Food & Wine September 2019

NV VOLAGE BRUT SAUVAGE ROSÉ ($29) Summer isn’t over! Or even if it is, I plan to keep drinking pink wine, like this new sparkling Crémant de Loire. Lower in dosage (the small amount of wine mixed with sugar added to sparkling wines) than most brut Champagnes, it has crisp wild raspberry and citrus notes with a hint of spice. Not too late to pour it by the pool … 2017 ALTOS LAS HORMIGAS TINTO ($12) Antonio Morescalchi channels classic Chianti into this Argentine red blend—particularly in his use of a small percentage of white grapes (Semillon) to brighten the wine, which is primarily Bonarda and Malbec. Ruby red, lightly peppery, and full of crunchy berry fruit, it’s a great casual sipper to buy by the case. 2017 DOMAINE JESSIAUME SANTENAY 1ER CRU LES…

LAST YEAR I sat down for lunch at one of the long, butcher paper–lined tables of Trattoria Sostanza in Florence on the recommendation of a trusted friend and restaurateur. On the wall between photographs of pro cyclists was a framed headshot of Rob Lowe touting the restaurant’s “best chicken in Italy!” But after a morning of walking the city’s cobblestone streets, I was craving a glass of Chianti and bistecca alla Fiorentina, like the one being grilled in the open kitchen by a cook fanning the coals of a primitive stove. The waiter arrived. “Yes, the bistecca,” he said. “And the chicken! Our specialty.” Well, okay. Tumblers of thin red wine arrived with the rare steak. Then the gentleman proudly presented two bronzed chicken breasts sizzling in a small dish of…

THE. WHOLE. WORLD. I COULD BARELY BELIEVE my ears when the call came. The editors of Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure wanted one critic to travel the globe and come up with a list of the best restaurants in the world. They wanted that person to be me. Of course I said yes—who wouldn’t? But it wasn’t for the reasons you might think. There are, of course, already lists, guidebooks, ratings, and awards. Some are chosen by groups of experts, others by voters around the world, still others by teams of inspectors. Each method has its pros and cons. What this list celebrates is cuisine and culture, not rankings and numbers. To have the globe reduced to one expensive tasting menu after another is to miss out on a true taste…

SWAN OYSTER DEPOT SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, USA DINING AT Swan Oyster Depot is like taking part in a boisterous family meal—if the family is the entire city of San Francisco (along with its many enthusiastic out-of-town guests). The camaraderie starts while waiting outside, where you will spend enough time to strike up conversation with your fellow line-standers. Once seated at the century-old counter inside, facing a wall plastered with vintage memorabilia, your seat will be close enough to your neighbors that friendliness is the only option. The actual family at the heart of this operation are the Sanciminos, who bought Swan three generations ago from its original owners. It’s likely that a member of the Sancimino tribe will act as your guide once you’re seated, explaining your options and offering advice and encouragement.…

HIŠA FRANKO KOBARID, SLOVENIA I WOULD RECOMMEND chef Ana Roš’ restaurant in Kobarid, Slovenia, for the journey there alone. Whether you’re traveling from the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana or crossing the nearby border with northern Italy, the drive through the fairyland mountain scenery of Slovenia’s Soča Valley is likely to be one of the most memorable of your life. The aptly nicknamed Emerald River! The tiny, quaint towns clinging to the sides of steep, flower-strewn hills! The snowcapped mountains! Even so, as soon as I stepped through the doors of Hiša Franko, I understood that it was going to more than do justice to its breathtaking setting. In the years since they’ve taken over the family business, Roš and her husband, Valter Kramar, have put Slovenia on the world map as a culinary…

MIL MORAY, PERU THERE’S ONE MAIN REASON that people fly into Cuzco, Peru, brave the extreme altitude, and venture through the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountains: Machu Picchu, the Incan ruins that are high on any true adventurer’s bucket list. Now there’s another reason to make that trek. Perched on the edge of Moray, another ancient Incan archaeological site, Mil is a true destination restaurant. To get there, you need to fly to Cuzco, then drive an hour and a half into the Sacred Valley—the restaurant itself is over 11,800 feet above sea level. Moray’s stone concentric circles were likely used for agricultural experimentation by the Incas, and it is that agrarian legacy—along with the agriculture of the entire Andean countryside—that inspires chef Virgilio Martínez’s menu and ethos. Built around a stone courtyard,…