In my eventful stint with the Food and Beverage industry till date, I’ve been addressed by several favorable adjectives. Some went so far as to say that I was a ‘guru’ in this discipline, ‘a master of food of beverage’ and even possessed a ‘Midas touch’ to create and even recreate glory for any restaurant. But little did they know that much of my experience came from watching and learning from numerous mistakes throughout my career. This links back to 1985, when I was stepping into my Hotel Management and my father left me with a single most important thought –it is very easy to make money but equally hard to gain respect and so it is important for one not to shrug responsibility and to accept failures as they come.
During my tenure at ITDC, I would silently observe the Chairman and MD come into the restaurant and the whole team scampering around to serve him his food. The restaurant manager, F&B Director and Asst. Director, Chefs..everyone had just one focus, and needless to say it was the MD. I would think to myself, if ever I rise to such position, I would abhor such service which was superfluous and killed the joy of eating out. It just transforms the pleasure of hospitality into the glitz of showmanship. During the same time, I remember asking my boss “Who is going to be the chef?” when the new restaurant was being designed. I was asked to rather concentrate on the interior design, staff uniform, glass design – and the chef, he said, could always be found as one who matched the décor!
As I moved on, I opened my first and final fusion restaurant with the longest kitchen at that time. However, in no time the whole restaurant was nothing more than in a state of utter ‘con-fusion’. It was then I learned my first hands on lesson on management of service process and operations.
Well, the patient reader is wondering why is it that I mention these small incidents before giving my take on few of the best restaurants. These and numerous other rather trivial incidents have helped me come up with my five point criterion of judging a restaurant. Let me list them down
The restaurant setting should live up to the food
There should be a defined process in service flow
Elegance and sense of pride among the service staff
Menu should be simple and well defined
Sense of privacy should prevail among patrons
I don’t proclaim myself to be a meticulous judge (for that matter, I have not formally judged a single restaurant) but I found the above to be the most effective criterion to analyze a restaurant threadbare, coming from my 21 years of F&B experience across 5 countries and creation of 30 restaurants – with lot of great successes and failures alike.
Following is my take on the restaurants of New York, a city with unparallel culinary diversity. The Michelin, Zagat and New York Times all had their chance, and here is mine (in reverse order of ratings):
5) Le Bernardin:
This place at155 W. 51st St.,New Yorkoffers the best French cuisine in a fine dining atmosphere. The service is great with a fantastic wine list. I tried their degustation menu and it was nothing less than amazing. I think the only other fine dining restaurant that deserves a comparison is Mezzaluna in Bangkok (not because we own it, but based on service level and food quality)
4) Balthazar
My favorite place for breakfast. This beauty is located at 80, Spring Street,New Yorkand serves some of the best breakfast that you can have. Try out their Eggs Florentine, bowl of berries (I just can’t do without them when in NY) and the Bowl of cappuccino. All of them are my personal favorites and be assured to start the day in style.
3) Babbo
A creation by Mario Batali – this is the clear best among all his restaurants. I once happened to be on the same flight with Mario Batali and went on to stay at the same hotel. I saw him reading “How to prepare doughnuts” in a short 2 hour flight which spoke volumes about his passion. At110Waverly Place, NY this place exudes the passion of its creator. The flavor of its fare is what distinguishes it from many other Italian fine dining venues. I just wonder why it has achieved only one Michelin star
2) Peter Luger
This is undoubtedly the best place for a steak. At 178 Broadway,Brooklyn, the rustic ambience both conceals and accentuates the superb steaks on offer here. Steaks have rustic origins and the restaurant takes you to the roots of what they serve. The staff are fast, efficient and give you what you want – no fuss, no frills. And that is exactly what I love about the place. An unpretentious dedication to doing what they do best – make the best steaks in the world.
1) Per Se
Finally, meet the best in NY City at10 Columbus Circle. Per Se is my number one in NY judging by all the parameters I mentioned earlier. The décor is rich and sleek. The food is the best inNew Yorkin elegant surrounds. The service is like watching an opera. The harmonious service is more than complemented by the excellent American and French cuisine. Best food, best ambience, best service..for me they’ve ticked all the right boxes.
The ratings above are my take after visiting 31 best restaurants inNew York. The views are completely personal and unbiased. See you again with more restaurants from Chicago soon.
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