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Vinous Table: Mavericks, Montauk, NY
Vinous Table, United States: New York
Aug 2024
,After this very rich meal, we skipped dessert. I look forward to exploring that part of the menu on a future visit. Readers spending time in the Hamptons will want to check out Mavericks. The ambiance, food and service overall experience are all top-notch.
Vinous Table: Hitching Post II, Buellton, CA
United States: California, Vinous Table
Aug 2024
,Frank and Natalie Ostini bought the Casmalia Hitching Post in 1952 near what today is Vandenberg Air Force Base (then Camp Cooke). Frank Ostini was a carpenter by trade looking for a new career. He spent three months with the former owner learning how to cook over an open flame, and that was that. The Ostini family ran the original Hitching Post with their children for several decades before opening Hitching Post II in Buellton in 1986. A few years later, in 1993, the brothers dissolved their partnership. Son Frank Ostini kept the Buellton restaurant. “I wanted to be closer to wine country and offer a slightly more varied, contemporary menu,” Ostini told me.
Vinous Table: Cloth, London, UK
United Kingdom, Vinous Table
Aug 2024
,Cloth is doing nearly everything right. Clearly, it has hit the ground running. Despite its central location, it has a cozy ambiance, and Butterworth, gadding about the restaurant, is a lively and pleasing presence. Its wine list will be a strong draw for oenophiles, while the food is not a secondary consideration. There’s no pretension, and everything is refreshingly straightforward in the best way.
Vinous Table: Ikoyi, London, UK
United Kingdom, Vinous Table
Aug 2024
,So, Ikoyi… The level of gastronomy, execution, presentation, ingenuity of ingredients and, at times, innovative combinations deserve accolades and Michelin stars, definitely two and close to three. Whereas some of what you might call ‘retrograde’ restaurants are reverting back to simplicity, and trust me, that is something that should be welcomed, Ikoyi is a reminder that achieving great heights, a chef with a clear vision, is something that should be cherished, even if, unlike art, it can only be experienced by few.
Vinous Table: S.Y. Kitchen, Santa Ynez, CA
United States: California, Vinous Table
Jul 2024
,This recent dinner at S.Y. Kitchen was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. I am not sure why, but several years had passed since my last visit. That is not a mistake I will make again. Everything we tried was divine.
The Cocochine, London, UK
United Kingdom, Vinous Table
Jul 2024
,There are many aspects of The Cocochine that I enjoyed, not least the quality of ingredients and execution. Perhaps the menu plays it safer than I was anticipating. Maybe that was because of my own choices - an observation rather than a criticism. There was something comforting about the dishes encountered at the test kitchen, and this translated onto the menu in terms of failsafe combinations, but that precluded a knockout dish where I wanted to jump up onto my chair and praise the epicurean gods above. I won’t find a better scallop or lamb this year.
Vinous Table: The Merry Harriers, Surrey, UK
United Kingdom, Vinous Table
Jul 2024
,The Merry Harriers is a welcome addition to the rather jejune Surrey dining scene. All the best places tend to be tucked away in the middle of nowhere.
Vinous Table: Mustards Grill, Napa, CA
United States: California, Vinous Table
Jun 2024
,A Napa Valley institution, Mustards Grill remains a consistently fine spot to enjoy contemporary American comfort food at its finest. Chef/Owner Cindy Pawlcyn and her team, led by Managing Partner Sean Knight and Executive Chef Michael Foster, serve up a menu of what they call “Deluxe Truck Stop Classics.” I can’t say I have ever seen a truck stop with food like this, though. At a time when so many things change so fast, Mustards is one of my favorite places to eat when I am in Napa Valley.
Vinous Table: Hatched, London, UK
United Kingdom, Vinous Table
Jun 2024
,Hatched comes strongly recommended. It might lack the luxurious accouterments you might expect from a restaurant. You could argue that it is stripped down to the fundaments: the quality of service and quality of food. Inconveniently, it is not located close to any tube station, off the beaten trek, so either grab a cab or give your legs a workout. Trust me, the Pain Perdu alone is worth it.
Vinous Table: The Four Horsemen, Brooklyn, NY
Vinous Table, United States: New York
Jun 2024
,If you are in New York, The Four Horsemen is highly recommended. I love the laid-back atmosphere; the cooking is some of the best I encountered during what was admittedly a slightly underwhelming return to the city’s dining scene.