| NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 1998 - Masa's, Fleur de Lys and
Chez Panisse were chosen as the top three restaurants in the San Francisco
area in "America's Top Tables", an exhaustive evaluation of over 3,500
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 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 a number of chefs and
restaurateurs from the winning restaurants. The top awardees from New York
City were also invited to a special luncheon at Le Bernardin, the New York
City winner.
The America's Top Tables awards were given to the restaurants with the
highest overall ratings on the poll. 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 were restaurants that Gourmet
readers prefer for special occasions, business, romance, drinks fun, and
best value. In total some 550 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 third annual such survey from Gourmet,
the nation's most influential epicurean publication and the first magazine
to publish restaurant reviews.
Masa's swept the individual categories, taking top honors for food,
service, presentation, best place for special occasions, and top wine list,
while The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton took honors for top ambiance.
For business, Le Central Bistro is tops, and for romance, Fleur de Lys
takes the top spot. Tops for value is The Slanted Door, Bix was rated number
one for drinks, and Rose Pistola was voted the most fun.
Listed below are San Francisco's Top
Table winners:
1. Masa's (Hotel Vintage Court)
2. Fleur de Lys
3. Chez Panisse (Berkeley)
4. JardiniPre
5. The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton
6. La Folie
7. Postrio (Prescott Hotel)
8. Farallon
9. Chez Michel
10. Campton Place (Campton Place Hotel)
11. Viognier (San Mateo)
12. Hawthorne Lane
13. Aqua
14. Boulevard
15. Bay Wolf (Oakland)
16. PlumpJack Cafe
17. Eos
18. The Big Four (The Huntington Hotel)
19. The Lark Creek Inn (Larkspur)
20. Zibibbo (Palo Alto) |
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