René Redzepi in the kitchen of Noma
Let's be honest: Who cares about the ranking of 50 Best Restaurants? I'm not referring —obviously— to haute cuisine restaurants, gastronomic press or the usual four recalcitrant foodies. Nope, I'm talking about real customers , of true fans of gastronomy; I insist: how many of them are watching London's Guildhall tonight like a movie fan of the Oscars or a mattress maker of the Champions League final? AHA. That's how it is.
But before the knife, let's go with the ranking: The best restaurant in the world is Noma and therefore its chef, René Redzepi, the most influential on the planet. Does this mean that René's credo (local product, sustainable cuisine, kilometer 0, clear flavors, simple pleasures, wood and nudity) brings new Nordic cuisine back to the forefront against the push of other cuisines —Seoul, Peru or Taiwan? We will see. Our Celler de Can Roca drops to second place and Osteria Francescana, by Massimo Bottura, ranks third.
René Redzepi, the thinking head and the creative hands of Noma
Mugaritz drops to sixth, Arzak is still in his eighth place , imperturbable in the face of changes, tendencies and bosses (a fabric to be cut at this point), Azurmendi by our beloved Eneko Atxa rises to 26, curiously the same place it previously occupied Quique Dacosta, punished with a drop to 41 . Sincere joy (I speak in the first person) for the escalation of the Asador Etxebarri, up to 34: long live the embers, honesty and the product, and of course the exceptional work of Víctor Arguinzoniz; Martín Berasategui ranks 35.
As for the "other" awards: ** Azurmendi is considered the best sustainable restaurant in the world ** (bravo), Alex Ataya best cook —By the way, he didn't go to collect the award (annoyed for not winning last year?) And, finally, Jordi Roca has been proclaimed the best pastry chef in the world, which is only fair.
But I insist: are these awards relevant? Why do we have—from here— the feeling that it is a list by and for colleagues? Why do the same patriotic representatives always go hand in hand?
Let's see: The Restaurant Magazine dictates sentence (they themselves are judge and jury) through 900 professionals from all over the world , divided between great chefs, restaurant owners and food journalists. Each region has its own panel of 36 experts, in Spain the person in charge until today (he leaves the position this year) has been Rafael Ansón, president of the Royal Spanish Academy of Gastronomy.
The laboratory of pleasure
Those "experts" don't have to go to every restaurant , so —without going any further, Aponiente, which is in fifth place (with all the love in the world for my beloved Puerto de Santa María), has less chance of appearing in the aforementioned ranking for the simple reason that it is less It is likely that these professionals (both from our region and from others) have set foot in your kitchen. Add you two and two.
Are they important to the winners? Yes, of course, and we are very, very happy Joan, Pitu, Jordi, Andoni, Elena, Eneko, Martin, Victor and Quique . Are they fair? No list is, but this less. Are they relevant? No, at least not for the vast majority of customers who tomorrow will eat, drink, laugh and enjoy the gastronomy of the more than 50,000 restaurants scattered around the bull's skin. And we will continue to enjoy the squid sandwich at StreetXo, the Dacosta mist at El Poblet, the Cisne Azul mushrooms, the Néstor potato omelette, the Balbino shrimp and the Monvínic cheese board. And all those customers (we) don't give a damn what the hell S. Pellegrino is and who this drummer-looking Danish notes from Vetusta Morla is.
However: congratulations, Rene.