While Eleven Madison Park may have been proclaimed the world's best restaurant just last week, a new ranking of the top 100 restaurants in the US has relegated the Michelin-starred eatery to eighth place.
You could say it's a discrepancy that shows there's no accounting for taste -- literally.
Because according to the gourmands who rate and review restaurants on Opinionated About Dining (OAD), Eleven Madison Park trails far behind The Willows Inn on Lummi Island in Washington, which was named the best restaurant in the US on this year's top 100 list.
Conversely, The Willows Inn didn't even make the cut on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list.
No stranger to "best restaurants" lists, The Willows Inn, helmed by Noma alum Blaine Wetzel, has been called one of the most exciting dining destinations in the US over the last few years, thanks in part to its dramatic setting on a remote island on the West Coast, but mostly for its island-inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine.
Sample dishes could include everything from toasted kale leaves, to sea urchin in a fermented broth, smoked mussels or geoduck kebabs.
Rounding out the top five spots on the ranking are Saison in San Francisco (which held on to the top spot over the last two years), Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York state, Chicago's Alinea and The Restaurant at Meadowood in California.
Overall, a scan of the top 100 list skews heavily in favor of New York eateries, which claim 32 spots compared to its nearest competitor, Chicago, which landed a dozen spots.
San Francisco has 10 addresses on the list and Los Angeles a total of six.
OAD is headed by influential New York-based food blogger Steve Plotnicki, whose claim to fame includes discovering Run-DMC when he was a music executive. He's also been called the "king of food bloggers" for his widespread influence.
The list is based on the reviews of "highly literate connoisseurs of the culinary arts who travel the world to experience the art of food."
The World's 50 Best Restaurants, the awards for which took place in Melbourne, Australia last week, compiles their ranking based on votes cast by 1,000 food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and "gastronomes" around the world.
Here are the top 10 restaurants on OAD's top 100 list of best restaurants in the US:
1. The Willows Inn, chef Blaine Wetzel, Lummi Island, Washington
2. Saison, chef Joshua Skenes, San Francisco
3. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, chef Dan Barber, Pocantico Hills, NY
4. Alinea, chef Grant Achatz, Chicago
5. The Restaurant at Meadowood, chef Christopher Kostow, St. Helena, CA
6. Manresa, chef David Kinch, Los Gatos, CA
7. Per Se, chef Eli Kaimeh, New York
8. Eleven Madison Park, chef Daniel Humm, New York
9. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, chef Cesar Ramirez, Brooklyn
10. Catbird Seat, chef Ryan Poli, Nashville, TN
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