NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 1997 - New York's Daniel, Valentino in Los
Angeles, and Vancouver's Diva at the
Met are among the restaurants winning the America's Top Tables award
in an evaluation of over 2,200
restaurants in the U.S. and Canada by Gourmet magazine readers. The
results of the extensive survey were
released today and are published in the October issue, which hits newsstands
beginning this week.
The award winners were announced at a press conference today at Gourmet
magazine hosted by Gail
Zweigenthal, Editor-in-Chief, and Gina Sanders, Publisher of Gourmet.
On hand for the event were almost 100
chefs and restaurateurs from the winning restaurants. The top awardees
from each city were also invited to a
special luncheon at Daniel, the New York City winner.
The America's Top Tables awards were given to the restaurants with the
highest overall ratings in quality of
food, presentation, service, ambiance and wine list. In addition to
the best overall rankings, restaurants were cited
in the single categories of best food, presentation, service, ambiance
and wine list. Also listed in most of the
cities were restaurants that Gourmet readers prefer for special occasions,
business, romance, drinks, fun and their
favorite newcomers. In total some 600 restaurants were recognized for
the final report.
"Gourmet's readers are certainly the most discriminating diners I know,"
said editor Zweigenthal. "Who better
than these devoted restaurant patrons to pick the best establishments
across the nation?"
The study of restaurants is the second annual survey done by Gourmet,
the nation's most influential epicurean
publication since its founding in 1941 and the first magazine to publish
restaurant reviews.
Listed below are the America's Top Table winners for North America:
"More and more people today are turning to restaurants as an 'antidote
to civilization,' a way to unwind and see
and be seen," said Gina Sanders, publisher. "Gourmet is pleased to
honor the celebrity chefs and restaurateurs
who create the glamour and play the starring roles in today's vital
restaurant scene."
The Top Table awards are part of an entire issue of Gourmet dedicated
to restaurants. Among the feature stories
are a series of pieces highlighting unique cuisine around the globe
by several leading food journalists. Articles
include Faith Heller Willinger discussing five country restaurants
in Italy worth the detour, David Rosengarten's
take on where to eat in New York after hours and Linda Sanders checking
out dining possibilities in Colorado's
Rockies. The issue also includes a series of articles on "Global Hot
Spots," which highlights London, Sydney and
Paris restaurants.
Also featured are recipes and cookbook reviews from top restaurant chefs,
and reports on home entertaining by
celebrated chefs Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton and Zarela Martinez.
The America's Top Tables award, presented to the top 24 restaurants
in North America, is a dramatic sculpture
created by the internationally renowned restaurant designer Adam Tihany.
The award is a three-dimensional
representation of a simple place setting that consists of a highly
polished nickel-coated metal sheet in a wave,
representing a linen napkin. The center of the surface is an etched
crystal plaque engraved with the award details.
On the surface is a full-size three-dimensional Georg Jensen knife,
and a full-size fork is laser-cut through the
surface.
Gourmet polled 26,000 randomly selected subscribers in 24 regions of
the United States and Canada on
restaurants in their areas. The survey was conducted by Monroe Mendelsohn
Research, an independent market
research firm based in New York.
Gourmet is published monthly by The Conde Nast Publications, Inc.