In a perfect world, you would have no problem getting into anyone of these starry eateries for Valentine’s Day. But a reservation at these hailed eateries will require equal parts resolve and miracle for anyone looking to score an 8pm reservation come February 14th.
With a little luck in San Francisco you’ll taste the poetic cuisine of 2-star Michelin Atelier Crenn or nibble that epic fried quail at State Bird Provisions. In LA, Trois Mec is the ticket to hold, but only if you secured one back in January. Instead, we suggest Mario Batali’s Chi Spacca boutique steakhouse that few locals even know about. In Chicago there’s NEXT Restaurant that celebrates Chicago steak this season or Alinea for something fancier�" both under the Grant Achatz culinary umbrella. In New York we’d still try to beg our way into Atera, otherwise there is no greater food romance than Eric Ripert and the kitchen of 3-star Michelin Le Bernadin that still manages to take your breath away after 28-years.
Foodie love in Rio comes at Volta with its home-style tapas and townhouse dining room in Jardim Botânico that oozes flirty charm. Tokyo would have us bellying-up to the bar of Kadowaki eagerly awaiting Chef Toshiya to make it rain white truffles before retreating to the secret upstairs bar. We wouldn’t complain about the drive to Story Restaurant near London’s Tower Bridge where chef Tom Sellars tells an epicurean tale of seasonal British cuisine over two prix fixe menus. And then there’s Paris where we’d be feasting on roast chicken tucked cozily inside L’Ami Louis or Yam'Tcha in the 1st Arrondissement where Chef Adeline Grattard presides over this daring Franco-Cantonese gourmand what many call the toughest reservation on the planet.
IMAGE: SBP/Ed Anderson
