Two Philly Restaurants in Alan Richman’s Top-25 List

GQ's best-in-the-country ranking.

The latest issue of GQ features Alan Richman’s ranking of the top 25 new restaurants in the country. Right off the bat, his #25 is something of a surprise: Pizzeria Vetri. Here’s what he likes about the crust:

It looks Neapolitan. It tastes Neapolitan. But it’s fundamentally different, as though he did DNA research on pizza and eliminated the gene that turns the crust wet. It’s the newest step forward in the evolution of the great American pizza crust, this one light and supple but retaining a smidgeon of crispness.

(Trey Popp might disagree.) At #18: Justin Bogle’s Avance, in the old Le Bec Fin headquarters. OK, now everybody get mad at the backhanded compliment you’re about to read.

I got lucky with the wine list, never easy in Philly, found a eight-year old Meursault for under $80. Bogle’s cooking was absolutely assured, even in those first days on the job. We tried warm, foamy, and not very Japanese cauliflower chawanmushi accented with Meyer lemon, and dry aged duck, likely to become an restaurant staple throughout America in 2014.

The list does not reflect the James Beard Foundation’s semifinalists which were announced yesterday. That list included Nick Elmi’s Laurel and Peter Serpico’s Serpico.

The Perfect Night Out: GQ’s 25 Best Restaurants in America, 2014 [GQ]