A Traditional Southern Seafood Charm, Or A Reinvention To The Classic South? You Decide!
Holmes Beach, Florida, USA
Cuisine Style: Southern-Style seafood?
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 2/5
Dined: May 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen Zomato rating:
Cross over the bridge from Bradenton, one of many in Florida and escape the hectic city life, and enjoy the island and beach life. While here we paid a visit to Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen nestled within Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club, a boutique Autograph Collection and resort by Marriott in Holmes Beach. The resort and restaurant are themed like a rustic and weathered marina with nautical influences, with its own dock. The open kitchen, wood-burning grill, cast iron cookware, and captain’s table bring all those nautical themes to life. The menu is inspired by these types of locations, focusing on Carolina Lowcountry cuisine as well as the bayous of Louisiana and the docks of Cortez, finishing with fresh choices of both land and sea. From our selections, we really did get the taste of Florida and a modern twist to Lowcountry, but from what we could tell, it was really more focused on the reinvention versus the classic southern charm to traditional dishes that we were expecting.
Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen Menu:
- Starters and small plates
- Taw Bar
- Farmers Market Salads
- Salad additions
- Soups
- Burgers and Sandwiches
- Catch and hook
- Daily catch
- Grilled over a live oak
- Entrees
- Seasides
- For the little ones
- Desserts
My wife found a deal online for half off coupon if you spend $50.00 or more at Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen in Anna Maria. We had been to the island several times before by ourselves and with friends, and here on Wine Dine and Play over ten articles about the island's restaurants have been written. This also includes a food tour article titled Dining on Anna Maria Island, where you can link to the individual restaurant articles. So we crossed the bridge once more knowing that it would not be our last time, rented a golf cart, pulled off gulf drive passing through the parking lot shopping center where we had dined at a little American centric place called eat here Anna Maria and over to the Waterline Marina Resort. As you walk through the doors of the front entrance you are greeted by and bright lobby facing out to the pool, with modern eclectic furniture pieces and a very interesting chandelier. To the left is the Eliza Ann’s Coastal Kitchen where we entered and sat at the L-shaped bar closer to the windows facing the pool. There was one other couple at the far end closer to the entrance and host station, plus and a few tables sat in the dining room. Overall it was a quiet start as we arrived for lunch right at 11am.
The bartender was attentive and very friendly, giving recommendations and was very open to conversation. My wife started with a glass of Rosé de Provence from Maison Fortant which is a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 15% Syrah from the Côteaux Varois en Provence AOC. The grapes are sourced from partially terraced vineyards on limestone-clay soil at an average altitude of 800 feet. According to the vineyard owner, the climate is cool for the region with considerable diurnal/nocturnal temperature differences which allows the wines to maintain perfect balance.
According to the winemakers’ notes, it is a superb, brilliant, pale pinkish color. Highly aromatic, with delicate notes of red fruit, a complex nose of raspberry, white-fleshed fruit, peach, and white blossoms. The terroir shines through on the palate, giving an impression of freshness and balance. Lovely length and a mineral, saline finish with character. The vineyard is part of the Boisset Collection of wines which span vineyards in four countries from France, Canada, England, and California. They are a family-owned collection of more than twenty historical and prestigious wineries in the world’s preeminent terroir’s, including the Côte d’Or, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, California’s Russian River Valley, and the Napa Valley.
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| Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen / Smoked Fish Spread |
We began with the house-smoked fish spread served with saltines and a pickled vegetable assortment that included carrots, green beans, and peppers. We both spread some of the dips onto the crackers, hit it with some Cholula hot sauce and bit in. My wife has a much better tasting palette then I do and can spot things in one bite that would take me two or more sometimes, and that was the case for this fish spread. The taste was a little off to me and not like many other fish spreads we had shared in other restaurants, and my wife said after that first bite that it was bad. The bartender took it back and the other couple at the bar had a complained about the fish spread as well. The bartender came back out and passed on the message that the kitchen agreed, and they were tossing the entire batch. When we dine out and eat fish spread we rate based on the chart below, and unfortunately, with this tasting, it gets a rating of 1 out of 6.
Fish Spread Rating Chart:
(6) THE BEST - Top-notch quality, excellent flavor profiles, memorable presentation, rare ingredients, organic, non-GMO, sustainable, local, immense-colossal quality of fish, and extravagant smoke flavors
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(5) DAMN GOOD - Fantastic smoke, exceptional quality, eclectic flavor, nice display, dedicated local sourcing, beautiful quality fish, possibly sustainable, non-GMO
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(4) GOOD - delicate, Enhanced ingredients, nice flavor, fresh taste, great smoke, common arrangements, in-state local, superior quality fish
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(3) BETTER - Nice ingredients, higher-desirable quality, okay flavor and taste, good smoke content, maybe from in-state sources, but possibly a GMO
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(2) OKAY - Nothing amazing, a regular spread, fair quality, highly probable GMO product, might be from the state, most likely not, fabricated or mainstream smoke products
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(1) BAD - Taste old, horrible seasoning, cheap smoke, manufactured, heavy GMO product, not local, bad smell
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Around the time that the fish spread arrived, the other appetizer that I had ordered came out and maybe enjoying that made it harder for me to taste the bad fish spread. My appetizer was the wood-grilled oysters. My wife is not fond of oysters, but I do enjoy them and have them when we dine out from time to time. The oysters were topped with parmesan cheese, a garlic vinegar, and some chives. In appearance the oysters were shallow and smaller in length, the brine was lite and hits towards the end, with no flavors of sweetness, possibly not noticed because of the savory parmesan flavors. The smoke flavor was nice from the wood chips, and the texture was pillowy soft and silky with a clean finish, though the garlic did linger on the nose and palette for a time after consuming. The oysters were savory, fresh, smoky and had a nice complexity almost like an organic finish and taste of the earth or woods, again possibly from the wood chips and grill.
