The Restaurant Bucket List

I came across a Tweet today from a business-related company – it posted this link about 10 restaurants to try before you die.  Check them out and see if you’ve been to any of them. I haven’t, and I’ve only heard of probably half of them.  But do you have a restaurant “bucket list” of sorts, places you feel you must try at some point in your life?  The MHK’s list isn’t extensive, but for those of you interested, here it is:

1. Frontera Grill – Chicago, IL:  It’s Rick Bayless’ first restaurant, so it goes without saying that we need to eat there. The first Bayless recipe we ever made here at the MHK was Frontera’s roasted tomato soup with rajas (roasted chiles), and it was fantastic (reminds us we need to post that recipe too)! 

2. Topolobampo – Chicago, IL:  This would be Bayless’ second restaurant. ‘Nuff said.

3. Fleur de Lys – Las Vegas, NV:  Ok, part of the reason this one’s on the list is because it’s in Las Vegas (there’s also one in San Francisco), but mainly because it’s Hubert Keller’s restaurant. Keller is an awe-inspiring chef, and to eat his food in that town would be a complete foodie wonderland.

4. ‘wichcraft – New York/San Francisco/Las Vegas:  Is it silly to have a fast-casual sandwich place on this type of list?  Maybe, but because we love the art of the sandwich so, we must get to one of their locations at some point. Tom Colicchio, lead judge on Top Chef, opened this chain of gourmet sandwich restaurants a few years ago. Using fresh, local ingredients in an amazing variety of combinations, their menu leaves our mouths watering.

5. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Paris:  Joel Robuchon has been called the “chef of the century,” and is widely considered to be the world’s greatest chef of French cuisine. He has restaurants all over the world, but to eat this man’s food in the birthplace of Western cooking would be a humbling experience.

So what’s on your list?  We want to know!