Perhaps part of the problem with this totally skewed list lies in the presumptions of the judges (myself included). Maybe we’re all trying to guess what other people are likely to nominate—after all, how else could there ever be a general consensus from a pool of millions of establishments? But whatever it is, the restaurants in the final list are pretty homogenous, if not predictable.
In fact, I can practically give you a formula to make this “Best” list. First, you’ve gotta make your dishes look as delightful as an Impressionist painting. Above all, they’ve gotta be good enough to photograph. Long after people have forgotten how your flash-frozen Nordic pine done-five-ways tastes, they will remember how it sparkled and shone on the plate—they’ll probably have taken pictures of it with their iPhones from three different angles, too, to be remembered for eternity. Secondly, molecular gastronomy or deconstruction or any other 21st-century innovation will go a long way. If it involves dehydration and foaming, even better. Third, make sure there’s some sort of European influence in your dishes, no matter what your restaurant serves or where it’s located; French is the safest bet. Not that I have anything against new techniques or Western interpretations of ethnic cuisines or beautiful presentation—but it almost seems like the S. Pellegrino list doesn’t have the capacity to include anything outside this narrow repertoire. As a well-respected go-to for diners around the world, I definitely think the list has room for improvement.