A Night With America’s Best New Restaurants

On Wednesday, September 6th, Bon Appétit Magazine hosted it’s annual “Best New Restaurants” event at the exclusive Spring Studios on Varick Street.

Each year, the event celebrates the restaurants Bon Appétit has named the “Hot 10” -- 10 restaurants, out of hundreds that have opened nationwide, that stand out for their culinary creativity. The top five finalists for 2017 included the New Orleans based Turkey and the Wolf; Chicago’s Elske; Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco; Palizzi, an Italian American joint located in Philly; and Hart’s, a seafood inspired restaurant in Brooklyn.

Rounding out the top ten were Chicago’s Giant; the seasonal eatery Spring Marietta; the izakaya meets Texas BBQ Kemuri Tatsu - Ya in Austin, Texas; Nixta, in Saint Louis, and finally, Brewery Bhavana, a quirky cafe styled eatery in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For the affair, each restaurant provided samplings of their menu items for over 1,000 guests --  elite restaurateurs and aspiring foodies alike. Particular favorites included the Chicken Liver Pate on Toast from Spring Marietta and a Thai chili sweet corn with tiny shrimp and peanuts from Giant, but those with a less adventurous palette satiated their hunger with an extensive cheese platter or various hor d'oeuvres that made their way around the room.

As an art, cooking tends to be underrated and overlooked, driven down by its everyday practicality. Watching the chefs, however, it was clear how much craft and care they had all put into creating their dishes, displaying an understanding of food that no everyday cook could come close to. Thanks to platforms like Bon Appétit, we are able to see just how versatile food can be, as well as appreciate the people who can take the oddest or most ordinary of ingredients and make them into dishes that are delectable and different.

Be sure to check out the full details about America’s Best New Restaurants at http://www.bahot10.com/.

Special thanks to Craig and Molly.

Photos by Kyle Dorosz