The Food Network’s 10 Best Restaurants in America
Photo: Flickr / Pierluigi Miraglia
It’s not easy choosing America’s 10 best restaurants, but the Food Network has done just that as part of a special TV show that’s currently in rotation. As counted down by chef and Food Network regular Bobby Flay, the list includes everything from Rao’s, the 114-year-old Italian restaurant in Harlem where it’s impossible to get a reservation, to Slappy Cakes, the brunch spot in Portland, Oregon, where you can make your own pancakes tableside.
The one pick that most food critics would agree with is The French Laundry, the renowned restaurant in Napa Valley run by chef Thomas Keller. Dinner there starts at several hundred dollars per person and the spot is widely considered one of the best restaurants in the world. But many of the other selections are wild card picks, probably unfamiliar to the country’s top restaurant reviewers. As the promos for the show said, no place is “too fancy, too humble, or too far-flung to make the cut.” Mimi Sheraton, the former New York Times restaurant critic and author of the upcoming 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die, watched the program and cheered the variety. “I do not believe in standards for criticism. It smacks of orthodoxy, which I detest and leaves no room for serendipitous, insightful surprises,” she said.
She had no problem with the mix of high and low that places an old-school soda fountain next to a world-class establishment. As long as the execution is perfect, it doesn’t matter if you’re offering milkshakes or a luxe nine-course tasting menu. “You just have to be great at what you say you do,” she added.
Here is the Food Network’s list:
Rao’s in New York City and Las Vegas: Traditional Italian dishes, family owned since 1896
Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas: A Saturday-only backyard barbecue joint
Antoine’s in New Orleans: The city’s oldest French-Creole fine dining restaurant
Waterman’s Beach Lobster in South Thomaston, Maine: A casual, family-owned waterside lobster shack
Sierra Mar in Big Sur, California: Cliff-top fine dining with a view, at the Post Ranch Inn
The French Laundry in Yountville, California: One of the world’s finest restaurants, from renowned chef Thomas Keller
Slappy Cakes in Portland, Oregon: DIY tableside pancakes and other treats
Burt’s Place in Morton Grove, Illinois: 30-seat pizza place famous for its deep-dish pies
Travail Kitchen and Amusements in Robbinsdale, Minnesota: Interactive American cuisine and 10-course tasting menus
Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain in Brooklyn: Sundaes, milkshakes, and more in a traditional pharmacy setting
Have you been to any of these places? Let us know what you think. If not, what’s your favorite restaurant in America?
More best-of dining lists:
The 21 best new restaurants in America
