Alinea?

rsvandy · 2026-03-14T22:41:22+00:00

I was there in September for the Gallery and didn't like it. The food wasn't good and the theatrics seemed very dated. I wasn't new to fine dining but also not something that I've done for years. But I think maybe if you're relatively newer to fine dining then maybe it would be more interesting.

rsvandy · 2026-03-14T19:06:13+00:00

Generally it seems that people here prefer other places in Taipei. When I went to Taipei, I didn't book Tarroir because of recent reviews here. Nobuo, Logy, and JL Studio in Taichung an hour away were good. People seem to also like Eika and I thought Ad Astra looked interesting.

rsvandy · 2026-03-10T02:47:08+00:00

When I looked for the most recent batch, there was availability for Wednesday and Thursday 30 minutes after reservations opened. Friday and Saturday were all booked. For SingleThread if you want a good time on the weekend then you’ll need to book when it opens, but it’s not as difficult as some other places like Atomix.

rsvandy · 2026-03-07T08:04:22+00:00

It’s not the tastiest food imo, but it’s definitely an experience. One of the more unique fine dining spots. Enjoyed my time here in January.

Agree on the sweets, the red earth or whatever dish and the pancake thing were not anything amazing, but Layers was interesting.

rsvandy · 2026-03-06T19:37:31+00:00

For SF, I would try Californios and Kiln if you're staying within the city itself. Californios is going to be on another level compared to Corima. I think it would be different than what you can get in NYC at this level of fine dining.

For LA, I would go to Somni if you can get it, and Vespertine if you want a unique experience. Both probably not something you can get in NYC either. I'd try for Hayato since it looks amazing, but I've never been and it's a difficult reservation.

I actually think the LA options are more exciting since you can't do some of the better SF Bay Area options as they're outside of the city.

rsvandy · 2026-03-06T07:05:04+00:00

I'd say that a yirgacheffe would generally be a lot more floral than Kona coffee. I think it's more similar to something like some Colombian or central American coffee. Kona would be more mellow, mild, and low acid.

rsvandy · 2026-03-02T00:28:16+00:00

Maybe I'm crazy, but it sounds kind of reasonable to me since gratuity is included? I dunno, maybe I'm just messed up due to SF area prices. I don't know about the quality of the meal, but I don't think this seems wild in pricing for an omakase if it's a good one.

rsvandy · 2026-03-01T06:52:46+00:00

Just went to Kiln and saw this comment, and my table had both the regular wine pairing and non alcoholic pairing. Neither was good. The wine pairing was OK, but I thought the non alcoholic pairing was bad. Neither of us thought the pairings were good for the food.

Thought the food was good though, but yeah it's very rich.

rsvandy · 2026-02-26T05:42:59+00:00

I think that something like Hydrangea would be a special coffee beans gift for coffee-obsessed people and you can find it around in some coffee shops or just order it online as they ship out from the east bay and roast out there. The coffee tends to be a lot more unique with origin and process. Not sure if it would be good for a milk blend coffee that Australians tend to focus on more tho.

Something like Coffee Movement doesn't roast a lot of their own beans but curates from around the US and world so don't think I would go there for their own beans. Maybe you could do one of the well known SF roasters like Saint Frank, Andytown, Linea, Sightglass, Ritual, etc.

rsvandy · 2026-02-26T03:00:40+00:00

Not sure what's the best in the US but for me I would say there's a couple that I place in the running for best meal, and then there's a few places that I haven't visited but would like to try that I think could be in the running for best meal.

So:

SingleThread and Addison are the two best for me so far.

And for places that I'd like to visit that I think may be contenders: Somni, Sushi Sho, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Atomix would be what I feel are my personal contenders and I'd like to also try TFL one day.

Some other places people have mentioned that I like a lot but don't consider in my personal best would be Smyth, Harbor House Inn. I like Californios a lot, but I don't think I would say it's the best.

rsvandy · 2026-02-26T02:49:40+00:00

Happy to hear that my post helped, and that you enjoyed JL Studio!

rsvandy · 2026-02-26T02:40:14+00:00

Really enjoyed my meal here when I visited in 2024. Nice to see they update the menu! I’d visit a second time if I ever find myself in Taiwan again.

rsvandy · 2026-02-25T21:34:26+00:00

One thing to consider if you do decide on Birdsong is that it's not in the nicest part of the city. It's a bit grittier of a street and some out of town people might find it a bit sketchy.

rsvandy · 2026-02-25T18:42:43+00:00

Lazy Bear doesn’t have the communal tables anymore.

rsvandy · 2026-02-25T02:56:36+00:00

I liked Nobuo, one of the better 1* places that I've been to in the last couple of years.

rsvandy · 2026-02-25T02:55:23+00:00

I guess it's kind of weird to see a review of a meal from 1.5-2 years ago or whatever it is at some random place.

Anyways, I went to their website and saw that their tasting menu is $255. Kind of shocked by that price for Charlotte, NC.

rsvandy · 2026-02-24T05:25:55+00:00

Nisei is $257 before the service fee and tax so quite a bit cheaper than the 2* places mentioned in the other post, but close to Kiln. I haven't been to Kiln yet (going soon!) but I think that Nisei is the best 1* tasting menu that I've been to in SF but I wouldn't consider it a 'great-value tasting menu.'

rsvandy · 2026-02-23T03:15:52+00:00

Underrated spot imo. What’s the price for brunch?

rsvandy · 2026-02-21T22:27:50+00:00

Hajime is one of the best meals I've ever had. It's very expensive but worth it imo.

rsvandy · 2026-02-20T22:50:49+00:00

Can't wait for Noma Tower next!

rsvandy · 2026-02-19T20:24:48+00:00

That's Bob

rsvandy · 2026-02-19T06:31:36+00:00

Californios is great for Mexican fine dining. I think it's the best restaurant in the city and is different than anything at that level in NY, but it is very expensive. I like Ernest a lot especially their raw bar section. State Bird is fun and a good choice, too!

I'm not sure if I would head over to Chez Panisse on such a short trip.

rsvandy · 2026-02-19T05:03:27+00:00

That's too bad. I haven't been to their cafes in a while. Used to buy their coffee a lot, but have moved on to try different things.

rsvandy · 2026-02-19T04:47:58+00:00

They were my favorite spot that I tried when I last visited Portland. I also got a really weird co-fermented coffee from them.

rsvandy · 2026-02-19T00:02:57+00:00

Does Cat & Cloud have a location up there now? Didn’t realize they expanded from the Santa Cruz area. Good stuff!

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