The Michelin Guide star awards for New York City restaurants won’t be announced until Monday, but Manhattan’s superstar chefs are already celebrating their honor in the latest global survey of the world’s 1,000 best places to eat.
For the third consecutive year, the French Seafood Palace Le Bernardin was named top American restaurant by La Liste – a Paris-based, algorithm-driven guide for gourmet hobbyists – sharing the honors with Single Thread in Healdsburg, California.
Eric Ripert and Maguey Lecoz’s West 51st Street Institute and Single Thread,
Directed by Kelly Connaughton, it was one of nine eateries around the world to earn La Liste’s highest rating of 99.50, according to Survey released last week,
La Liste is considered a broad barometer of media perceptions, of which critics’ reviews are only one part. The overall score is also based on all types of media coverage, guidebooks, and millions of online reviews like Yelp and TripAdvisor.
Although it doesn’t yet have the dominance of Michelin, La Liste’s influence has grown steadily since its launch in 2015 – especially in Europe and Asia.
“They imposed themselves in Europe, China, Japan and Korea. “The American market is slowly discovering it,” Ripert, chef/co-owner of Le Bernardin, told The Post.
“La Liste has a good impact on our business, especially South Korean, Japanese and Chinese customers.”
Diners from those countries account for no less than 30% of Le Bernardin’s diner customers, Ripert said.
At a time when so many customers dine out pre-pandemic, Le Bernardin is typically turning over its 80-odd tables after 10 p.m.
Dinner prices at Le Bernardin start at $210 for a four-course tasting and lunch costs from $130 for three courses.
Michelin, which relies on anonymous “surveyors”, has blessed Le Bernardin with three stars every year since launching its New York version in 2005.
Chefs and owners said a third star could increase business by 25% compared to a two-star Michelin restaurant.
Meanwhile, La Liste also had good news for Daniel Boulud’s empire. Chef’s Mansion Barnes – Home of the Famous $250 “Chowbster” chicken-and-lobster hybrid – Received “Opener of the Year” honor. Mason Barnes shares its Park Avenue location with the revitalized Café Boulud.
In a statement, Sebastian Silvestri, CEO of Boulud and Dinex Group, said, “We are proud to partner with Barnes Hospitality and [CEO] Thibault de Saint Vincent. This recognition means a lot to us and the team.”
The La Liste honor comes amid a flurry of restaurant awards in December.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Four Twenty Five was the only fine dining establishment to make Esquire’s “best new restaurants” roster, which was dominated by casual spots – Demo, Tolo, Penny’s, Nux, The Cellar in Brooklyn, and Hellbender in Queens.
And Meduza Mediterranea in the Meatpacking District tops Yelp’s national “Best Restaurants of 2024” list.
