Perhaps it's been covered already.....but I was just talking about this with my wife. Here are ours:

1. French Laundry, Yountville
2. David Paul's Lahaina Grill, Maui
3. L'Atalier de Joel Robuchon, Paris
4. La Belle Vie, Stillwater, MN
5. Nobu Next Door, NYC
6. Patina, Los Angeles
7. Chez Panisse, Berkeley
8. Spiaggia, Chicago
9. Bistro Jeanty, Yountville
10. Maisonette, Cincinnati

Marinus. When I finally go to The French Laundry I'll let you know if it passes Marinus and there is finally a 1 and 2.

Nothing I've had overseas YET merits better.

1. Marinus @ Bernardus, Carmel Valley, CA
2. French Laundry
3. Manresa, Los Gatos

then the following dinners that were in my top 10 but will not rank:

Restaurant "O" preview of James Beard dinner, Campbell, CA (the place has closed)
Picasso, Las Vegas
Delmonico, Las Vegas
Inn at Little Washington, VA
Daniel, NYC
Fresh Cream, Monterey, CA
Wine Cask, Santa Barbara
Wine Garden, Yountville
Club 19, Pebble Beach

David, I thought you put Manresa up there?

The problem with this question is, there are mutiple ways of rating this. Are we rating on the food quality? The food creativity? Reliability? How romantic it is? Wine service? The "magic" of the evening?

In general, I'd have to say the dinner at the French Laundry with the Bressler's was the best single restaurant experience I've had.

Randy, you are right. Manresa should probably be in the #3 spot. You know, the memory is the second thing to go. I'll edit above to include it.

I think the word "experience" doesn't just mean food. The ambience, the people you are with, the other people in the restaurant, the wait staff; all of these count toward "experience".

One thing that I don't consider is PRICE.

I think my dinner at the place below next Friday for a pre birthday celebration has the potential to top my lunch at The French Laundry and my dinner at Le Cinc in Paris. Check out the link, the pictures are outstanding.

Alinea Restaurant

CWG, can't wait to hear your report. I tried to get in while in CHI next week but no luck. Definitely way up there on my list of 'must do's'.

1 french laundry, ca
2 morimoto, pa
3 small place in kyoto japan ?
4 steakhouse in japan (matsuzaka/kobe beef)
5 patina, ca
6 matsuhisa, ca

1. French Laundry
2. Palme d'Or (Cannes, France)
3. Tru (Chicago)
4. Alinea (Chicago)
5. Le Grand Vefour (Paris)
6. La Terrasse (Juan-les-Pins, France)
7. Trio (Chicago...while Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand of Tru were there)
8. Spago (LA)
9. Le Cique 2000 (NYC)
10. Commander's Palace (New Orleans)

All except the last two were multi-course tasting menus.

I was at Alinea and Tru over Memorial Day weekend. I give the slight edge right now to Tru (although Alinea's only been open for about a month). There's really nothing I can add about Alinea that hasn't been said on the egullet site or that is in today's review in the Chicago Sun Times...it was an incredible dining experience...CWG, take a BIG appetite if you're going to do the 24-course Tour! It took us about 5 1/2 hours! Almost all of the dishes were unbelievably good and involved a different level of creativity than any other restaurant at which I've dined...a couple courses weren't to my taste, but I respected the creativity and quality of even those dishes. By the way, they had the Sine Qua Non Hollerin' M on the list for $140.

Not in any specific order:
()= reasoning on descision

1. The Kitchen, Sacramento (Total package) everytime
2. Valentino, Las Vegas (total package) 2004
3. Fifth Floor, S.F. (Total Package) 2004
4. Michael Mina, S.F. (Food only as I was at the bar) 2005
5. Spago, B.H. (Food & BYO wine) 2001
6. Old Fort Restaurant, Island of Madeira (special ocassion & ambiance) 2004
7. Cafe at The Salzburg Fort, Salzburg, Austria (ambiance & scenery) 1998
8. Anton & Michelle, Carmel (Total package) 2000?
9. Montagna @ The Little Nell, Aspen (wine & company) 2005
10. Auberge du Soleil, Napa (total package and my engagement dinner) 2004

-Aureole
-Per Se
-Mary Elaine's
-Fox Head Inn (Richmond, VA)
-Django (Philly)

Those are the peak for me...hope to add more soon.

Mary Elaine's in the Phoenician, Scottsdale

Babbo - NYC

... some little sushi dump on the top floor of a small building in Hanelei, Kauai, Hawaii.


DBW

French Laundry, Yountville, Ca.
La Toque, Rutherford, Ca.
Le Bec Fin, Philly
Ristorante Ernesto, L'Aquila, Italia (engagement dinner)

This is a tough one...

1.) A16, San Francisco
2.) Roux (RIP), St Helena
3.) Meadowood, St. Helena
4.) Scala's Bistro, San Francisco
5.) Bistro Jeanty, Yountville
6.) La Mela, NYC
7.) Restaurant de les 7 Portes, Barcelona, Spain
8.) La Favorita-O'Parrucchiano, Sorrento, Italy
9.) North Beach Restaurant, San Francisco
10.) Enotria, Sacramento (every time is a great dinner!)

Off the top of my head:

Jules Verne / Eiffel Tower, Paris
Tru - Chicago
The Inn at Little Washington - Virginia
Da Mimmo - Baltimore
Le Cirque 2000 - NYC
Gramercy Tavern - NYC
Jean Georges - NYC
Steirereck - Vienna
Taylor's Refresher - Napa Valley (just kidding, but they do make a damn good malted!)

Taking the total experience into account (not just the technical quality of the food, service, etc, but including intangibles...)

1) St. James Restaurant (while under Jean-Marie Amat's care), Boulliac Bordeaux, France
2) Villa Joya Restaurant, Algarve, Portugal
3) Capital Restaurant, London, England
4) Tois Clef, Avignon, Provence, France
5) Fleur de Lys, San Francisco, CA
6) Taberna del Alabardero, Washington, DC (I visited several times, but I'm referring to the one with Mr. and Mrs. Jaimetown where we tasted a couple of Priorats as well as an Aubert and Roda I Rioja)
7) Le Marachel Restaurant, Colmar, Alsace, France
8) Dino, Florence, Italy
9) Luxia, 47th (or 49th) between 8th and 9th, Manhatten, NY (2nd of the several times I've gone -- not a great restaurant, but the experience there was nearly magical for reasons I cannot begin to describe)
10) A hole-in-the-wall in Madrid with awesome home-made peach schnapps

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