There have been New Yorkers who have tried to eat at every Michelin star restaurants of the city, but none of them have tried to do as many in a day as Eric Finkelstein.
This intrepid eater (and healthcare IT consultant by day) recently established a new Guinness World Record for eating at the establishments with the most Michelin stars in one day, Food & Wine reported this week.
On October 26, he visited 18 different places and had a quick meal at all of them. In all, she spent 11 hours and $494 searching for her (not including tax and the 30 percent tip she left at each restaurant).
Finkelstein began thinking about the food journey after joining a food-related group in discord. “I loved the idea,” he told Guinness. “I would combine my love of eating interesting food, working on a checklist, and working on something silly.” But the effort required some advanced planning.
The Michelin-starred restaurants you visited
First, Finkelstein approached more than 80 Michelin-starred restaurants in New York, trying to secure a coveted table at each one. He only received responses from 10, and when he made the reservations, four of them had already lost their Michelin stars. So Finkelstein had to start the gibberish all over again.
Ultimately, he came up with his list of 18 stops, with four Michelin two-star restaurants and 14 one-star ones.
To begin his journey, Finkelstein dined at The pavilionwhere he had a grilled avocado salad with einkorn berries, charred kale, and yogurt green goddess dressing.
Then came the crème de la crème of the New York food scene: Aquavit, Bâtard, Casa Mono, Caviar Russe, Cote, Francie, Gramercy Tavern, Jungsik, Le Coucou, Momofuku Ko, The Modern, Musket Room, Oiji Mi, Red Paper Clip, Tuome and Sacristy. For dessert, Finkelstein topped it off with chawanmushi with uni and caviar from Noda. (Her three favorite dishes of his were Casa Mono’s raw fluke, Francie’s duck bologna, and Red Paper Clip’s everything brioche.)
In order to fit in with all his taste delights, Finkelstein kept it light at all Michelin-starred restaurants, notably only indulging in a bowl of lingonberries at Aquavit.
He knows that’s not how you’re supposed to enjoy food, but anything goes in the name of the world record chase. “By turning Michelin-starred restaurants into fast food, you’re going against the spirit of what they’re doing,” he told the New York Post at the time of his mission.
Dine with Michelin stars at the pace of McDonald’s? It’s not ideal, but Finkelstein shows us that it is possible.
Previously posted story by TORI LATHAM on Robb Report US
