Washington, D.C. isn’t just our nation’s capital – it’s now home to the country’s best new restaurant, according to a new list out this week from Bon Appétit magazine.
D.C.’s Rose’s Luxury took the number-one spot in the magazine’s 10 best new restaurants list, a top position owned by Alma of Los Angeles last year.
SLIDESHOW: America’s 10 Best New Restaurants
“As I’m finishing my whiskey and paying the bill, I realize why people were willing to wait two-plus hours for a table in a city whose food culture is otherwise known mostly for power lunches: Rose’s is a game-changer,” wrote Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appétit about the winning establishment.
“There is a lot that sets it apart, starting with the warm, farmhouse-style dining room, kitchen-counter seating, and atrium glowing with string lights,” Knowlton continues. “There is the knowledgeable and friendly service. And, of course, the eclectic menu: Southern comfort food threaded with globe-trotting ingredients and ideas from Southeast Asia, Mexico, Italy, and France.”
Most of the restaurants that made it onto Bon Appétit’s list focus on American cuisine with some European influence, although two restaurants in Texas, Hot Joy in San Antonio and Thai-Kun in Austin, are experts in Asian cuisine. Most of the restaurants are moderately priced, except for Estela in New York and Tosca Cafe in San Francisco, which are both a bit pricier.
Related: The 12 Best Restaurants in the World
Another common trait among the top 10 is the prominence of the locavore movement: Many of these restaurants source their products from farms and other providers in their areas.
There are two out-of-the-ordinary picks in this list: Thai-Kun in Austin – it’s actually a food truck – and Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, a marketplace that’s home to more than 30 vendors.
Except for the two Texas restaurants mentioned above, the winners are either on the East or the West Coats, with none in Chicago or in the South. (There’s always next year.)
Click here to see America’s 10 Best New Restaurants.
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