Switzerland's Le Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville named Europe's best classical & heritage restaurant of 2017
The triple-Michelin-starred Swiss restaurant, which made the news in 2016 following the death of its chef Benoît Violier, has been named Europe's best classical & heritage restaurant, 2017, by Opinionated About Dining (OAD), founded by American critic Steve Plotnicki.
Since the death of Benoît Violier at the end of January 2016, the Franco-Swiss chef's second-in-command, Franck Giovannini, has taken over the kitchen at Le Restaurant de L'Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne in the Swiss Canton of Vaud. Michelin maintained the restaurant's three-star status last October, confirming the success of this unexpected succession. The American best restaurant list appears to share Michelin's opinion, putting the Swiss establishment top of its list of European classical and heritage restaurants.
The list is compiled by an algorithm that analyzes the reviews and ratings of a community of food lovers from all walks of life. "Opinionated About Dining" started out as a discussion forum set up by critic Steve Plotnicki. The platform then evolved into a blog where foodies can share their experiences.
Régis Marcon and his son Jacques, also based in France, take second place in the list, while Michel Troisgros, working with his son César in the kitchen of their new gastronomic restaurant in Ouches (France), come third.
A French flavor
The top spots in this latest OAD list are dominated by French establishments. Health-food guru Michel Guérard (Les Prés d'Eugénie, Eugénie-les-Bains) comes fourth, and Bernard Pacaud's L'Ambroisie (Paris) restaurant is sixth, followed by Christian Le Squer's restaurant in the George V luxury hotel (Le Cinq, Paris) in seventh.
German chef Helmut Thieltges -- heading the Waldhotel Sonnora, in Dreis, Germany -- takes fifth place, breaking up the French run.
OAD's Top 100+ Classical & Heritage Restaurants 2017 - Europe: www.opinionatedaboutdining.com
