Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Chef’s The problem with words is that reading them can be so tedious. It's much easier to, say, evaluate a movie by looking at the number of stars on a review. Or choose a restaurant based on some similar symbol of excellence.
scorecard
Roy's sets the standard
for isle restaurants, a
new guidebook saysBy Betty Shimabukuro
Star-BulletinGayot's international set of guidebooks recognizes this by rating restaurants two ways -- on a 20-point scale, and then by awarding little toques (French-style chef's hats) based on those points. Each restaurant is also reviewed briefly in bright, pointed words, but it's those rankings that generate all the buzz.
To cut to the chase, these restaurants were ranked highest in Hawaii in the new Gayot guide: Alan Wong's Restaurant, Chef Mavro Restaurant and Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai. All three scored 17 points and three toques.
The ratings are based on a scale used to evaluate French culinary students and reflect the food only, not the ambience, service or wine list, although all these extras are commented upon in the reviews. To make the book, a restaurant had to score at least a 10; to earn a toque, at least a 13.A 17 in Hawaii is comparable to a 17 anywhere else in the world, editor-in-chief Alain Gayot said Monday night at a dinner party previewing the new guidebook. No restaurant has been given a score higher than 19 -- and that level is reserved for such ultimate eateries as Daniel and Jean Georges in New York City.
Hawaii's rankings are based on the thoughts of 10 food critics -- a mix of writers from inside and outside the islands, the principal local connection being John Heckathorn, editor and food critic for Honolulu magazine. Final determinations are set by Alain Gayot, André Gayot (co-founder of publisher GaultMillau) and Heckathorn.
"We establish what the top of the class is going to be and then we rate the other restaurants down from there," Alain Gayot said. In Hawaii, that top designation goes to Roy Yamaguchi's flagship restaurant. "He's definitely the benchmark."
The guide states: "Unlike some other innovators, Yamaguchi constantly hits on combinations that enliven rather than shock the tastebuds."
Alain Gayot calls Yamaguchi "my personal challenge," because he generally believes a chef who operates a large chain of restaurants cannot maintain a suitable level of quality.
That Roy's does so well while Yamaguchi is busy with 20-some restaurants, underscores its excellence, he said. (Yamaguchi's other Hawaii restaurants scored at least a 14, although Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill on Maui dropped this edition from a 16 to a 15).
At this level, and in this company, a one-point difference in score can be a point of great contention. A chef can receive a glowing review, but if his toque ratings falls short of the top level, he'll be dissastisfied.
So here's a little inside baseball: New to the listings this edition is George Mavrothalassitis, who, like Yamaguchi, earned a 17. Also new is Philippe Padovani's Bistro & Wine Bar, which earned a very favorable review -- "His food is simply extraordinary even when it looks simple" -- but his rating was a 16; his toques numbered two to Mavro's three.
Both chefs are French in inspiration and are leaders in the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement. They opened Oahu restaurants within months of each other after much success in resort kitchens -- both, in fact, took a turn at the helm at the Halekulani. Comparisons are inevitable.
"Philippe is as passionate as George at creating recipes, but I think George is even more intense," Alain Gayot said. "Some of his presentations are fresher and more colorful than Philippe's."
The Gayot "Best of ..." series began in France as strictly restaurant guides. Over nearly 20 years they have expanded to dozens of European and American regions and to include recommendations on hotels, sightseeing, nightclubs and shopping.
The Hawaii guidebook has come out every two years since 1991, a time period paralleling the growth of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, which André Gayot refers to as the remaking of the island restaurant scene by the "Hawaii Revolutionary Committee."
The latest Hawaii edition includes recommendations on the widest range of topics among Gayot guides -- the spa listings, for example, are unique to Hawaii.
The restaurant ratings, however, remain the meat of the books, the Gayots said. In other categories, suggestions are made, but no numerical rankings are given. Hotels are awarded little keys based on luxuriousness, the top ranking of five keys going to the Halekulani and the Kahala Mandarin Oriental.
More inside baseball: Sharing Padovani's ranking of 16 is La Mer. The Halekulani showcase has earned a rare five-star rating from the American Automobile Association, but falls short of the Gayot Top 3.
Yves Garnier's menu lacks "a sense of place," the guidebook states. "It's a very fine French restaurant, but it could be anywhere. It certainly makes no concession to Hawaii."
On line: www.gayot.com offers dining tips and restaurant news for cities throughout the world.
| | |
BOOKS
"The Best of Hawaii, fifth edition," a Gayot travel guide, GaultMillau, 2001, $20, paperback
Highest rated restaurants in "The Best of Hawaii": Tip of the toque
Three toques
Scoring 17 out of 20 points:
Two toques
Scoring 16 points:
* 17 more restaurants received two toques for scores of 15.
Click for online
calendars and events.
