Celebrity Chefs' Favorite Restaurants Around The World Slideshow
Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo, Monaco (Mario Batali)
With a menu by acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse, the cuisine of Louis XV offers a peek at what Louis XV might have enjoyed. Located in the ritzy Hôtel de Paris, Louis XV requires jackets, ties, and a hefty pocketbook. Based on the price to dine, this is definitely a special-occasion spot, but not one that will soon be forgotten.
"I would eat the vegetarian tasting menu; it would blow you away how good it is," said Batali. Lunches start at $180 and dinners at $260.
Momofuku Má Pêche, New York City (Nadia G.)
Momofuku Má Pêche is located in midtown New York City and is a member of the David Chang owned Momofuku franchise.
The restaurant houses the largest raw bar of all the Momofuku eateries and offers lunch, lunch-to-go, dinner, and group menus for sharing, serving dishes, such as steamed pork buns, ramen noodles, quail, and an array of seafood.
Chez L'Ami Louis, Paris (Tyler Florence)
In Paris, Tyler Florence heads to Chez L'Ami Louis for French bistro-style fare and a dose of the restaurant's stellar atmosphere.
You walk in and you walk into a time warp of a restaurant, said Florence. It is French bistro and the food is fantastic.
In terms of his favorite dish, Florence singles out the restaurant's potatoes fried in goose fat.
It's ridiculous, like what is that? said Florence.
Parc, Philadelphia (Robert Irvine)
Robert Irvine, whose favorite dish is roast chicken and mashed potatoes, raves about Parc in Philadelphia.
"If you want to go for the best roast chicken, you gotta go to Parc in Rittenhouse Square in Philly," said Irvine. "I did a whole TV show on it...that's how good it is."
Parc channels the Parisian cafe culture in its design and serves up a classic French-style menu of dishes like escargots, steak tartare, steak frites, and lamb shank provençal.
15 East Restaurant, New York City (Tyler Florence)
15 East Restaurant is one of New York City's most buzzed about sushi bars. According to Tyler Florence, the restaurant not only has great Japanese food but also unparalleled service.
"I just had really good sushi two nights ago at this place called 15 in New York, sensational," said Florence. "The way the menu's crafted, it's very, very, very Japanese, but it's also sort of French-American at the same time. The sake program is treated with the same reverence as wine. The service is just impeccable...very, very, very good."
Besides an array of fresh sushi and sashimi options, the menu also serves awabi risotto with abalone, grilled swordfish with garlic chili miso, and blue crab croquettes with Dijon mustard and foie gras hollandaise. For $120, diners can also indulge in a six-course tasting menu.
Joe's Stone Crab, Miami Beach (Mario Batali)
With a fun history, Joe's Stone Crab started as a small lunch counter in 1913. After gaining popularity for his killer fish sandwiches and fries, owner Joe Weiss started serving local stone crabs that locals didn't even know were edible. Stone crabs are served today the same exact way they were served then, cracked with hash brown potatoes, coleslaw, and mayonnaise.
"Even though it's probably not hip anymore, I would still go to Joe's Stone Crab," said Batali. Appetizers and meals begin at $10.
White House Sub Shop, Atlantic City, NJ (Buddy Valastro)
Buddy Valastro, a New Jersey native who is no stranger to Atlantic City, suggests White House Sub Shop for some of the best sandwiches in the area.
"You gotta go to White House," said Valastro.
White House Sub Shop has been serving up snacks and subs to Atlantic City frequenters for more than 65 years and has seen the likes of celebrity patrons, such as Frank Sinatra and The Beatles. Both the Italian and cheesesteak subs are not to be missed.
River Café, London (Tyler Florence)
With a Michelin star under its belt, River Café in London dishes out some of Tyler Florence's favorite Italian food.
"I like River Café in London. I like it a lot," said Florence. "It's an amazing place. The last thing I had there was a tagliatelle with stinging nettles. The room is great and the vibe and the energy is fantastic."
The restaurant's menu is seasonal and therefore ever-changing, though some of the River Café's summer dishes include handmade pasta with summer girolles and thyme, poached langoustines with marjoram and sea salt, and veal loin rolled and stuffed with rosemary, fennel, and sage.
Salumi, Seattle (Mario Batali)
Owned by Mario Batali's father and mother, Batali's sister and her husband, Salumi serves up cured meat products, sandwiches, and weekly specials including soups and pastas. The lines can be long, but locals and Batali swear it's worth the wait.
