Elite Traveler May-June 2017

INSPIRE TOP 100 RESTAURANTS

Blue Hill at Stone Barns Pocantico Hills, US Head Chef: Dan Barber

49 Quique Dacosta Alicante, Spain

55 Epicure Paris, France Head Chef: Eric Frechon Contact epicure@ oetkercollection.com,

Head Chef: Quique Dacosta Contact quiquedacosta@

quiquedacosta.es, +34 965 784 179 en.quiquedacosta.es 2016/42 ▼ 50 Saison San Francisco, US

+33 153 434 340 lebristolparis.com

New Entry « 56 Al Sorriso Novara, Italy

Head Chef: Joshua Skenes Contact +1 415 828 7990 saisonsf.com 2016/51 ▲ 51 Blue Hill at Stone Barns Pocantico Hills, US Head Chef: Dan Barber Contact Hannes Waldner, assistant general manager, reservations@bluehillfarm. com, +1 914 366 9600 bluehillfarm.com New Entry « 52 Auberge du Vieux Puits Fontjoncouse, France Head Chef: Gilles Goujon Contact reception@ aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr, +33 468 440 737 aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr 2016/54 ▲ 53 Made in China Beijing, China Head Chef: Kent Jin Qiang Contact fb.reservation.beigh@ hyatt.com, +86 106 510 9024 beijing.grand.hyatt.com 2016/55 ▲ 54 Les Prés d’Eugénie Eugénie-les-Bains, France Head Chef: Michel Guérar d Contact reservation@ michelguerard.com,

Head Chef: Luisa Valazza Contact info@alsorriso.it, +39 03 2298 3228 alsorriso.com 2016/57 ▲ 57 The NoMad New York, US Head Chef: Daniel Humm Contact dining@thenomadhotel. com, +1 347 472 5660 thenomadhotel.com/dining 2016/58 ▲ 58 Manresa Los Gatos, US Head Chef: David Kinch Contact +1 408 354 4330 manresarestaurant.com 2016/49 ▼ 59 Mugaritz San Sebastián, Spain Head Chef: Andoni Luis Aduriz Contact reservas@mugaritz. com, +34 943 522 455 mugaritz.com 2016/53 ▼ 60 Narisawa Tokyo, Japan Head Chef: Yoshihiro Narisawa Contact +81 357 850 799 narisawa-yoshihiro.com 2016/52 ▼

10MINUTESWITH Dan Barber

Left to right: Dan Barber; Michel Guérard; Les Prés d’Eugénie's crispy wood beef

Celebrated for elevating farm-to-fork dining, Blue Hill at Stone Barns is lauded as one of upstate New York’s most innovative restaurants, and our highest new entry for 2017. We speak to chef Dan Barber about the cuisine he takes such pride in. What does being voted among the world’s top restaurants mean to you? It is an incredible honor, and a little humbling, too. It makes me think back to being at Le Clos de la Violette the year that chef Jean-Marc Banzo earned his second Michelin star. This was many years ago, but I remember it so clearly. The morning after the news was announced, he was like a military general, shouting, “La défense!” What he meant, I think, is that the real challenge of an honor like this isn't just obtaining it — it's also how you defend it. We’re in the company of restaurants who are continuing to raise the bar for themselves. What do you think it is about your food that people respond so well to? People are becoming more curious and more demanding about the food on their plates. They want to know who is farming it, where it comes

from and how it was grown. They’re beginning to engage with a new kind of recipe — the kind that begins not in the kitchen but in the fields and pastures. Hopefully we’re sharing those stories in the context of a meal. What experience can people expect to have when they dine at your restaurant? At Blue Hill at Stone Barns, there are no menus. In place of an à la carte system, we only serve multi-course tasting menus — sometimes 30 to 40 courses — that range from single bites to more composed dishes. The goal is to tell the story of the farm just outside the dining room, and of the surrounding landscape. Many of the courses are playful and meant to be eaten by hand. We want that feeling to extend to the service as well. What do you want to achieve next? Every year, we learn more about our landscape as we experiment with ways of farming or discovering new varieties of vegetables and grains. New dishes come as a result of this. Hopefully it is bringing us closer to establishing a distinct cuisine for the Hudson Valley. By Lauren Jade Hill

+33 558 050 607 michelguerard.com 2016/56 ▲

Photos Daniel Krieger, Celine Clanet, Corentin Mossiere