LISTS @ GFC

Restaurant magazine has just released the 2009 list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. The awards were based on 4,185 votes cast by 837 restaurant critics, chefs, restaurateurs and other qualified restaurant experts. You can see more about the voting process on the website.

Ferran Adria’s culinary mecca, El Bulli, and Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant once again top the list.

Michelin 3-star restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, owned by the Hell's Kitchen chef, failed to make the top 100 which is surprising since it was 13th on the list last year.

Thomas Keller's flagship restaurant dropped 7 notches to #12 and was beat out by it's New York cousin, Per Se, which took 6th place.

Grant Achatz from Chicago breaks into the top 10 with Alinea. Manresa squeaked in at #93. The United States had 8 restaurants in the top 50 and 12 restaurants in the top 100. Not bad when you consider this list of compiled of the greatest restaurants in the world and is bound to have a slight European bend. This can probably best be seen in the fact that Les Creations de Narisawa was the first Japanese restaurant to make the list, yet Japan racked up an insanely high number of Michelin stared restaurants last year.

More insight to come. Keep checking back. In the mean time, here are the top 50 restaurants in the World.

1 El Bulli, Spain (=)
2 The Fat Duck, U.K. (=)
3 Noma, Denmark (+7)
4 Mugaritz, Spain (=)
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+21)
6 Per Se, U.S. (=)
7 Bras, France (=)
8 Arzak, Spain (=)
9 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-6)
10 Alinea, U.S. (+11)
11 L’Astrance, France (=)
12 The French Laundry U.S. (-7)
13 Osteria Francescana, Italy (New Entry)
14 St. John, U.K. (+2)
15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (+5)
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+11)
17 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-8)
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-4)
19 Jean Georges, U.S. (-2)
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (New Entry)
21 Chez Dominique, Finland (+18)
22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (+21)
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (+12)
24 D.O.M., Brazil (+16)
25 Vendome, Germany (+9)
26 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+2)
27 Masa, U.S., (Re-entry)
28 Gambero Rosso, Italy (-16)
29 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+13)
30 Steirereck, Austria (New Entry)
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (New Entry)
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden (+16)
33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (-4)
34 Nobu U.K. (-4)
35 Mirazur, France (New Entry)
36 Hakkasan, U.K. (-17)
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+13)
38 La Colombe, South Africa (Re-entry)
39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain (+5)
40 Le Chateaubriand, France (New Entry)
41 Daniel, U.S. (=) - Make a reservation
42 Combal Zero, Italy (Re-entry)
43 Le Louis XV, France (-28)
44 Tantris, Germany (+3)
45 Iggy’s, Singapore (New Entry)
46 Quay, Australia (New Entry)
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France (-2)
48 Dal Pescatore, Italy (-25)
49 Le Calandre, Italy (-13)
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (New Entry)

Rounding out the top 100 restaurants in the world:
51 Zuma, China
52 Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, U.K.
53 Spondi, Greece
54 L’Arpege, France
55 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, China
56 Hibiscus, U.K.
57 Aqua, Germany
58 Le Gavroche, U.K.
59 Chez Panisse, U.S.
60 Les Amis, Singapore
61 El Poblet, Spain
62 Maison Pic, France
63 Cafe Pushkin, Russia
64 Le Meurice, France
65 Bukhara, India
66 Varvari, Russia
67 Schauenstein, Germany
68 RyuGin, Japan
69 La Maison Troisgros, France
70 Wasabi, India
71 The River Cafe, U.K.
72 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy
73 Le Cinq, France
74 Allegro, Czech Republic
75 Quintessence, Japan
76 Restaurant Dieter Mueller, Germany
77 Geranium, Denmark
78 Caprice, China
79 Jardines, South Africa
80 Amador, Germany
81 Biko, Mexico
82 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon U.S
83 Fasano, Brazil
84 Mozaic, Bali
85 Obauer, Austria
86 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France
87 L’Ambroisie, France
88 Maison Boulud, China
89 De Librije, Netherlands
90 Babbo, U.S.
91 Maze, U.K.
92 Zuma, U.K.
93 Manresa, U.S.
94 Pier, Australia
95 De Karmeliet, Belgium
96 Aubergine, South Africa
97 Bo Innovation, China
98 Rust en Vrede, South Africa
99 Del Posto U.S.
100 Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, UAE

Special Recognition Awards

Reader's Choice:
Chef's Choice: Noma, Denmark
Breakthrough Restaurant: Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley
Lifetime Achievement Award: Joël Robuchon (details)

The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants

List of Restaurant's 1-50
List of Restaurant's 51-100
Best Restaurant in The Americas: Per Se (USA)
Best Restaurant in Australia: Tetsuya's (AUS)
Best Restaurant in Asia: Les Creations de Narisawa (Japan)
Best Restaurant in Africa & Middle East: Le Quartier Francais (South Africa)
Best Restaurant in South America: D.O.M. (Brazil)

RELATED LINKS:
The International Agenda for Great Cooking
-By Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller and Harold McGee