Just a few years ago, a restaurant could not be inducted into Nation’s Restaurant News’ Fine Dining Hall of Fame if its tables weren’t covered with white tablecloths.
Oh, how times have changed.
Many diners have lost interest in the classical trappings of high-end restaurants. And even the Michelin Guide, former guardian of all things “haute cuisine,” this year gave its top three-star rating to Brooklyn Fare in Brooklyn, N.Y., which doesn’t even have a liquor license.
Still, we know fine dining when we see it, and this year’s inductees have excelled in a segment that demands the most time and money from its customers because they understand their markets, evolve with their guests and, as this year’s Fine Dining Legend, Thomas Keller, puts it, try to do a little better than they did the day before.
Brennan’s of Houston withstood fire and storm and came back even stronger, remaining a community institution while staying where owner Alex Brennan-
Martin calls “the crossroads of tradition and the future.”
Rioja found a high-end niche in casual Denver by serving food that speaks to the local culture.
Lucques has developed loyal clientele in Los Angeles not by following the latest trends, but by creating a restaurant in which partners Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne would themselves like to dine.
Coi speaks to its San Francisco audience by focusing on locally foraged ingredients and serving them in a casual setting with warm earth tones, albeit with a $165 price tag.
Even Wylie Dufresne, a champion of avant-garde cooking, has worked to make sure his customers are comfortable.
“I think you’d feel as at home in shorts and a T-shirt as you would in a ball gown,” he said.
Take a look at this year's inductees into Nation's Restaurant News' Fine Dining Hall of Fame:
Fine Dining Legend: Thomas Keller
