Best Restaurants in America

Chef’s Table kept its full name even though it moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 2016. It also kept its format — a pricey seasonal multi-course fixed-price menu served at an 18-seat counter wrapping around the open kitchen — and its three Michelin stars. Chef César Ramirez changes things up constantly, but past dishes have included seared bay scallops with white truffles, black cod in bouillabaisse sauce, and quail with a mustard and pomegranate reduction.

The eponymous chef-proprietor of this Las Vegas dining palace is best known for his superlative, opulent Michelin three-star establishment in Paris. When a writer for Gourmet sampled almost identical dishes in both of Savoy’s places back in 2007, he found that “the food in Las Vegas is absolutely the equal of its French counterpart.” Savoy classics served in this location include artichoke and black truffle soup with mushroom brioche, salmon with osetra caviar and beurre blanc, and milk-fed veal chop with chanterelles.

The peripatetic Spanish-born chef, restaurateur, and humanitarian José Andrés oversees more than 20 restaurants around the country, plus a growing vegetable-centric fast food chain (ironically called Beefsteak) and a food truck. Minibar was one of his earlier efforts, but it remains one of his most avant-garde — and smallest: There are four seatings for six guests every evening, with admission by pre-paid ticket only. The modernist menu changes constantly, but in the past, diners have eaten such things as sea urchin with Ibérico ham and fresh wasabi, skate wing with “egg yolks” made from lemon, and chocolate-covered bacon ice cream.

Chef Laurent Gras and his team work with local fishermen, hunters, farmers, ranchers, and foragers to source the raw materials for Saison’s modern American cuisine. Expect creations like uni (sea urchin) toast, braised Monterey abalone with soy-yuzu sauce, and king salmon with Japanese chile seasoning and celery root purée. The award-winning wine list is extensive.

The original Vetri (there is now an outpost in Las Vegas) is an elegantly appointed 32-seat dining room in a historic townhouse in downtown Philadelphia. Here, chef Marc Vetri consistently turns out some of the best Italian food in America. While the menu evolves constantly, it avoids the usual clichés in favor of such offerings as sweet onion crêpe with parmigiano and white truffle fondue, garganelli with duck ragù, and leg of lamb with turnips and artichokes.