Relais & Chateaux Restaurants Sweep 2012 Restaurant Ratings

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Relais & Chateaux chefs continue to impress diners in New York City and San Francisco, earning the highest rankings from both Michelin and Zagat in their 2012 guides.  Four out of the seven restaurants awarded three Michelin stars in New York City are members of Relais & Chateaux – Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, Jean Georges and Per Se.  Zagat diners awarded the same restaurants their highest marks, voting Per Se number one on the Top American restaurants list in New York City and Gary Danko in San Francisco number one for food, popularity, service and New American cuisine.  

The Michelin Guide is an authority for excellence in gourmet dining. Only 93 restaurants in the world currently hold three stars. Of those, seven are in New York City and four are members of Relais & Chateaux, a recognized leader in the culinary world, whose chefs have been responsible for culinary innovations and new trends worldwide.  

The Zagat 2012 New York City Restaurants Survey compiled ratings and reviews for 2,111 New York City restaurants, based on the votes of 41,604 local diners.  Diners reviewing for Zagat soundly concurred with the ranking of Michelin's inspectors.  

Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Daniel and Jean Georges were all in Zagat's Ten Top Restaurants category in New York. Thomas Keller's dining temple earned marks for Top Service, and all four restaurants were enthusiastically acclaimed by Zagat's diners with high marks in the Top Décor, Top Food and Most Popular restaurants categories.  

Zagat's 25th annual San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants Survey reviewed 1,448 restaurants. For an extraordinary ninth time in 10 years, Gary Danko has taken the number one spot in the Top Food category and also placed first on the Top Service and Most Popular lists.

Thomas Keller's French Laundry came in at number two in the Food category and Relais & Chateaux members Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel and The Restaurant at Meadowood both received a score of 28 out of 30 in the Top Food Overall list.  Rounding out San Francisco Bay area's top restaurants are Erna's Elderberry House at Chateau du Sureau and The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil, both of which received a score of 27 out of 30.

"Relais & Chateaux chefs are acclaimed for their creativity and the attention they pay to every detail of the dining experience, and our guests are consistently delighted," said Jaume Tapies, Chairman of the Board.  "We are very pleased that both Michelin's professional inspectors and Zagat's popular vote by the dining public affirmed the excellence of Relais & Chateaux members.  All 500 restaurants in our collection offer extraordinary dining experiences, with many of our Grand Chefs winning the highest recognition on prestigious lists like Michelin and Zagat worldwide."

For reservations and information, visit www.relaischateaux.com or call (800) 735-2478.

About Relais & Chateaux:

Relais & Chateaux is an exclusive collection of 500 of the finest charming hotels and gourmet restaurants in 60 countries. Established in France in 1954, the Association's mission is to spread its unique "art de vivre" across the globe by selecting outstanding properties with a truly unique character. Relais & Chateaux is also a family of hoteliers and chefs from all over the world who share a passion for and a personal commitment to ensuring their guests are privy to moments of exceptional harmony and unforgettable celebrations of the senses. From the vineyards in the Napa Valley to the beaches in Bali, from the olive trees in Provence, to the lodges in South Africa, Relais & Chateaux offers the finest routes to discover each special place and country.

SOURCE Relais & Chateaux