Salumi is also a full artisan factory that produces high-quality cured meats and other Italian products all inspired by a traditional Italian salumeria.
Salumi's products can be purchased in its store-front and online. Meals are less than $20.
La Bottega Del'30, Villa a Sesta, Tuscany (Anne Burrell)
Located in small village in Tuscany, La Bottega Del' 30 is both a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant and cooking school. Anne Burrell, who worked at the restaurant years back, names the spot as one of her favorite restaurants around the world.
"It's in the middle of freaking nowhere. It's a 30 seat restaurant, I'm not kidding. It's in a town of 60 people," said Burrell.
Le Bernardin, New York City (Mario Batali)
Ranked number 15 on the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Le Bernardin has also upheld a four-star review from The New York Times for more than two decades.
Reservations and jackets are required at this swanky French destination in midtown Manhattan.
Owner/chef Eric Ripert takes care to ensure diners have a memorable experience, offering tasting menus and private dining for the ultimate culinary adventure. Lunch starts at $50 and dinners start at $125.
Le Canard Libéré, Montreal (Nadia G.)
Le Canard Libéré offers all-day duck dining in Montreal for duck devotees craving dishes of their favorite bird.
"It's fantastic," said Nadia G. "Everything they have there, it's all duck products. You can have the best duck poutine. It's basically duck fat fries smothered in duck gravy with fresh cheese curds and duck confit on top. It's really, really decadant."
Check out the shop's other duck products, such as duck eggs, duck pot pie, sundried tomatoes and garlic duck sausages, and duck rillettes.
Lucques, Los Angeles (Tyler Florence)
For signature California cuisine, Florence treats himself to courses at Lucques in Los Angeles.
"Lucques is pretty amazing," said Florence. "It's just the definition of amazing Californian flavors."
For dinner, Lucques cooks up mouthwatering entrees, such as harissa-grilled lamb sirloin with cous cous, apricots, labneh, and pistachios, and pan-roasted merluza with succotash, coconut milk, and curried cherry tomatoes.
"Susan Goin is just year after year the best," said Florence about the restaurant's multiple James Beard award-winning chef.
The Cooks' House, Traverse City, Michigan (Mario Batali)
The Cooks' House prides itself on using almost entirely locally sourced ingredients. Opening in 2008, co-chefs Eric Patterson and Jennifer Blakeslee teamed up to create a menu that is fresh, simple, and delicious, and follows a "field to plate" philosophy.
With only 30 seats, the tables are kitchen-side and offer a great view of the cooking of the French-inspired fare. Meals range from $25 to $50.
Schwartz's, Montreal (Andrew Zimmern)
Schwartz's is a Jewish delicatessen in Montreal that serves up one of Andrew Zimmern's favorite sandwiches.
"They make a killer smoked meat sandwich," said Zimmern.
Besides smoked meat sandwiches, Schwartz's offers up lunchtime delights like rib steak, turkey, chicken, and salami sandwiches.
Di Fara Pizza, Brooklyn (Tyler Florence)
When Tyler Florence wants pizza, he goes out of his way to grab a slice from Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn, even if the journey costs him $173.
"I got a town car from New York City and I spent $173 to go out to Di Fara's to have a slice and come back," said Florence. "It was worth every penny."
What Florence loves most about Di Fara Pizza's pies are the crust and the sauce.
"It's beautiful....Even the texture of the crust has a little snap to it," said Florence. "I've lived in New York City for 15 years and I've had everything that you think is good pizza, and I just don't think anything hits that level, hits every single note. The sauce is just perfectly balanced and has this nice texture to it."
The W Hotel, Washington D.C. (Adam Richman)
When staying at the W Hotel in Washington D.C., Adam Richman loves to order up a chicken club sandwich via room service, which includes two of Richman's favorite sandwich ingredients: avocado and runny egg.
The W Hotel's dining service runs 24-hours-a-day and features a menu created by Culinary Concepts, the restaurant management company created by Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Hosteria Guisti, Modena, Italy (Mario Batali)
A renovated old slaughterhouse, Hosteria Giusti combines exposed beams and terra-cotta floors with fine china and linens to create an ambiance that is anything but forgettable.
It's a family affair with owner Adriano Morandi, his wife Laura, and their two sons running the lunch-only spot. They offer menu suggestions upon seating that include traditional Italian recipes from their grandmother.
"It's a four-table restaurant in the back of what looks like a deli, only open for lunch but serves the most magnificent and delicious things," said Batali.
