America's best restaurants announced by Gourmet Magazine

New York's Daniel, Valentino in Los Angeles, and Vancouver's Diva at the Met are among the restaurants winning the America's Top Tables award in an evaluation of over 2,200 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada by Gourmet magazine readers. The results of the extensive survey were released today and are published in the October issue, which hits newsstands beginning this week.

The award winners were announced at a press conference today at Gourmet magazine hosted by Gail Zweigenthal, Editor-in-Chief, and Gina Sanders, Publisher of Gourmet. On hand for the event were almost 100 chefs and restaurateurs from the winning restaurants. The top awardees from each city were also invited to a special luncheon at Daniel, the New York City winner.

The America's Top Tables awards were given to the restaurants with the highest overall ratings in quality of food, presentation, service, ambiance and wine list. In addition to the best overall rankings, restaurants were cited in the single categories of best food, presentation, service, ambiance and wine list. Also listed in most of the cities were restaurants that Gourmet readers prefer for special occasions, business, romance, drinks, fun and their favorite newcomers. In total some 600 restaurants were recognized for the final report.

"Gourmet's readers are certainly the most discriminating diners I know," said editor Zweigenthal. "Who better than these devoted restaurant patrons to pick the best establishments across the nation?"

The study of restaurants is the second annual survey done by Gourmet, the nation's most influential epicurean publication since its founding in 1941 and the first magazine to publish restaurant reviews.
Listed below are the America's Top Table winners for North America:

Atlanta: Bacchanalia
Boston: Aujourd'hui
Chicago: Le Francais
Dallas Fort Worth: The French Room
Detroit Vicinity: Tapawingo
Hawaii: The Formal Dining Room at the Lodge at Koele
Houston: Cafe Annie
Los Angeles Vicinity: Valentino
Miami Vicinity: Norman's
Minneapolis St. Paul: D'Amico Cucina
Montreal Vicinity: L'eau a la Bouche
New Jersey: The Ryland Inn
New Orleans: The Grill Room
New York: Daniel
Philadelphia: Le Bec-Fin
Phoenix Scottsdale: Mary Elaine's
Portland: Couvron
San Francisco Vicinity: The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton
San Francisco Wine Country: The French Laundry
Seattle Vicinity: Rover's
St. Louis: Fio's La Fourchette
Toronto: Scaramouche
Vancouver: Diva at the Met
Washington, D.C. Vicinity: The Inn at Little Washington

"More and more people today are turning to restaurants as an 'antidote to civilization,' a way to unwind and see and be seen," said Gina Sanders, publisher. "Gourmet is pleased to honor the celebrity chefs and restaurateurs who create the glamour and play the starring roles in today's vital restaurant scene."

The Top Table awards are part of an entire issue of Gourmet dedicated to restaurants. Among the feature stories are a series of pieces highlighting unique cuisine around the globe by several leading food journalists. Articles include Faith Heller Willinger discussing five country restaurants in Italy worth the detour, David Rosengarten's take on where to eat in New York after hours and Linda Sanders checking out dining possibilities in Colorado's Rockies. The issue also includes a series of articles on "Global Hot Spots," which highlights London, Sydney and Paris restaurants.

Also featured are recipes and cookbook reviews from top restaurant chefs, and reports on home entertaining by celebrated chefs Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton and Zarela Martinez.

The America's Top Tables award, presented to the top 24 restaurants in North America, is a dramatic sculpture created by the internationally renowned restaurant designer Adam Tihany. The award is a three-dimensional representation of a simple place setting that consists of a highly polished nickel-coated metal sheet in a wave, representing a linen napkin.

The center of the surface is an etched crystal plaque engraved with the award details. On the surface is a full-size three-dimensional Georg Jensen knife, and a full-size fork is laser-cut through the surface.

Gourmet polled 26,000 randomly selected subscribers in 24 regions of the United States and Canada on restaurants in their areas. The survey was conducted by Monroe Mendelsohn Research, an independent market research firm based in New York.

Also see: low carb cookbooks

Author Notes:

Taylor Kent contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.1st-in-steaks.com. Great tips on buying top quality meats, steaks and seafood from the finest ranchers and butchers.

	Gourmet Magazine
America's best restaurants announced by Gourmet Magazine