After surveying restaurants across the US, Esquire gave the country props for its chops, proclaiming "the emergence of American cooking as the most diverse and most innovative in the world." It highlighted 20 favorite new restaurants of the year:
- L20 (Chicago): Overlook its Midwest locale; this place serves the best fish, with a lobster bisque as rich as its $165, 12-course offering.
- Bar Blanc (New York): An incredibly chic space with incredibly comforting dishes, like sweetbreads on watercress with sherry-poached cherries.
- Corbett's (Louisville): Ignore the Costco across the way; expect a meal that's both down home and worldly.
- Distrito (Philadelphia): "One of the most fun places you'll ever knock back a few cans of Dos Equis."
- The Plumed Horse (Saragota, Calif.): "Easily worth the 45-minute drive from SFO."
- Terra (Tesuque, New Mexico): Global cuisine grounded in its Southwestern surroundings.
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