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Vinous Table: The Dysart at Petersham, Richmond, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Sep 2024
I was extremely impressed by every course at the Dysart. This is Michelin-approved fine dining, as it ought to be. The expertise of the Chef and his team shone through in practically every dish to such a degree that only distance from central London can explain why this restaurant is not more lauded.
Vinous Table: The Crow's Nest, Montauk, NY
United States: New York, Vinous Table
, Sep 2024
With its gorgeous setting, relaxed outdoor dining and fabulous menu, the Crow's Nest is one of the best places to eat in the Hamptons. The restaurant is located on a sprawling property on the tranquil shores of Lake Montauk.
Vinous Table: Lumière, Cheltenham, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Aug 2024
Lumière is a pertinent reminder that this country has fostered a raft of brilliant chefs in recent years, many out in provincial towns. I wish we had our own Lumière where I live in Guildford! This is haut cuisine at a high level without the pretension one occasionally finds.
Vinous Table: Mavericks, Montauk, NY
United States: New York, Vinous Table
, Aug 2024
After this very rich meal, we skipped dessert. I look forward to exploring that part of the menu on a future visit. Readers spending time in the Hamptons will want to check out Mavericks. The ambiance, food and service overall experience are all top-notch.
Vinous Table: Hitching Post II, Buellton, CA
United States: California, Vinous Table
, Aug 2024
Frank and Natalie Ostini bought the Casmalia Hitching Post in 1952 near what today is Vandenberg Air Force Base (then Camp Cooke). Frank Ostini was a carpenter by trade looking for a new career. He spent three months with the former owner learning how to cook over an open flame, and that was that. The Ostini family ran the original Hitching Post with their children for several decades before opening Hitching Post II in Buellton in 1986. A few years later, in 1993, the brothers dissolved their partnership. Son Frank Ostini kept the Buellton restaurant. “I wanted to be closer to wine country and offer a slightly more varied, contemporary menu,” Ostini told me.
Vinous Table: Cloth, London, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Aug 2024
Cloth is doing nearly everything right. Clearly, it has hit the ground running. Despite its central location, it has a cozy ambiance, and Butterworth, gadding about the restaurant, is a lively and pleasing presence. Its wine list will be a strong draw for oenophiles, while the food is not a secondary consideration. There’s no pretension, and everything is refreshingly straightforward in the best way.
Vinous Table: Ikoyi, London, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Aug 2024
So, Ikoyi… The level of gastronomy, execution, presentation, ingenuity of ingredients and, at times, innovative combinations deserve accolades and Michelin stars, definitely two and close to three. Whereas some of what you might call ‘retrograde’ restaurants are reverting back to simplicity, and trust me, that is something that should be welcomed, Ikoyi is a reminder that achieving great heights, a chef with a clear vision, is something that should be cherished, even if, unlike art, it can only be experienced by few.
Vinous Table: S.Y. Kitchen, Santa Ynez, CA
United States: California, Vinous Table
, Jul 2024
This recent dinner at S.Y. Kitchen was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. I am not sure why, but several years had passed since my last visit. That is not a mistake I will make again. Everything we tried was divine.
The Cocochine, London, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Jul 2024
There are many aspects of The Cocochine that I enjoyed, not least the quality of ingredients and execution. Perhaps the menu plays it safer than I was anticipating. Maybe that was because of my own choices - an observation rather than a criticism. There was something comforting about the dishes encountered at the test kitchen, and this translated onto the menu in terms of failsafe combinations, but that precluded a knockout dish where I wanted to jump up onto my chair and praise the epicurean gods above. I won’t find a better scallop or lamb this year.
Vinous Table: The Merry Harriers, Surrey, UK
Vinous Table, United Kingdom
, Jul 2024
The Merry Harriers is a welcome addition to the rather jejune Surrey dining scene. All the best places tend to be tucked away in the middle of nowhere.