FLASH: France’s Mirazur in France comes in 1st, as the ‘new Noma’ claimed 2nd place.
Mirazur in Menton, France, is the No. 1 restaurant in the world, and the 1st time chef Mauro Colagreco and his Provencal dining room have taken the Top spot. Also, it is the 1st time France has come in #1 spot since the awards began 18 years ag
World’s 50 Best Restaurants list has made a big change to the rules this year, in that no prior winner can be # 1 again, or even be ranked on the list.
Prior winners have now been relegated to a “Best of the Best” category. That includes Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura’s modernist restaurant in Modena, which has won the award 2X’s; Eleven Madison Park, which took the Top spot in Y 2017; El Cellar de Can Roca; and the original Noma.
The ‘new Noma‘ is set in a different location in Copenhagen with a new menu format made #2 place on the list.
William Drew, group editor of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, says the criteria they used, which included location and menu concept, was not just to allow Noma, 1 of the world’s highest-profile dining spots, to be in contention. “The aim is to have an objective set of criteria that prevails over time,” he says.
Leading up to the announcement, which took place in Singapore on the evening of 25 June, Noma was an insider favorite to clinch the Top spot.
The Best of the Best is a convenient landing place for some formerly top-ranked restaurants like the Fat Duck in Bray, England.
Mirazur sits at the foot of a mountain and is housed in a 1930’s building looking out over the Sea at Menton, on France’s border with Italy. Chef Colagreco’s signature creation is oyster with tapioca, shallot cream and pear.
“What a great year. 3 Michelin Stars and # 1 all in the same year,” said Chef Colagreco while accepting the award. “It is a year I shall remember forever. I don’t have words to explain. I own the sky!”
“We are fantastic producers, winemaker, we are a little paradise. Our vision is to share and to try to give love and to live happily with our work. It is a simple vision, but it is a vision of life.”
The World’s 50 Best committee also announced that it is highlighting diversity. And this year, the list was also expanded from 100 to 120 to coincide with the list’s leading sponsor, San Pellegrino, celebrating its 120th anniversary. It’s a “1-off” expansion, according to Mr. Drew.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is organized and compiled by William Reed Business Media. It is created from the votes of 1,040 restaurateurs, chefs, food writers and foodies.
The voters are split into 26 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 40 members.
The awards started in Y 2002 as a feature in Restaurant, a UK publication, based on the picks of journalists and chefs.
Have a terrific Holiday week.
