This Phoenix chef was just named one of the best in U.S.: 'True culinary ecstasy'
Christopher's restaurant at the Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix just received one of the highest scores possible from Gayot, an international guide to travel, food, hotels, shopping and attractions for millions of people worldwide.
Gayot rates a restaurant’s food based on a 20-point scale for the quality of ingredients and the chef’s creativity. Each review contains a paragraph about the décor, ambiance, wine and service. Christopher's received a score of 18 in a review titled "When poetry invites itself to the table."
In the review, Sophie Gayot raved about the James Beard Award winning chef's restaurant.
"There is no show, no eccentricity, just perfectly calibrated and balanced execution," ending with, "Between the cuisine of chef Christopher Gross and the setting, Christopher’s at the Wrigley Mansion is a true culinary ecstasy."
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Christopher's restaurant at Wrigley Mansion was cited in 4 Gayot lists
In addition to the high score, Christopher's made it on four 2022 Gayot lists:
Best French Restaurants in the U.S.A. alongside Napa's French Laundry, San Francisco's Atelier Crenn and New York's Daniel.
Best 10 Restaurant Wine Lists in the U.S.A. alongside Joel Robuchon and The Inn at Little Washington.
Best 10 Restaurants with a View in the U.S.A. with Brix in Napa.
Best Romantic Restaurants in the U.S.A., which stage it shared with New York's Majorelle and Hawaii's La Mer.
“We are pretty excited,” Gross said. “Now we have something to work up to,” meaning he wants to strive for a higher score, even though he shares his current score with some Michelin-3 star restaurants, such as Alinea, one of the best in the U.S. and the world.
Gayot was established in the 1970s by Andre Gayot, Henri Gault and Christian Millau as a response to Michelin star ratings that they found pompous. To the three friends, Michelin's conservative approach prevented creativity. Coining the term nouvelle cuisine in the ‘70s, they brought attention to chefs who broke the boundaries of French cooking.
Today, Andre Gayot's daughter, Sophie, who started working with him in the late '80s, runs the business.
Details: 2501 E. Telawa Trail, Phoenix. 602-522-2344, wrigleymansion.com/christophers.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Christopher Gross is one of the best chefs in U.S., per Gayot
