philadelphia pa center city american with a global influence mediterranean restaurant

In Sonoma, you’ll find Korean chef Joshua Smookler, who was adopted by Jewish American parents, casually incorporating pastrami from New York’s famous Katz’s deli in his kimchi fried rice. Hong serves jeon, fried disks of squash topped with caviar, because she always felt the labor-intensive dish she had as a kid deserved more respect. A.’s Yangban Society, which has a very specific Korean American POV. A similar spirit of mission inspires Katianna Hong at L.

But when he cooked Haitian food on Top Chef and for Oprah and saw the impact it had on Haitians and Haitian Americans, he knew what he had to do. Rather, he wanted to do something global. Over dessert at Kann one fall evening, chef Gregory Gourdet told me that he almost didn’t want to serve Haitian food in his first restaurant. Four of us ate and drank our way across the country: Jeff Gordinier, Joshua David Stein, Omar Mamoon, and yours truly.Īlong the way, we heard dozens of those inspiring origin stories. Finalizing our rankings required a healthy appetite.

To celebrate the milestone, this year we decided to rank the top forty new dining spots in the U. That’s especially true in this fortieth edition of our Best New Restaurants in America. Over time, we’ve seen these stories-and the dynamic eateries they inspire-become even more deeply personal and eclectic. It’s hard to deny the reflection of lived experience imbued in a menu, a wine list, a cocktail, atmosphere. We get asked often: What are you looking for in an Esquire Best New Restaurant? We’re always hooked when there is soul and a story to go with delicious, inventive dishes. Who doesn’t feel fortunate to be seated in a nice restaurant, to share a special experience with friends or family, to be asked, “Gin or vodka?” when ordering a martini? Dining out is such a wonderfully easy way to feel alive.īut the more I dine, the more I realize it’s the lives of the folks behind the food and drink that we’re celebrating. “Are we celebrating anything this evening?” I love it when a server asks this question, because I get to answer, “Just life.” It’s jokey, but genuine.

Philadelphia pa center city american with a global influence mediterranean restaurant