Best Restaurants in the World?
If you’re looking for some of the best restaurants, food, and dining experiences in the world – then you’ll do well to remember these well known food industry names:
- Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck, England)
- Ferran Adria (el Bulli, Spain)
- Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, California and Per Se, New York)
- Joel Robuchon (Joel Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Paris)
The Master Chef
One rumour I’ve heard about one of Robuchon’s most famous dishes – his truffled mashed potatoes – is that it they are made with the same weight of potatoes to butter. 3 pounds of potatoes? 3 pounds of butter! Whipped with truffles into a wonderfully creamy and beautifully rich texture. How could that not taste amazing?
Robuchon is known for his perfectionist attitude when it comes to his cuisine. He is also responsible for bringing French cuisine back from excess to distinct authentic French haute cuisine. With a total of 17 Michelin Restaurant Guide stars – Joel Robuchon definitely deserves all the titles he has earned. To date, no other chef has earned as many Michelin stars as Robuchon – and his fame is well deserved.
From his beginnings as an apprentice chef at 15 yeas, today, he is called “primus inter pares” or the “first among equals,” amongst today’s top chefs in Paris. In the past, he has also mentored chefs Gordon Ramsay (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London) and Michael Caines (Gidleigh Park, Devon).
At 31 years old in 1976, he won the “Meiller Ouvrier de France,” the Best Craftsman in France award. In 1989, he was named the “Chef of the Century” by Gault Millau, an influential French restaurant guide. Today, he has published several cookbooks, has hosted a culinary television show, and has opened more than a dozen restaurants in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Monaco, New York City, Paris, and Tokyo.
Needless to say – if you’ve found yourself lucky enough to dine at one of Joel Robuchon’s restaurants, consider yourself extremely fortunate – and completely ruined for all other future meals.
Joel Robuchon
Joel Robuchon is famous for offering one of the most expensive tasting menus in North America – a 16 course tasting menu for approximately $385 per person (depending on that week’s menu) – and that’s not including wine or gratuity. You could, of course, opt for the 6 course tasting menu at $250 per person.
Highlights: Truffled langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
In 2003, Robuchon opened a new series of Joel Robuchon restaurants called “L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.” These restaurants are set up in a sushi bar setting where the kitchen sits in the middle and guests can look on as their dishes are being prepared. These restaurants have also made Robuchon more accessible: 10 course tasting menus are around $125-150 per person. Definitely worth your money – you will not go home disappointed.
In 2007, L’Atelier was voted the 13 on Restaurant Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants in the World.
Highlights: French Quail Legs stuffed with Foie Gras & Truffled Mashed Potatoes
