Central Michel Richard
photo: Mimi Le
What do you think are the most intriguing new restaurants?
Do you agree with Frank Bruni's list? Tell us what you think on the
Zagat Discussion boards!
Without a doubt, New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni knows food. But as far as his reviews for the Grey Lady go, they are understandably centered around NYC's the five boroughs. Recently, Bruni ventured beyond city limits to track down the 10 most "intriguing new restaurants outside of New York" and has been reviewing a few each week in the NYT's food section. San Francisco should be happy to see that Coi and Ubuntu made the cut.
The group Bruni chose (see below) gets very good Zagat food ratings – nothing below a 24, with Las Vegas' Guy Savoy weighing in at a whopping 28. Three – including Ubuntu – were too new to be rated, as our surveys have not been completed yet. To arrive at his top 10, Bruni visited 15 restaurants around the country that came highly recommended, only considering those that had opened between January 2006–December 2007. Then he knocked off his least favorite five. Here are the restaurants that made Bruni's final cut, in alphabetical order:
- Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC
- Cochon, New Orleans
- Coi, San Francisco
- Fraîche, Los Angeles
- Fearing's, Dallas
- Guy Savoy, Las Vegas
- Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
- o ya, Boston
- Tilth, Seattle
- Ubuntu, Napa