The Imperial, New Delhi

Details: Executive Chef Pierre Burgade; Restaurant Chef Veena Arora; 137 seats; Entrées average under US$20.

What to order: Prawn dishes such as Kung Nang Phad Khing; Sri Lankan chili curry; vegetable stew with appams (rice flour/coconut milk pancakes).

What makes it a star: Culinary scope. The Spice Route’s menu is an amalgam of the cuisines of the six countries spice traders traveled through from India to the East. “The menu and dishes have been tailor-made to suit both the Indian and Western palates without losing the authenticity of the country of origin,” Arora says. She features ingredients from around the world, but, for now, her main concentration is on the flavors of Thailand.

Secret to success: “Remember that guest satisfaction is what makes or breaks a restaurant,” Arora says.

What undercuts excellence: “Not paying attention to the entire experience,” she says.

What’s next: “Organic, healthy, farm fresh ingredients,” Arora says.

Hotel Vernet, Paris

Details: Executive Chef Eric Briffard; brigade of 14; 40 seats; 1,000 average monthly covers; business menus priced at US$79; dinners averaging US$141 to US$161.

What to order: Spider crab in lettuce cream, iodized in seaweed; foie gras with eggplant and a tomato sorbet; a pithivier (golden pastry case) of wild fowl in chestnut tree honey, with autumn fruits and armagnac; Breton sea urchins in the shell with fennel in an aspic of shellfish.

What makes it a star: Respect for the best of natural flavors blended with signature creativity. This Joël Robuchon protégé looks for the “genuineness” of products and “union in terms of taste.” Inspiration comes from two vegetable gardens on the Ile-de-France, meat with no additives, natural fish and seafood, organic fruits and vegetables. Change is a constant. “We are continuously looking for ways to improve. Customers look for a particular mood first; then for a personalized approach to cooking,” Briffard says.

Secret to success: “A more relaxed atmosphere, tasty cuisine and a nice, friendly staff,” Briffard says.

What undercuts excellence: “Automatically following trends,” he says.

What’s next: “Innovative and refined cooking; local gastronomy; cuisine that has a classic basis with Japanese influences,” Briffard says.

Faena Hotel & Universe, Buenos Aires

Details: Chef Mariano Cid de la Paz; 14-member brigade; 64 seats; 1,800 average monthly covers; US$100 average check.

What to order: Go local with red mullet with vegetables, goat cheese and rosemary; suckling pig with grilled melon, grapefruit and passion fruit air.

What makes it a star: Sensual food. Chef’s training at star chef Ferrán Adriá’s El Bulli Hotel near Sevilla infuses El Bistro’s “sense-ational” food. Technique focuses on “spherifications,” “foams” and “airs” to develop textures and aromas. “The generosity of the Argentine terroir” is the starting point for contemporary food. “I don’t wish to be considered amongst the best of the best. I just want to be the only one who does what I do,” he says.

Secret to success: “After working with Adriá’s cuisine for more than five years, I learned to reach for new heights every time I attempt something new. That inspires me every day,” Cid de la Paz says.

What undercuts excellence: “Preparing food in a mediocre way, without pouring one’s soul, passion, dedication and experiences into preparation,” he says.

What’s next: “The best seasonal ingredients designed to surprise the guest,” Cid de la Paz says.

Highlands Inn, a Hyatt Hotel, Carmel, California

Details: Executive Chef Mark Ayers; sous chef, pastry chef and 5-member brigade; 100 seats; more than 1,000 average monthly covers; US$65 to US$85 average check.

What to order: As a first course, seared kajiki (Pacific blue marlin) with a fennel, Granny Smith apple and citrus sauce; for an entrée, signature braised prime beef short ribs in a Pinot Noir reduction served with whipped potatoes (accented only with butter) and foraged mushrooms; for dessert, handmade ice creams—from raspberry and chocolate to olive oil and crème fraiche.

What makes it a star: A marriage of contemporary American cuisine with classic French method. Ayers’ kitchen is about honesty, from ingredients to the creation of each dish. “For the last few years, we’ve tried to shift to more local, seasonal food. But when Alba (Italy) truffles are in season, customers expect them. That is as ‘unlocal’ as you can get,” Ayers says. “However, luxury ingredients are important. You can’t fake or substitute for them.” Innovation is the order of the day, whether encouraging his chefs to follow their muse or shelving a tastings menu that required a threecourse meal in favor of a customizable traditional menu.

