Elite Traveler Summer 2023

LEADERS IN LUXURY RESTAURANTS

Tom Meyer’s signature dish “When Granite opened, I created a dish that I had been thinking about for several years. I was experimenting withdi ff erent types of dough, fl our, sauce and dressing, and fi nally developed a recipe that suited me: Gnocchi with a fl owing heart, with a sauce hidden inside the dough.”

Rising stars

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A new generation of chefs is emerging from the world’s most famed culinary institutions. With them come a collection of smart, self-assured and refreshingly modern restaurants. In fi ne dining, a few big names reign supreme. Yes, we are continuously treated to new openings and concepts, but at the top is a collection of restaurants and chefs that dominate. Naturally, though, from these top-line restaurants eventually emerges the new wave of gastronomic stars. Armed with the precise skill and knowledge it takes to succeed in the most demanding kitchens, as well as their own unique style and bold ambitions, these chefs are carving out new corners in the industry, proving that gastronomic luxury has many guises. We bring you four chefs and four up-and-coming restaurants that have fl own the nest and are making names for themselves in some of the most reputable (read: intimidating) culinary hot spots in the world.

Left and above The restaurant is spread over three fl oors; Meyer’s

signature style takes ingredients that diners know and love, and serves them in ways few will have seen before

by KimAyling

TOMMEYER GRANITE, PARIS

Standing out in Paris is no mean feat. The birthplace of haute cuisine and the home of some of the most in fl uential restaurants, the French capital has long been one of the most respected food cities in the world. The 100-plus Michelin stars scattered across its historic streets are proof that its in fl uence is as big now as ever. One of the latest restaurants to receive one of those coveted stars is Granite, which opened on a quiet backstreet in the 1st arrondissement in 2021. Helmed by Tom Meyer — who at the time of opening was just 30 — the restaurant belongs to a new wave of Parisian restaurants that hold the principles of classic French cookery in high regard but aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of modern cuisine. It doesn’t go quite as far as molecular gastronomy, but it’s rule-bending and highly creative nonetheless. Meyer learned his craft from the very best, having worked under the likes of Benoît Violier and then Franck Giovannini at L’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland and more recently as head of the test kitchen at Anne-Sophie Pic’s pioneering Maison Pic. His signature style is to take ingredients that any diner would recognize — be it asparagus, chicken, peas — and serve them in a way few will have seen before. Like the chefs he trained under — Pic in particular — Meyer holds ingredient provenance in the highest regard. Each purveyor the restaurant works with has been individually selected not just for the quality of their produce but also their commitment to working with respect for the earth and the landscape; this respect translates readily into every plate that leaves the kitchen. No longer is luxury dining all about fl ying in the rarest, most lavish ingredients; nowadays, it’s about knowing exactly who grew them. The space in which these dishes are served is the result of impeccable research, too. The restaurant is spread over three fl oors — from the atmospheric basement bar to the breezy second- fl oor dining room — with guests invited to travel through each during their dining experience. “The restaurant is both atypical and intimate,” Meyer explains. “For me, the [main fl oor] kitchen is a living space, and that’s why the open kitchen is so important. The customers can observe the preparation of the dishes directly, and the chefs can communicate with them. This proximity is very important — I believe it is the new luxury in gastronomy.” granite.paris

Meyer learned his craft from the best, having worked under Benoît Violier and then Franck Giovannini at L’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier and as head of

the test kitchen at Anne-Sophie Pic’s MaisonPic

Photos Paul Stefanaggi, Ben Carpenter, Lisa Tse