In partnership with S.Pellegrino, Restaurant Magazine has released its annual list of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" — widely considered the "Oscars" of the restaurant world — and six of them are located in the United States, it announced last week.
For the second consecutive year, Danish restaurant Noma earned this year's No. 1 spot and the title of "S.Pellegrino World's Best Restaurant 2011" thanks to Chef Rene Redzepi's "unique treatment of local and regional ingredients."
"This year showcases an exciting list of restaurants that span an even greater geographical spread than previous years and recognizes the influence of fledgling culinary nations such as Peru and Russia. We heartily congratulate Rene Redzepi for the difficult task of maintaining his position as the No. 1 restaurant on our list, which underscores his commitment to redefining Nordic cuisine."
For the second year, the best restaurant in North America is Alinea in Chicago — the only restaurant in the Midwest to make the list. The balance of U.S. contenders are located on the East and West coasts, with another nine U.S. restaurants placing in the top 100:
• Per Se - New York (No. 10)
• Daniel - New York (No. 11)
• Le Bernardin - New York (No. 18)
• Eleven Madison Park - New York (No. 24)
• Momofuku Ssäm Bar - New York (No. 40)
• The French Laundry - Yountville, Calif. (No. 56)
• Jean George - New York (No. 62)
• Momofuku Ko - New York (No. 65)
• Manresa - Los Gatos, Calif. (No. 69)
• Coi - San Francisco (No. 75)
• WD-50 - New York (No. 81)
• The Bazaar - Beverly Hills, Calif. (No. 85)
• Blue Hill at Stone Barns - Westchester, N.Y. (No. 91)
• Masa - New York (No. 95)
Rounding out this year's "Top 5," behind Noma, are El Cellar de Can Roca (No. 2) and Mugaritz (No. 3), both in Spain; Osteria Francescana (No. 4), in Italy; and The Fat Duck (No. 5), in the United Kingdom.
For the complete list of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants," visit www.worlds50best.com.