Elite Traveler May-June 2017

INSPIRE TOP 100 RESTAURANTS

Alinea Chicago, US Head Chef: Grant Achatz

11 El Celler de Can Roca Girona, Spain

17 La Pergola Rome, Italy Head Chef: Heinz Beck Contact romhi. lapergolareservations@

Head Chef: Joan Roca Contact restaurant@ cellercanroca.com,

+34 972 222 157 cellercanroca.com 2016/5 ▼ 12 D.O.M. São Paulo, Brazil Head Chef: Alex Atala Contact +55 113 088 0761 domrestaurante.com.br 2016/9 ▼ 13 Restaurant Guy Savoy Paris, France Head Chef: Guy Savoy Contact reserv@guysavoy.com +33 143 804 061 guysavoy.com Head Chef: Daniel Boulud Contact Karim Guedouar, service director, kguedouar@danielnyc.com, +1 212 288 0033 danielnyc.com 2016/14 15 Dinner By Heston Blumenthal London, UK Head Chef: Ashley Palmer-Watts Contact molon-dinnerhb@ mohg.com, +44 207 201 3833 dinnerbyheston.co.uk 2016/13 ▼ 16 Pierre Gagnaire Paris, France Head Chef: Pierre Gagnaire Contact p.gagnaire@ wanadoo.fr, +33 158 361 250 pierre-gagnaire.com 2016/12 ▼ 2016/10 ▼ 14 Daniel New York, US

waldorfastoria.com, +39 063 509 2152 romecavalieri.com/la-pergola 2016/11 ▼

18 Steirereck Vienna, Austria

Head Chef: Heinz Reitbauer Contact wien@steirereck.at, +43 171 331 68 steirereck.at 2016/16 ▼ 19 Pujol Mexico City, Mexico Head Chef: Enrique Olvera Contact reservaciones@pujol. com.mx, +52 554 541 11 pujol.com.mx 2016/17 ▼ Head Chef: Alain Passard Contact arpege.passard@ wanadoo.fr, +33 147 050 906 alain-passard.com 2016/15 ▼ 21 L’Ambroisie Paris, France Head Chefs: Bernard & Mathieu Pacaud Contact +33 142 785 145 ambroisie-paris.com 2016/19 ▼ 22 Restaurant Gordon Ramsay London, UK Head Chef: Matt Abé Contact Enrico Baronetto, 20 L’Arpège Paris, France

10MINUTESWITH Grant Achatz

about is the edible balloon. With the renovation of Alinea, we decided we wanted to throw everything out, and not do anything we’ve done before. But when we looked back we realized the fact we made food float is pretty awesome and that maybe we should leave that on the menu. When people eat it, whether they’re 14 or 80 years old, they giggle, and to me, if you can achieve that with food, that’s pretty cool. What is your food philosophy? Ultimately, we want to create an amazing experience for the diners, and with our style of cooking, we do that through emotions. Manipulation is not a bad word; if you responsibly manipulate food, that can be a great thing. We call it progressive American, thought-provoking, emotional cooking. What difference has the renovation made to the experiences people have? When I opened Alinea I had a very clear idea of how I thought it should be; everything was steel and glass, black and graphite. Now, we’ve

Having earned three Michelin stars and garnered global attention, Alinea has become a name that’s associated with some of the world’s most innovative dining. It’s chef Grant Achatz who’s behind this modernist cuisine, so as Alinea comes in at number two on the list, he takes time out with Elite Traveler to talk about his food philosophy and the difference the restaurant’s recent renovation has made to the experience guests have here. What does being voted number two in the Top 100 Restaurants awards mean to you? I think we are extremely lucky. It’s gratification for a tremendous amount of hard work. And with the Elite Traveler restaurants awards, you never know who is voting. We know when a food critic comes in, but we have no idea who the voters are, so it’s a kind of maturement for us. What do you think it is about your food that people respond to so well? Alinea makes the dining experience theatrical and emotional. One thing that everyone talks

restaurant manager, royalhospitalroad@ gordonramsay.com, +44 207 352 4441,

gordonramsayrestaurants. com/restaurant-gordon- ramsay 2016/18 ▼

Photos Laurence Mouton, DosSantosLemone, Matthew Gilson