Lunches start at $50.
Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco (Tyler Florence)
Tyler Florence names his own San Francisco flagship restaurant Wayfare Tavern as one of his favorite restaurants.
"I'd have to throw my restaurant in my top nine favorite restaurants," said Florence. "Every time I walk in Wayfare Tavern I fall in love with my restaurant all over again."
Open in 2010, Wayfare Tavern serves guests gourmet bites, such as American Kobe tartare with French mustard dressing, egg yolks, and warm garlic popovers, ahi tuna carpaccio, organic fried chicken with buttermilk brine, and a selection of fresh seafood from the restaurant's raw bar.
"We just had our second anniversary and we've never been better," said Florence. "Our food is just on fire right now."
Fiore's, Hoboken, N.J. (Buddy Valastro)
Fiore's Deli is one of Buddy Valastro's favorite spots to dine in Hoboken. "You gotta go to Fiore's for roast beef and mutz [mozzarella]," said Valastro.
"You gotta have it soaked in gravy. You gotta dunk it and that's the way you gotta do it."
Sin Huat, Singapore (Mario Batali)
Mario Batali raves about this small, one-man-show eatery on Geylang Road. He tells The Daily Meal of his misadventures while trying to find this restaurant in the red-light district of Singapore. "It's in a crazy neighborhood where the even streets are restaurant streets and the odd-numbered streets are prostitution," said Batali. "They fish out of the tank, and they cook it right before you in the wok, and I had one of the greatest meals I've ever had!"
Casa Tua, Miami (Tyler Florence)
Located in Miami's Casa Tua Hotel, Casa Tua serves up Northern Italian eats in an outdoor garden setting complete with lantern lighting.
"It's an amazing place. It's sexy. You have to check it out," said Tyler Florence, who notes, "The tuna tartare is pretty incredible there."
The Spotted Pig, New York City (Nadia G.)
The Spotted Pig is the acclaimed April Bloomfield owned gastropub located in the West Village neighborhood of New York City.
"I love The Spotted Pig," said Nadia G.
The restaurant serves up a menu of upscale bar food like a chargrilled burger with Roquefort and shoestring French fries, sautéed sea scallops with sweet corn pudding, and sheep's milk ricotta gnudi with brown butter and sage.
Frenchie's Famous, Traverse City, Michigan (Mario Batali)
Located on unassuming Randolph Street in Traverse City, Mich., this coffeehouse/lunch café offers up delicious sandwiches, breads, and desserts. Mario Batali suggests arriving before 2 p.m. because, "He's cranky between two and three," referencing owner French Clements.
Clements and his wife run the whole show; French plays maître d', waiter, line cook, and barista, while his wife Alisa bakes each day's fresh bread, pastries, and cookies. Try the house-made pastrami or fist-sized chocolate chunk cookies. Meals are $10 or less.
Balthazar, New York City (Tyler Florence)
Balthazar is not only one of New York City's highest rated French restaurants, it is also Tyler Florence's all-time favorite restaurant for a sit down meal.
"My hands down favorite restaurant is Balthazar in New York City 'cause I think there's different levels of satiation," said Florence. "There's nutrients and there's satiating the soul and I just think Balthazar is the epicenter of New York City."
The restaurant boasts a menu of signature and gourmet French fare, including moules frites, duck confit, and chicken liver with foie gras mousse. Florence's favorite Balthazar dish is the steak tartare.
"The steak tartare is just sensational," said Florence.
Num Pang, New York City (Mario Batali)
Offering Cambodian-inspired sandwiches, salads, and side dishes, the fare at Num Pang is delicious and "crafty," according to Mario Batali.
Touting that "their sandwiches are made to be enjoyed as they are," owners Ratha Chaupoly and Ben Daitz serve gourmet sandwiches on freshly toasted semolina flour baguettes with Num Pang's signature chile mayo.
Rotating selections of fresh-made sandwiches are offered daily, all based on Chaupoly's mother's Cambodian cooking. Sandwiches are $10 or less.
Cibrèo Ristorante, Florence
In Italy, Tyler Florence loves to dine at Cibrèo, the Florentine restaurant where he staged earlier in his career.
"He's just brilliant with his food," said Florence of Fabio Picci, Cibrèo's owner. "The Florentine style of cooking is really more about the soft texture. The texture that he gets out of the slow cook, the mind blowing complexity of the slow cook...I just don't think anyone in Italy can really touch him."