We crisscrossed the country during the past year in search of the best new restaurants, said Andrew Knowlton in Bon Appétit. In nearly every corner of the nation, the standouts are becoming more intimate and relaxed, though they’re as focused as ever on creating great food. Below are our top three.
Husk Charleston, S.C. America’s greatest regional cuisine—Southern food—is everywhere being “rediscovered and reborn.” No place does it better than Husk, which The Week featured earlier this year. Chef Sean Brock is re-creating his grandma’s home cooking using modern techniques and exclusively regional ingredients—right down to the vinegar. 76 Queen St., (843) 577-2500
Mission Chinese Food San Francisco. It took less than three years for the couple behind Mission Chinese Food to graduate from a food truck to a pop-up restaurant to this no-frills source for “some of the most out-of-this-world creative (and seriously delicious) Sichuan-inspired dishes in America right now.” The line is worth it for the “fiery and addictive” cumin lamb belly and the “brilliant” warm egg custard with duck confit and sea urchin. 2234 Mission St., (415) 863-2800
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Walrus and the Carpenter Seattle. “It would be a shame to visit this tiny spot” named for a Lewis Carroll poem and “not get beyond the oysters.” The rewards of taking the leap include a tartare of butter clam, grilled herring, and various other “smallish” dishes “composed mainly of things plucked from local waters”—like those unforgettable oysters. 4743 Ballard Ave. NW, (206) 395-9227
