Alinea Named No. 7 Best Restaurant In World; Loses Bragging Rights as No. 1 in North America

Today in London at the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants ceremony, Alinea was named No. 7, moving it back down one spot from its No. 6 position in 2011. The restaurant, owned by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, was the No. 7 restaurant in 2010 and saw its popularity rise even higher and its bookings expand when it jumped up a spot the following year, also making it the No. 1 restaurant in North America.

But this year, Per Se, owned by Achatz's mentor Thomas Keller, who was also honored with the lifetime achievement award at the ceremony, moved up from No. 10 to No. 6. The news is a slight blow for Alinea, but at the end of the day, it's still the No. 7 best restaurant in the world and moving down one spot likely won't change much to the day-to-day business. In fact, the ceremony's emcee said Alinea "might be the blueprint for the restaurant of the future." For the full list of winners, pop over to Eater National.
· San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2012 [~E~]