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| Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen / Wood-Grilled Oysters |
For the entree, we shared the shrimp scampi dish with a side dish of onion rings. The scampi had a Florida citrusy lemon sauce with roasted garlic clove, white wine, parsley, and pomelo fruit which is a Chinese grapefruit shaped like a pear that can range from the size of a lemon to that of a cantaloupe. The pomelo is sweet though tart and pears very well with shrimp and tomato-based dishes when mixed as a cocktail or dipping style sauce. The tart of the Florida lemon with the pomelo added to the tarter flavor of the sauce, which balanced out nicely with the addition of the savory yet stronger garlic textures, and with the shellfish stock, it all came together in harmony. The dish came with five shrimp and two toast points garnished with some fresh parsley. It was presented in a small soup bowl following an appealing high contrast of colors, though did not follow the rule of odds meaning that having an odd number of objects in an image to the mind will be more interesting and pleasing. For even numbers, your brain would have an easy time "organizing" the objects leading to symmetry and dullness.
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| Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen / Shrimp Scampi |
As the meal experience came to a close with two out of three being very good dishes, insult was added to injury when the manager refused to accept my wife’s coupon because the fish spread had been removed from the bill which put our total under $50.00 just shy by a few dollars. Thankfully the bartender said that she would put the coupon on as it was night right since there was a bad dish. Throughout the experience, she excelled in service and hospitality, and this ending added to the customer service rating for this review score, but for the manager to refuse the coupon was ridiculous.
Dessert:
We did not have dessert during this visit, but some items of interest on the menu included s' mores brûlée’d marshmallow with graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate, and a mango crisp with a streusel top, finished with toasted coconut ice cream and a caramel sauce.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is the strength, in the water there are bacteria.” - David Auerbach
European Union:
France:
Other noteworthy Southern-style seafood articles and restaurants similar to Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen:
This section of foods is a sub-category to the cuisine of the Southern United States, focusing on Southern-Style Seafood or Seafood from the Southern United States. The focus is a blending of historical styles of preparation, seasoning, and notable influences in seafood caught from the coastlines of Northern Virginia to Southern Texas. The most notable influences come from African, English, Scottish, Irish, French, and Native American cuisines. Tidewater, Appalachian, Creole, Lowcountry, and Floribbean are examples of types of Southern cuisine. Break this category down even further for a seafood influence only. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have spread north, having an effect on the development of other types of American cuisine.
Hank’s Seafood A classy southern seafood eatery house in Charleston, South Carolina
Jack Dusty’s Nautical themed eatery with crafted cocktails and raw bar at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota Florida
Jekyll Island Seafood Company New American-Southern seafood restaurant, Atlanta airport, Atlanta, Georgia
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Holmes Beach & Anna Maria Island restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Global seafood with a comfort feel
City of Anna Maria, Florida, USA
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Gourmet organic Taqueria street food
City of Anna Maria, Florida, USA
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Chef-driven seafood restaurant
City of Anna Maria, Florida, USA
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A few Florida restaurant favorites:
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Stylish chophouse chain with surf ’n’ turf
Brandon, Florida USA
|
A Star Trek Music Experience with dinner
Clearwater, Florida USA
|
Local and organic at the Birchwood
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen a 2 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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11
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11
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0
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Food quality
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11
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7
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4
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Plate presentation
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10
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7
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3
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Customer service
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11
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8
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3
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Alcohol and other beverages
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9
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7
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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52
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40
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12
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.769230769230769
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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0
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.769230769230769
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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2
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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2 of 5 Stars:
77% Rating with a 0 point “wow” bonus
Far Above the Average Dining Experience
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Wine List:
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Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen Wine rating:
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5 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Italy, Spain
New World selections:
Argentina, Australia, California, New Zealand, Oregon, Washington State
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Corkage fees:
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Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant-style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style at Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen:
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American, Seafood, Southern American
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-free choices, Local, Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen Experiences:
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Contemporary, Modern, Lounge, Business parties, Rustic, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen has a private lot
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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Alcohol prices:
$14.00 USD
Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen:
5325 Marina Drive
Holmes Beach, Florida
34217
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 (941) 238-6264
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Online reservations
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Website Contact:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Mon - Fri
7:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat-Sun
8:00 am - 11:00 pm
Happy Hour: Daily
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
An innovative and eclectic tasting menu
Ripponlea, Australia
|
Innovative East Meets West Menu
Cape Town, South Africa
|
Haute French Restaurant
Paris, France
(Now L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon)
|
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
