1. WD-50, New York City
"Best dishes: Linguine-like squid with melon, ham and paprika yogurt; seared beef with a bone marrow tart."
2. Piperade, San Francisco
"Best dishes: Warm sheep's milk cheese and cured ham terrine; pipérade, made with green peppers, tomatoes, garlic and Espelette peppers."
3. Salt, Philadelphia
"Best dishes: Mackerel tartare with beet gelée; jasmine-scented lamb with olive-caramel sauce."
4. Bastide, Los Angeles
"Best dishes: Melon wrapped around Muscat aspic and crab; lavender-infused chicken."
5. UpStairs on the Square, Cambridge, Mass.
"Best dishes: Monday Club Bar: Crisp oxtail and caramelized parsnip salad. Soirée Room: Halibut with Maine-crab-stuffed zucchini flowers."
6. Pili Pili, Chicago
"Best dishes: Bourride, a Provençal seafood stew; fideuà, a Catalan mix of noodles, monkfish, clams and saffron."
7. Solera, Minneapolis
"Best dishes: Cold-smoked cod with black-olive oil; pork ribs with spicy paprika sauce."
8. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris
"Best dishes Robuchon's classic langoustines en papillote; among his new concoctions, gazpacho with crunchy golden croutons."
9. Zaytinya, Washington, D.C.
"Best dishes Havuç köftesi, fritters made with carrots, apricots and pine nuts; light tzatziki, the cucumber-yogurt dip."
10. Tom Aikens, London
"Best dishes: Cured foie-gras terrine; rabbit confit with Sauternes jelly."