Osteria Francescana named best restaurant in world

New York, June 14: Osteria Francescana was named the best eatery on the planet at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, an annual tradition that has become a beloved — if lightly regarded — annual tradition in the culinary world.

Last year’s winner, El Cellar de Can Roca, dropped to second place, while Modena, Italy’s Osteria Francescana won raucous applause for its win. Helmed by Massimo Bottura, it’s the first Italian restaurant to make it to No. 1.

The restaurants on the 2016 list were picked by a total of almost 1,000 members of the industry, including restaurateurs, chefs, writers and gourmets. The group is divided into 27 regional panels, each with 36 members. They are asked to choose their seven “best restaurant experiences”—it is not a laurel based on food alone. The ceremony took place at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan — the first time it has taken place outside of London since its founding in 2002.

In addition to the main awards, a few restaurants and chefs were specially recognised. Den in Tokyo took the “One to Watch” award, presented to a restaurant identified as a “rising star” in global gastronomy and which made the Top 100 list for the first time. The World’s Best Pastry Chef went to Pierre Hermé, the “Emperor of Macaroons” and “Picasso of Pastry,” a fourth generation baker who began his career at 14 and now runs an eponymous shop in Paris.

Relae in Copenhagen moved up five spots to No. 40 and won “Best Sustainable Restaurant” for a second year in a row.

And scooping up the “World’s Best Female Chef” with her gorgeously poetic take on food is Dominique Crenn of the Two Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco —which strangely didn’t rank at all. Celebrate French chef Alain Passard of L’Arpège (No. 19) was recognised with the “Lifetime Achievement” award.

Eleven Madison Park, under chef Daniel Humm, came fifth in 2015 after placing fourth in 2014. This year it moved up one spot more to No. 3— making it the top restaurant in North America. Bloomberg