Secret to success: “Everything has to work together— the style of the dining room, the food, the wine list. The real

secret for us is the chemistry of our team in the kitchen. It’s at an all-time high,” Ayers says.

What undercuts excellence: “Overcomplication,” Ayers says.

What’s next: “Simplification. I don’t agree with people who say each dish can have only three ingredients. But, I do think you should emphasize what’s in season and keep everything as simple as possible,” he says.

Four Seasons Hong Kong

Details: Chef Vincent Thierry; brigade of 24; 110 seats; sellouts are frequent with entrées ranging from US$40 to US$98.

What to order: The dish on the menu since Caprice’s opening: Langoustine ravioli with sweetbreads and chanterelle mushrooms in a delicate shellfish sauce. Innovators like the foie gras millefeuille with brioche mousse and light apricot chutney as well as marinated oysters with fresh cucumber ribbons, seaweed jelly and Avruga caviar cream.

What makes it a star: A strong identity. Thierry has carried the mantle of success he donned by winning three Michelin stars for the Le Cinq at Paris’ Four Seasons Hotel George V to Hong Kong. “We have adapted ourselves to satisfy the local taste, but, at heart, Caprice is still very much a French restaurant,” Thierry says. His comfort level with adding Japanese ingredients (yuzu, nori and match) or Indonesian pepper (floral, aromatic, less spicy so as not to overload flavor). Secret to success: “Passion. The passion of the team is the only thing that can maintain excellence. We pressure ourselves to ensure everything is excellent, every time,” Thierry says.

Secret to success: “Passion. The passion of the team is the only thing that can maintain excellence. We pressure ourselves to ensure everything is excellent, every time,” Thierry says.

What undercuts excellence: “Not understanding what customers want. If I created some fusion dishes, they wouldn’t work here. I stick to traditional French dishes with modern preparation,” Thierry says.

What’s next: “More experimentation with wine. In Hong Kong, people are really interested in wines and are willing to try wines with which they are unfamiliar in order to learn,” Thierry says.

Hotel Okura, Amsterdam

Details: Executive Chef Akira Oshima; 120 seats; Japanese set menus average US$94 to US$108 (€70 to €80).

What to order: Appetizerto- dessert set menus anchored by a grilled beef filet with a Japanese mushroom sauce, seafood and vegetables on a tohban plate served on a small charcoal grill or deep-fried tempura shrimp and fish or—unsurprisingly— a selection of sushi.

What makes it a star: Unflinching standards, accommodating service. Yamazato is the only traditional Japanese restaurant in Europe to have a Michelin star. Oshima’s painstaking attention to detail and artistic eye justify this distinction. Under his supervision, the restaurant’s kitchen turns out more than 50 specialty dishes that embody the refinement and beauty of authentic Japanese cuisine. Though the design, method and menu are purely Japanese, Oshima says customer satisfaction is the only hard and fast rule. “The traditional Japanese meal is based on fish. Since Western people ask for meat, we have both fish and meat on the menu. Japanese people are not used to large desserts, but, for Western customers, we need larger, sweeter dessert,” Oshima says.

Secret to success: “Only Japanese people work in our kitchen. They come for a few years, then go back. This way, there is little Western influence. It keeps Yamazato absolutely authentic,” Oshima says.

What undercuts excellence: “Lack of consistency. A hotel never closes, so you have to deliver the same quality at breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week,” he says.

What’s next: “Sake is getting more popular here,” Oshima says.

The Peninsula, Bangkok

Details: Executive Chef Philip Sedgwick; Chef de Cuisine Sumalee Boon-ek; brigade of nine; 68 seats; 1,150 monthly covers. US$79 (THB2,500) average check.

What to order: For traditionalists, Tom Yum Goong Mae-Nam, a spicy soup with river prawns and lemongrass and lime juice; grilled prawn salad with pomelo fruit or white prawns with crispy morning glory in a chili dressing. For the more adventuresome, Pla-Hi-Ma Sam Rod, deep-fried snow fish that Sumalee likes for a soft, tender texture that pairs well with a sweet and sour sauce.

What makes it a star: Exquisite food and residential comfort. A term that means “heaven on the water,” Thiptara faithfully recreates the experience of a relaxed dining experience in a Thai home— from the menu’s elegant interpretation of standard Thai fare to the organic vegetables and herbs grown in the kitchen’s garden. “The biggest issue is to retain the quality of the ingredients and the true taste of the food at all times,” Sumalee says.

