Photo: Peden + Munk
BY ANDREW KNOWLTON
For his annual Hot 10 list, Andrew Knowlton dined at hundreds of restaurants, traveled thousands of miles, and devoured something like a million calories -- all in search of the country's best new places to eat. Here are the breakout spots you should be planning your next trip around.
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10. Milktooth, Indianapolis
Photo: Peter Frank Edwards.Milktooth is all about the art of brunch. A daytime-only shrine to putting an egg on it proves that brunch can—no, should—be the most interesting, inspiring, and ridiculously delicious meal of the day.
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9. Manolin, Seattle
Photo: Kyle Johnson.Manolin reeled us in. The star of the menu at this dream seafood spot isn't the daily catch, it's the seasonal mole—a mysterious sauce with more ingredients than we can remember.
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8. Rintaro, San Francisco
Photo: Aya Brackett.Rintaro, you are charming. East (Japan) meets West (California) at this izakaya, where it's all about the details, from the rice (made every 45 minutes) to the hand-hewn cedar bar.
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7. Kindred, Davidson, NC
Photo: Elizabeth Cecil.Kindred is all about sharing the love (and the food). Here's the pitch: Young couple move back to husband's tiny hometown to open a restaurant. Turns out they're not just running a business—they're building a community.
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6. Dai Due, Austin
Photo: Christopher Testani.At Dai Due, meat is king. Chef Jesse Griffiths is also a butcher but unlike most of his pork-obsessed brethren, his favorite meat to work with is also America's favorite to eat: chicken.
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5. Parachute, Chicago
Photo: Matt Haas.Parachute is soaring high. At this Korean mom-and-pop shop gone delectably rogue, the only traditional thing about the bibimbap is the bowl its served in.
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4. Semilla, Brooklyn
Photo: Marcus Nilsson.Farmers' market devotees, meet Semilla. At this intimate tasting counter, every inspired dish comes with a backstory—and every vegetable gets a chance to be front and center.
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3. Petit Trois, Los Angeles
Photo: Eva Kolenko.Petit Trois answers our most burning question: What happens when you apply four-star precision to the most classic and comforting cuisine on the planet? Behold, Ludo Lefebvre's ode to the bistro.
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2. Gjusta, Los Angeles
Photo: Peden + Munk.Gjusta is a California dream come true. It's a juice bar-bakery-deli-pizzeria-coffee shop-smokehouse—you get the idea. Is there anything this ambitious, do-everything spot doesn't do well?
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1. AL's Place, San Francisco
Photo: Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott.Welcome to AL's Place. To fully appreciate our restaurant of the year, step inside the obsessive, fanatical, and wildly creative world of Chef Aaron London. Trust us, it's worth the trip.
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