Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Madrid, Singapore, Hangzhou, Playa del Carmen... a world of amazing meals. And here are the 20 best dishes of the year...
Tuna crudo with tomato granita at Cocina de Autor, Playa del Carmen (Brad A. Johnson)
1. Cocina de Autor, Playa del Carmen
Albacore tuna crudo with tomato granita, soy sponge, guacamole, cactus and cucumber. Grand Velas Resort. Carretera Cancun 62, Playa del Carmen, Mexico (866) 230-7221
Clockwise from top left: The Eveleigh, Baco Mercat, Lukshon, Next Door by Josie
Wow, what a year! Japanese kaiseke, American gastropubs, Southeast Asian flair, smart molecular gastronomy, a kick-ass brunch and a fabulous return to glamour—2011 proved to be a terrific year for new restaurants in Los Angeles. Rising stars like The Spice Table's Bryant Ng and Night + Market's Kris Yenbamroong went head-to-head with seasoned heavyweights such as Wolfgang Puck and Josie Le Balch. With so many outstanding choices this year, narrowing the year's best new restaurants to a list of merely 20 was difficult. But here it is.
Photos by Peden + Munk
These french fries are insane. I’ve been binging on french fries almost daily for the past couple of decades, and I have never come across anything quite like these. First off, they’re huge. Colossal. Giant. I’m not exaggerating. The first time I see a waiter carrying an order of these beasts through the dining room, I mistakenly think they’re some sort of mini baguettes. Each fry measures about eight inches long with a girth as fat as a carrot. I can’t begin to imagine what one of these potatoes looks like whole before it’s carved into six or seven of these truly monstrous frites.
