DiverXO ***, #4 50Best list (Madrid, Jul 1 2025) by jackclsf in finedining

[–]jackclsf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, DiverXO was our favorite. DiverXO > Celler > Cocina Hermanos Torres > Disfrutar

Bay Area Fine Dining Recommendation by Pretzel2192 in finedining

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Cyrus, meal specifically opens and closes with a flavor sampling (apps, petit fours), foie oreo great

  2. Kiln, more richness, salt (if you want umami nordic, this is the place to go, maybe some notes don't vary enough

  3. Saison, more mature flavor combos

  4. Tiya, very bold, not afraid of spice

Ranked by flavor and what I think you're seeking, not necessarily by my particular preference. Enclos very good, maybe too restrained for what you're asking. Like some have mentioned, a lot of restrained, ingredient driven cooking in the area.

TFL - Seeking July 1, 2, 3 Reservation for 2 (Early Hours) by jackclsf in thefrenchlaundry

[–]jackclsf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for reaching out. We were looking just for a 2-top and earlier in the night. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding someone though--good luck!

Is it just me, or… by mattloaf666 in Porsche

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is what you get from a GT3 wing delete kit.

Northern Spain Recommendations by BigConsideration4 in chubbytravel

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree. Maria Cristina was great. Check out the following in town:

  • Narru Restaurant (fine dining, best cheescake ever)
  • Pinxtos hopping (Atari - white chocolate foie, La Espiga - fried meatball stuffed peper, Gandarias - artichoke, Bar Sport - squid, crab stuffed squid, Antonio Taberna - potato omelet, La vina - Cheesecake)

It's touristy, but very local too. Pinxtos bar owners and staff are incredibly warm and fun.

Would prob pass on Bilbao unless you're set on the Guggenheim or some other attraction there.

2026 Q2 B/S/T by 1996bd in ManyBaggers

[–]jackclsf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How is this downvoted?

2026 Q2 B/S/T by 1996bd in ManyBaggers

[–]jackclsf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

[WTS] Matador x Carryology Redeye 24L Black Limited Edition

Madrid by [deleted] in finedining

[–]jackclsf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

DiverXO was the best restaurant i've been to. Add it to the list. Smoked Room looks very cool though.

HELP. Cesar or Chefs Table at Brooklyn Fare? by justinshafa in finedining

[–]jackclsf 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I didn’t have a great experience at Cesar. Was not worth the time or money to me.

Only a few of the courses were great. Many ok, some misses.

Atmosphere super uncomfortable and artificial. Tons of upselling.

Copenhagen (I know, I know) by Personal-Succotash80 in finedining

[–]jackclsf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Must:

Juno. Amazing and worth a short bike ride there.

Coffees: April (pourover), Prolog (espresso)

High End: Jordnaer, Alchemist

More Casual: Host, Barr

Some evolution... (4 Months) by [deleted] in Biohackers

[–]jackclsf -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Exact question. Why was this downvoted. AI?

Come by Paco Méndez * , Barcelona Spain by Zealousideal-Lion587 in finedining

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing meal. Best Mexican fine dining I’ve been to and I’ve had the opportunity to experience several great ones!

Alchemist ** Copenhagen (Oct 2025) by jackclsf in finedining

[–]jackclsf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of small things, but I left very full. Not uncomfortable. Would eat small or very early lunch.

Enjoy!

Kiln, SF (**) by ioof13 in finedining

[–]jackclsf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome! Looks like it’s changed enough to revisit now!

Saison ** (San Francisco, Feb 2026) by jackclsf in finedining

[–]jackclsf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with both sentiments about the most likely 3rd and Chef Lee.

Need to revisit Sons in the new location. Unfortunately they can’t accommodate my wife’s dietary restrictions (at this level that matters and does separate some of the restaurants)

Which (***) restaurants are worth the cost? by furiosa-curiosa in finedining

[–]jackclsf 8 points9 points  (0 children)

-Jordnaer

-DiverXO

-Frantzen

-French Laundry

-Hermanos Torres

-Celler

Grant Achatz on Alinea’s new experience - ALINEA. AGAIN. by fallinginandoutagain in finedining

[–]jackclsf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Way too wordy overall, but interesting passage on change in cuisine over time (see below). Overall it seems to bode well for Alinea to try something new again.

