Pete Wells has put out his list of the 100 best restaurants in NYC.
An interesting list. Goes from high end to food trucks. I’ve been a to a number of them. I find it interesting that Frenchette and Le Rock are both on the list. Shows what can happen when talented chefs leave the McNally fold. I have eaten at a number but no way I will get to all 100 or even want to.
Decent amount of Korean, sushi and other Asian. I like some of the Italian choices. Not nearly as much of the high end French influenced spots as I would have expected. Really touches a lot of non traditional food choices I think. Remember when Chefs Table was a cooking class in Brooklyn for $85?
I’m chuckling over the fact that I’ve only been to 16. And, we go out to eat a lot. I just have different tastes I guess. Like Park Side (where we ate tonight) over Don Peppe (for example).
It’s a burden putting together a list like this. 100? That’s a lot. Mostly because I don’t agree with blanket recommendations. But I do commend him for putting together a wide ranging list.
Maybe he’s already done a '100 Best Things I Ate This Year."
How many for you, @BKeats? At a glance I think maybe 30 odd for me.
There’s been a void since Zagat’s annual lists. (And of course a glut too, of listicles, from useful to clickbait.)
They’ve been deliberate in their “diversity” of all sorts: price point (not a coincidence 18-20% each at the top and bottom, the rest spread across the middle), cuisines, locations, and so on, so as not to draw criticism on those fronts (people are always going to argue what made it and what didn’t, but the broad strokes have been engineered to avoid fault on demographics).
In terms of what’s on the list vs not, Tatiana at the top is a good indication of where it’s headed. Too new, too expensive, too soon.
All (and only, except 1 gimme) the Unapologetic Foods restaurants are on the list spare the newest one in Bk: either a tragic indictment of Indian food in NYC or of critics’ knowledge and experience of it. Temple canteen being the inexpensive dosa choice for all the city? It’s nowhere near the top, or even top 3 (but yes to cheapest, if we’re splitting dollars after sticking Tatiana on top).
Zaab Zaab for Thai over all others? Mercado for Spanish - really? (I mean we rarely have overlapping opinions here but most of us on HO wouldn’t recommend it just recently to a visitor.)
Too bad when a NYT list reads like a lagging and out of touch Michelin report.
Same here. It is a lot of works for him to come up with a top 100 restaurants and the photos are beautifully shot. I would say it is a “100 restaurants to try”, not so much as “Top 100”
Third time at Le Rock and am embarrassed to admit I’ve ordered the Steak Hache all three times, which while not adventurous isn’t surprising considering the only thing I ever ordered at Minetta Tavern was the Black Label Burger. So yes, it’s that good. Seared tartare of the most delicious parts.
Perfectly cooked and the broth has all the seafood funk that I could want. There is rouille spread on the toast that added that bit of creaminess I look for with a fish soup. Just awesome. I have been to Frenchette many times. I like the atmosphere there better than Le Rock. But the food at Le Rock was just a notch better. Better be as the prices are a bit more too. Food overall at Le Rock is pretty damn good. There’s some off the run food available too. Boudin noir is one of my favorite things. On the menu but very mild. Sort of overwhelmed by the lardons. I like it more robust. Tripe too but I’m not a fan of tripe in general despite many attempts.
There are some seriously first rate restaurants on this list. I’ve been lucky enough to have tried many of them. Clearly, eat out “too often”. If that’s even a thing…
However, Le Bernardin was a massive let down. As was Le Rock. Felt like it was fine dining for people who don’t typically eat out or just want to use their corporate card. The latter kept upselling everything on the menu too which make for a less enjoyable time. Le Crocodile has been good in the past but it’s very inconsistent and charge too much for what they offer.
I’ve only been to Via Corota once and the older woman behind the bar was so unfriendly we didn’t have an enjoyable experience. Unlikely to revisit.
Some restaurants are advertising the number assigned in Pete Wells’ list as their numerical rating in the whole city. For example, Empellon’s website says, " Ranked No. 19 on The New York Times‘ ‘100 Best Restaurants in New York City’ list."
To me, the April 2023 article is unclear about this.
The first sentence of the article certainly at least strongly suggests that it is a numerical ranking: “Here they are, the 100 best restaurants in NYC, ranked.”
But just a few sentences down, it seems to say that it is not a ranking, but the restaurants are arranged into a “pattern,” not a ranking: “The list can also be used as a composite portrait of the city. I’ve attempted to arrange my favorite restaurants into a pattern that captures the diversity and character of dining in New York.”
My guess is that Wells intentionally created ambiguity about whether this list is intended as a #1 to #100 ranking.
For what it’s worth, I’ve only eaten at 3 of these (Dhamaka, Temple Canteen, and Cka Ka Qellu).
I can’t imagine that he actually went back and tried each of the original list on top of the new reviews he did in 2023. Or the guy is either enormous or a workout fiend.
"I’ve eaten at all 100 in the past 12 months, except for La Piraña Lechonera and the Queens Night Market, both of which are currently closed for the season. "
Well, this year’s list makes it absolutely clear that he does intend it as a numerical ranking, which is pretty silly.
But the list is still fun. And he seems to have pretty good taste. I’ve eaten at only ten on his list, and all but one of those are superb places to eat. (The exception being #84, Hakka Cuisine, which I thought was pretty underwhelming._
