In de Wulf Named #1 Restaurant in Europe

-- Opinionated About Dining Announces Top 100 European Restaurants for 2014 

NEW YORK, June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Plotnicki and Opinionated About Dining have officially unveiled this year's list of the Top 100 European Restaurants featuring restaurants from 12 countries. More than 4,300 food enthusiasts contributed over 140,000 reviews as part of this year's survey – the largest to date.

The 2014 list introduces a new "Top 10" with In de Wulf (Dranouter, Belgium) earning first place; La Maison Troisgros (Roanne, France) second; Quique Dacosta Restaurante (Denia, Spain) third; 41 Degrees (Barcelona) jumping from nineteenth to fourth; Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse (Monte-Carlo, Monaco) fifth; Restaurant Amador (Mannheim, Germany) leaping from number nine to number six; noma (Copenhagen, Denmark) ranking seventh; The Fat Duck Restaurant (Bray-on-Thames, UK) eight; L'Astrance (Paris) ninth; and L'Arpege (Paris) rounding out the top 10.

"I anxiously await the trending styles and types of cuisine highlighted in the European list—it's incredibly forward thinking and this year's list is no different with our European voters showing they are on the cutting edge of the contemporary dining scene as illustrated by their voting In de Wulf to the top of the list," explains Plotnicki. "There is also a resurgence of interest in restaurants featuring classical French cooking." 

New restaurants recognized this year include Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain (19); Maaemo, Oslo, Norway (49); Andreas Caminada, Furstenau, Switzerland (54); Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany (62); Passage 53, Paris (71); Restaurant Bareiss, Baiersbronn, Germany (72); Oaxen Krog & Slip, Stockholm, Sweden (79); Marcus, London (97); and Yam'Tcha, Paris (100).  

"This year's list also features our first-ever 'Just Missed' list, which gives readers a look into the contenders for next year," continues Plotnicki.

The OAD survey relies on tapping into the experience and opinions from diners who are passionate about where they eat. The methodology assigns a weight to each restaurant based on factors such as price point and the type of diners it attracts, and assigns a weight to reviewers based on the quantity and quality of restaurants a reviewer has visited.

Steve Plotnicki is the author of OAD blog and Opinionated About U.S. Restaurants 2011. He will be featured in the "Foodies" documentary, which focuses on the fine dining subculture of foodies, out later this year. He is working on producing a TV show that will showcase American ingredients and the chefs who prepare them.