanie Izard’s Chicago goat-focused plater Girl and the Goat, which just hosted Gwyneth and the goop group. Into an overwhelming wine list? Head to Boulder’s Frasca Food + Wine, where you’ll find more than 200 bottles to choose from. Carnivore lovers should visit the Las Vegas-based Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, which explores the versatility of meat (example: braised lamb neck + Japanese Kobe eye of the rib).
For diners who love to have personalized menus that take things beyond your usual farmer’s market fare, a few pop up on this list. There’s Portland, Maine’s Fore Street, which tailors its daily menu to whatever ingredients are available. We just might have to take a mini road trip to The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, California where every meal is specially tailored to guests who let the head chef know their likes and dislikes upon making a reservation.
Out of all the mouthwatering menus included in the list, we are maybe most intrigued by Chicago’s Alinea because it’s all about creativity. Featuring edible balloons and dessert painted on the table, this one is a must for your foodie bucket list. It just might be time to take that molecular cooking course you’ve been considering to seriously spice up your dinner.
Check out all of the restaurants here.
Have you been to any of these restaurants? Let us know what you thought of them in the comments.
(Photos via Girl and the Goat, Fore Street, The Restaurant at Meadowood + Alinea)
