The Food Network’s 10 Best Restaurants in America

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Photo: Flickr / Pierluigi Miraglia

It’s not easy choosing America’s 10 best restaurants, but the Food Network has done just that as part of a special TV show that’s currently in rotation. As counted down by chef and Food Network regular Bobby Flay, the list includes everything from Rao’s, the 114-year-old Italian restaurant in Harlem where it’s impossible to get a reservation, to Slappy Cakes, the brunch spot in Portland, Oregon, where you can make your own pancakes tableside.

The one pick that most food critics would agree with is The French Laundry, the renowned restaurant in Napa Valley run by chef Thomas Keller. Dinner there starts at several hundred dollars per person and the spot is widely considered one of the best restaurants in the world. But many of the other selections are wild card picks, probably unfamiliar to the country’s top restaurant reviewers. As the promos for the show said, no place is “too fancy, too humble, or too far-flung to make the cut.” Mimi Sheraton, the former New York Times restaurant critic and author of the upcoming 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die, watched the program and cheered the variety. “I do not believe in standards for criticism. It smacks of orthodoxy, which I detest and leaves no room for serendipitous, insightful surprises,” she said.

She had no problem with the mix of high and low that places an old-school soda fountain next to a world-class establishment. As long as the execution is perfect, it doesn’t matter if you’re offering milkshakes or a luxe nine-course tasting menu. “You just have to be great at what you say you do,” she added.

Here is the Food Network’s list:

Rao’s in New York City and Las VegasTraditional Italian dishes, family owned since 1896

Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, TexasA Saturday-only backyard barbecue joint

Antoine’s in New OrleansThe city’s oldest French-Creole fine dining restaurant

Waterman’s Beach Lobster in South Thomaston, MaineA casual, family-owned waterside lobster shack

Sierra Mar in Big Sur, CaliforniaCliff-top fine dining with a view, at the Post Ranch Inn

The French Laundry in Yountville, CaliforniaOne of the world’s finest restaurants, from renowned chef Thomas Keller

Slappy Cakes in Portland, OregonDIY tableside pancakes and other treats

Burt’s Place in Morton Grove, Illinois30-seat pizza place famous for its deep-dish pies

Travail Kitchen and Amusements in Robbinsdale, MinnesotaInteractive American cuisine and 10-course tasting menus

Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain in BrooklynSundaes, milkshakes, and more in a traditional pharmacy setting

Have you been to any of these places? Let us know what you think. If not, what’s your favorite restaurant in America?

More best-of dining lists:

The 21 best new restaurants in America

The 18 best food cities in the world

The 21 best Italian restaurants in America