Gourmet October 2007 - The Restaurant Issue: on Newsstands September 25, 2007.
Restaurant Guide: Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants Across the U.S.
Chef's Account of a Visit from a Restaurant Critic
-- Bruce Feiler Goes Undercover as a Parking Valet in Los Angeles
Alumni Reunion at London's River Cafe
Gourmet Entertains Menus: David Chang, Momofuku, New York; Holly Smith, Cafe Juanita, Seattle
Where to Stay and Eat in Sonoma, CA
-- Roadfood: The Sterns in Nashville
Phyllis Richman Inspires a Chef from South Africa
-- Dining in Kabul
Farmers and Purveyors Honored by Chefs Across the Country
-- Le Carnet de Route Guidebook in France
Two Chefs in England on the Sustainable Cutting Edge
-- Profile of Spanish Chef Angel Leon
Sydney, Australia, Restaurant Guide
-- Profiles of Three Women Restaurant Designers in NY, CA, and Boston
NEW YORK -- "In the world of restaurants, the big new thing is the farm-to-fork movement, which has chefs elbowing each other out of the way to find nearby sources of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Organic farmers, artisanal cheesemakers, and savvy fishermen are turning into bona fide celebrities. And it's about time," declares Ruth Reichl in "A Nation of Farmers?" (page 28), her editor's letter for Gourmet's Annual Restaurant Issue. "No matter how good a cook you may be, no matter how great your technical proficiency, it is not possible to make wonderful dishes without great products."
"Local Flavor: America's Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants" (page 67): Gourmet's editors spent the past year eating from coast to coast to create the 2007 Restaurant Guide, which features the country's best restaurants that are focusing on the seasonal, the sustainable, and the homegrown. These chefs are sourcing ingredients locally and using them in new and unusual ways. Log on to www.gourmet.com for longer descriptions of the restaurants.
In "The Mouth That Matters" (page 80), chef-owner Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns gives a behind-the-scenes account of how restaurants really react when there's a food critic in the house.
In "Operating Instructions" (page 149), best-selling author Bruce Feiler goes undercover as a parking valet to the rich and famous at Hollywood's Sunset Tower Hotel, an Art Deco landmark. Feiler provides a look at the secret world of valet parking, the least understood corner of the hospitality industry, and discovers that a single tip can sometimes equal an entire month's rent. His Top Five Tips for Consumers are on page 150.
