Photo: Courtesy of Noma.Yesterday, San Pellegrino announced its 50 Best Restaurant Awards, and Denmark has regained its title as the home of the world's finest dining destination. Noma, René Redzepi's gastronomic temple to the New Nordic cuisine in Copenhagen, took the top honor, just as it did in 2012. Joan Roca's El Celler de Can Roca in Spain was ranked first last year, but dropped to second this year.
Redzepi is known for celebrating foraged foods over the rare and hallowed ingredients of haute cuisine. "Wood sorrel conquered caviar. The seal fucker came out on top," he crowed during his acceptance speech.
The top 10 reads like a who's who of the fine-dining scene: Eleven Madison Park, Mugaritz, and Alinea all found a place there, as did Massimo Bottura's boundary-pushing Osteria Francescana and Alex Atala's D.O.M. in São Paulo. Old-guard torchbearers like Thomas Keller's Per Se and The French Laundry, Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin, and Daniel Boulud's Daniel all ranked in the top 50.