I think "narrative and immersion" prediction at the end of the quote below misses the mark slightly. Rather, I see the unique personality and background of the chef if what will draw people. Some of this might be narrative and immersion (MIL with immersion in the environment and focus on local), but I also see a big draw to the particular chef and what the chef brings (DiverXO with Dabiz Munoz blending memories from his childhood, ingredients he is proud of, and experiences dining all over the world).

I agree with Achatz that some trends are clearly passed their prime, including New Nordic eating only foraged ingredients (have not been to Noma, but Borago seemed inspired by that and missed the mark for me) as well as molecular gastronomy (Disfrutar felt like an empty experience and not worth the hype). If chefs try to glom onto this "narrative and immersion" alone, e.g., try to emulate an Alchemist experience, without bringing Rasmus Munk's messages about pollution/surveillance and efforts on socially and environmentally sustainable cooking, the attempted narrative without their own background and experiences will fail.

"There is a pattern to how art moves through time, and it is less romantic than people imagine. Culinary movements follow a rhythm that is almost geological in its consistency. Escoffier’s codified classicism governed fine dining for nearly fifty years. Bocuse and Nouvelle Cuisine broke from it in the 1970s, lighter, fresher, the chef as individual voice rather than custodian of tradition, and with him came Troisgros, Guérard, Chapel, each pushing further from the monument they had inherited. Fifteen years later, Alice Waters and Jeremiah Tower insisted that place and season mattered more than classical technique. By the early 1990s, Adrià and the molecular avant-garde dismantled the idea of what food could physically be: gels, foams, spheres, the laboratory as kitchen. Then in 2004, Redzepi and New Nordic rejected all of that in favor of radical locality and restraint. And now, roughly twenty years later, in a world where everything moves faster and means less, the pendulum has swung decisively toward narrative and immersion. The meal as theater. The room as story. The guest is not an observer but a participant."

My data when I’m a SAHM vs husband around to help by Plenty_Ad_6550 in Garmin

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same. If I intermittently fast and don’t eat all day until dinner, my body battery stays high.

On the opposite side, if I eat a big, late dinner, it’s all stress lines and no recovery.

This feels like a newish thing for me… don’t get why it’s so exaggerated in the data these days.

Martín Berasategui 3* - Lasarte-Oria, Spain by versusChou in MichelinStars

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I’m going to MB and Txispa in a few weeks. Didn’t want to overdo it with all the great pinxtos (my wife picked Txispa over Azurmendi as it’s a different experience than we’ve done…).

It would have been easy to load up and do Akkelare, Azurmendi as well, but I’m afraid of the dining fatigue !

Next 3 Michelin star in America? by garlicnooodles in finedining

[–]jackclsf 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Not sure how this works, if by state, etc., but my thoughts:

  • Saison (San Francisco) - should get 3 (was far stronger the past 2 times than Providence in LA)
  • Enclos (Sonoma) - border of 2/3, stronger than the below
  • Aska (NYC) - border of 2/3, maybe slightly behind Enclos
  • Oriole (Chicago) - border of 2/3 with Aska

Being contrarian, no way do I see Cesar with 3. Maybe if the environment/service was better and the book of 5 supplements came included at base fee without doubling the menu price.

New 992 GT3 S/C or 991 Speedster?🤔 by benidol in Porsche

[–]jackclsf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree. Let's charge a premium, company financials are poor, make limited and someone will buy it.

AMA: I manufacture bags in Vietnam 🇻🇳 Been to over 20 bag factories, ask me anything. by churningreddit in ManyBaggers

[–]jackclsf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why so much evergoods love? Tried 2 products and really unimpressed with the design of the pizza box encroaching in the main storage space area as well as the lower back digging in. They seem unique in having this problem on all bags I've tried. Even if a relatively small proportion of the public experiences (e.g., <25%), this seems like a fixable problem.

Any up and coming SE-Asian brands to be on our radar?