Secret to success: “Rotate kitchen staff to different stations to make sure they perform well in all areas,” Sumalee says. “Use guests as your mentors.”

What undercuts excellence: “Failing to pay attention to small details; failing to provide atmosphere,” she says.

What’s next: “Food for health,” Sumalee says.

The Soho Hotel, London

Details: Head Chef Robin Read; 30 chefs; 85 seats; 2,500 average monthly covers. US$33 breakfast; US$70 lunch; US$48 dinner average check.

What to order: Seared yellow fin tuna, baby artichokes, heritage tomatoes and Swiss chard or Capricorn goat’s cheese ravioli with a sweet pepper sauce.

What makes it a star: Energy. At Refuel, everyone is part of the process. “What makes any restaurant great is the team, the attitude and the atmosphere,” Read says. That includes the customers. “The menu totally reflects what the guests want. If any dish doesn’t sell well, we’ll try to replace it with a better seller,” he says. What they seem to want most: Fewer courses, because they have less time to relax over meals, less “fussiness” in terms of cuisine and more intriguing ingredients.

Secret to success: “Get excited about the little things you do, and check, check and recheck,” Read says.

What undercuts excellence: “Trying to dictate what the customer will eat; not listening to them,” she says.

What’s next: “Not trying too hard,” Read says.

Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Details: Executive Chef Beau MacMillan; 30-member kitchen staff; 10 people for in-house catering; 100 or slightly more seats; 8,569 average monthly covers; US$47 average check.

What to order: Start with Elements’ signature tartare of tuna with an herb salad, pine nuts and crisp cucumber; follow with a beef entrée such as a bacon-wrapped filet with Maytag bleu cheese, garlic mashed potatoes and a Merlot demi glace, or crispy veal sweetbreads with organic spinach and a spicy cream sauce; finish with a banana fluffernutter, complete with peanut butter cookies, banana ice cream and chocolate sauce.

What makes it a star: Perfect balance. “Iron Chef America”-winning MacMillan deftly blends farm-fresh American cuisine with Asian accents and a passion for fresh food. His menu offers a panorama of recognizable flavor profiles, clean ingredients and pleasurable textures. MacMillan strives for balance, not only in each dish but on the day-long menus. “I believe in customizing a tasting not only to the guests’ taste but to their mood or appetite. Some people like to take their time and sit for four hours and enjoy their meal; others do the same in an hour and a half,” he says.

Secret to success: “Don’t overwork the natural flavor of food. Don’t rest on your laurels. Motivate your staff. Concentrate on what sets your restaurant apart, in our case the combination of the food and the setting,” MacMillan says.

What undercuts excellence: “There is a constant demand to produce the next big thing. Hotel restaurant chefs are challenged to be innovative, and yet, not lose the heart—the essence—of their establishment,” he says.

What’s next: “Working to incorporate spa and wellness menus in the resort,” MacMillan says..

Hilton Auckland, New Zealand

Details: Executive Chef Bernard Bernabe; “kitchen team” of 21; 86 seats; 5,800 average monthly covers; US$40 (NZ$52) average check.

What to order: Go for local flavor with the char-grilled beef filet with kumara (a New Zealand variety of sweet potato) rosti, sautéed kale and beef consommé; seafood selection with braised fennel and sautéed vegetables, lime and pernod crème, or crispy skin snapper, “crustacean mash” and buttered spinach, and “we don’t dare take off the menu” the potato mash drizzled with truffle virgin olive oil.

What makes it a star: Intensity. “White is the canvas. The food and the people create the ambience that makes it unique,” Bernabe says. The experience is 100% New Zealand. Bernabe’s signature style starts with simple dishes, then jumpstarts their impact by creating “interesting” combinations and enhancing natural flavors with delicate sauces or broths. Guests get immersed in New Zealand’s “clean, green environment” with wild game such as rabbit and venison, locally grown produce and elements from the many cultures that now call these islands home.

Secret to success: “Build a thorough understanding of your clients and your surroundings. Make sure menus are inspired and consistent every day of the year,” Bernabe says.

What undercuts excellence: “The shortage of skilled staff; stagnation,” he says.

What’s next: “Simple menus, healthy food options, consideration for diet preferences—whether for health or culture,” Bernabe says.