Elite Traveler Summer 2019

elite traveler SUMMER 2019 89

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Marea New York, USA Head chef: Michael White

FOOD FOR THOUGHT WITH MICHAEL WHITE By Kristen Shirley

Dinner By Heston Blumenthal London, UK

Cosme New York, USA Head chef: Enrique Olvera

Head chef: Ashley Palmer-Watts Contact molon-dinnerhb@mohg. com, +44 207 201 3833, dinnerbyheston.co.uk 2018/15 ▼ Le Taillevent Paris, France Head chef: Alain Solivérès Contact letaillevent@taillevent. com, +33 144 951 501, letaillevent.com

Contact Hernan Martinez, general manager, info@cosmenyc.com, +1 212 913 9659, cosmenyc.com 2018/88 ▲ La Palme d’Or Cannes, France Head chef: Christian Sinicropi Contact +33 492 987 414, cannesmartinez.grand.hyatt.com 2018/84 ▼

Since it opened 10 years ago, Marea has become a cornerstone of the New York dining scene. Chef Michael White’s coastal Italian cuisine has won many accolades over the years, including two Michelin stars and, when it opened, the James Beard Award for best new restaurant. White isn’t one to rest on his laurels, though, and this year will openMarea’s second location, in Dubai. His path to success, and now a veritable culinary empire, wasn’t always clear cut. White grew up in a Norwegian family in Beloit, a tiny town inWisconsin that he jokes “is the Italian mecca of the Midwest.” White’s all-American dreams of being a football player were dashed in college when he had a serious knee injury — and he turned to cooking, which he learned alongside his father, whom he calls a great home cook. (White draws a clear distinction between chefs and home cooks.) His formative experience as a chef came from spending eight years in Italy, which also introduced him to the luxurious elements that come together to make a good restaurant an exquisite one. It’s clear from speaking withWhite in the dining room that no detail has gone overlooked, and that he is fiercely proud of each one, whether it’s the hidden insulation to improve the room’s acoustics, Venetian plaster on the walls, Ginori china or Poltrona Frau leather banquettes. This attention to detail speaks to a huge facet of White’s personality, which he describes as a pull towards full immersion and near-total focus in whatever he does, including his impressive set of hand-poked tattoos, which were done by a “Tebori artist that does Yakuza gangsters in Tokyo.” In his cooking, this comes through in his dedication to mastering techniques and finding the best

2018/77 ▼ De Librije Zwolle, Netherlands Head chef: Jonnie Boer Contact +31 388 530 000, info@librije.com,

From top: Michael White; Marea's Ricci crostini with Santa Barbara sea urchin and lardo

librije.com 2018/79 ▼ Benu

San Francisco, USA Head chef: Corey Lee

Adaa Hyderabad, India Head chef: Sajesh Nair

ingredients. In fact, one reason he chose to open in Dubai is its direct flights to Italy, so he can procure “the most beautiful fish fromMazara del Vallo in Sicily or the main fish market inMilan.” Marea is not a flashy restaurant —asWhite says, “Italian food is not trendy” — rather, it offers a consistent, welcoming experience to everyone, whether it’s visitors having dinner before a Broadway show, Bill Gates, Bruce Springsteen or a US president. White wants each guest to feel at home and says walking into the restaurant feels like you are walking into a buzzing dinner party. “And I think it's really, really cool that a kid from Wisconsin with a really crazy different team of people created a restaurant where people feel very comfortable to come to eat in.” He calls being included on the reader-voted list as “humbling, because it’s the real clientele.”

Contact Sinéad Quach, general manager, contact@benusf.com, +1 415 685 4860, benusf.com 2018/81 ▼ ABaCRestaurant Barcelona, Spain Head chef: Jordi Cruz Contact info@abacbarcelona.com, White Rabbit Moscow, Russia Head chef: Vladimir Mukhin Contact +7 495 510 5101 whiterabbitmoscow.ru NEW ENTRY Le Cinq Paris, France Head chef: Christian Le Squer Contact lecinq.par@fourseasons. +34 933 196 600, abacbarcelona.com 2018/82 ▼

Contact falaknuma.hyderabad@ tajhotels.com, +91 406 629 8585, taj.tajhotels.com 2018/85 ▼ SingleThread Farms Healdsburg, California, USA Head chef: Kyle Connaughton Contact David Sisler, general manager, info@singlethreadfarms.com, +1 707 723 4646, singlethreadfarms.com 2018/86 ▼ Marea New York, USA Head chef: Michael White Contact David Schneider, manager, info@marea-nyc.com, Head chef: Masayoshi Takayama Contact reservation@masanyc. com, +1 212 823 9807, masanyc.com 2018/94 ▲ Sat Bains Nottingham, UK Head chef: Sat Bains Contact info@rsb.uk.com, +44 115 986 6566, restaurantsatbains.com 2018/92 +1 212 582 5100, marea-nyc.com 2018/87 ▼ Masa New York, USA

com, +33 149 527 154, restaurant-lecinq.com 2018/83 ▼