2011 was a good year - my list of hits and misses

Puh! after have spent almost all my time the last month at the store and studio I have say it´s really nice being home.
So how about trying to put down some comments about my experinces of the year...

I`m not always that happy for all lists and guides, this year I have to say I really started to be pissed at the 50 best list..... There is a lot to question about the ranking, places, voting, PR and everything around it but there is something seriously wrong when some of the restaurants really isn´t interesting at all.


SO here is my list:

* My best visits ( with no places due to the fact that you can´t really compare the experiences... )

SAWADA - Tokyo
6 seats in front of a massive woodbench, one master and his assistent and the best looking tuna fridge you can find. So ZEN like and in totally perfection in every detail. Almost impossible to get hold of and I understand why, this was quality that I hadn´t experienced before even at other high acclaimed sushiplaces.

SAISON - San Fransisco
Joshua Skenes is cooking one of the most interesting food in the states as I see it and after having spent an evening at the kitchen table I just want to come back for more and more..... So nice atmosphere and service from both kitchen and waiters, this is a place in my style.

THE AVENUES - Chicago
Two starred restaurant at the Peninsula Curtis Duffy served me a very nice menu that really got me in the mood. I was lucky to get seats opposite to the kitchen and everything around the decor from Cristofle champagne wagon in silver was flawless this evening. It will be fun to see his new place.

Frantzen-Lindeberg - Stockholm
I`m really glad to say that there is a swedish restaurant in the top.
On our visit to the restaurant and the gardens in september the menu that Björn with crew cooked for us was on a very high international level based on scandinavian produce, without a doubt *** in my book, sadly not in Michelin ;(

* FINALLY ! was about time.....

- Gargouille and coulant at Michel Bras - what a landscape and when the food were at it´s best it was something really special
- Oysters and Pearls at The French Laundry - do I need to say more ?

Both these dishes is really on the top list for a single dish, perfection in every single aspect..

* HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL FIND OUT next year
What a fantastic place Mistral is. Fredrik Andersson is a genius and is one of the chefs I really hold high in the country for his own personal style and mission. It´s a shame that there is so little guests who travel the small distance from the city to Gamla Enskede...

BEST FISH
No one had a chance against Sawada this year... outstanding ! runner ups TFL with the oysters and pearls, Fäviken and F/L with the crayfish, the fake shark fin soup at BENU was there to

BEST MEAT
hard one, had a fantastic Haneda beef in Tokyo, F/L had a fantastic venison in two servings but I think the prize goes to The French Laundry for the Snake River meat, fantastic taste and quality

BEST DESSERT
The pineapple dessert at The Avenues

BEST DUCKLIVER
Michel Bras duckliver had an amazing texture and flavour, cutting it with his special cutlery was pure joy

BEST VEGGIE
Michel Bras Gargouille, runner up is Saison Brassicas and Fredrik Andersson dishes at Mistral

BIGGEST VEGGIE
The signature dish, a sweet potato at tempura restaurant KONDO ** was huge to say the least.....

BEST WAGON
ROLI ROTI in SF really had me wating for that lovely pig...

BEST PASTA AND PIZZA
Flour and water in SF was worth the two hour wait

MOST EXPENSIVE BAR
must be The Aviary waiting for my table at NEXT but that was may be more on my side ;) were so many funny drinks and snacks I had to try ;)

BEST HOST
Debbie at BOND ESTATE were such a lovely women who really gave as a visit to remember and also hooked me up with the chef at NEXT so I got the chance to taste Paris 1906

WORST SERVICE
The staff at Ubuntu really have to step it up..... got two dishes even before ordering our apretifs, and it didn´t get much better after that.

BYE BYE !
Magnus and Agnetas restaurant Oaxen in the most amazing setting closed after the summer and what a job they have pulled on that small island in the archipelago. Now they run a shop in the city selling home cured, sausages and other good things. Also read somewhere that they also have Magnus signature pigshead for sale.....Soon I hope that we can sell Magnus lovely stuff.

BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENT
Narisawa and Ryugin - both ** in the michelin guide and a 12th and 20th place on the 50 best. Well, it takes a lot more than that to impress me, the food for example..... a bit dated and uninspiring if being a bit honest.... Sometimes I really ask myself if people really have eaten on the restaurants they vote for....
And I have say that Ubuntu in Napa was far from what I expected....

ONE OFF DINNERS
The Atelje of Frantzen-Lindeberg and the re-opening of Leijontornet, know in the form of a concept called 12X8 were i sadly had to cancell my seat due to bookings at our own studio ;( Both are putting on a " all in " concept where there is very limited amount of guest each time, F/L is working more on a guestplay theme and Daniel Crespi and Mikael Einarsson at 12x8 is more into more classic dishes and fantastic thing in the glasses..... Think we will se more of this in the future.

SHOPS of RESTAURANTS
Almost two years ago I told a restaurantmagazine that there were extra sale possibilities to the restaurantscene that the business didn´t took advantage of, this is a trend that really took of this year......
- Newly opened Gastrologik open a shop now in the end of december
- Grand in Lund re opened with one
- Magnus Ek skipped the restaurant and opened a shop at Mariatorget
- Köttbaren, the F12 group opened a well designad, maybe the word bar is more the truth and the meat more of a concept and and interior but who cares, it´s busy and another smart move from Melker and Danyel
- Urban Delli is still a success on Söder with the concept of foodstore/deli and restaurant/bar

MOST UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
Have to say Fäviken on this one, call it a concept or is it ? Magnus Nilsson with crew cooks food in the most natural way, presenting the produce from the nearby region in an honest way and with Johan Agrell in the diningroom there isn´t a question why people travel far to get here..... Sadly they are going more and more on international cookshows so our revisit was cancelled ;( but we will come back !

NEW OPENINGS
In Stockholm there has been popping up restaurants like mushroom, and not the average kind either.... Places like Jonas, Gastrologik, Ekstedt, Miss Voon, Leijontornet 12x8, Frantzen-Lindeberg and there will be more. The big question is if there will be more guests ?