Restaurants

The Best New Restaurants in America 2013

Come and get to know this year's Hot 10.
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Photo by Alex Lau

Restaurants editor Andrew Knowlton has discovered a dining scene that is being reinvented by a band of young chefs (33 is the average age on this list), and one that knows no creative or geographic boundaries. Meet the Hot 10 below.

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    (C) Michael Graydon
    1/11

    1. Alma, Los Angeles

    The story of how this unassuming, 39-seat restaurant in Los Angeles became the restaurant of the year is, to put it in sports terms, like that of a minor league baseball player who goes from batting .200 one year to hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to win the World Series the next.

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    Bonjwing Lee
    2/11

    2. Saison, San Francisco

    Consider that a full-time staff of 24 crafts your 18 exquisite courses—which are made from maniacally sourced ingredients at their ultimate peak and served on museum-worthy plates and bowls—and the undoubtedly expensive price tag starts to sound like a bargain.

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    5/11

    5. Ava Gene's, Portland, OR

    At the trattoria-inspired Ava Gene's, the second restaurant from Stumptown Coffee Roasters founder and budding restaurateur Duane Sorenson, green-thumb cuisine becomes masterful.

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    6/11

    6. The Pass & Provisions, Houston

    This year's award for the most awe-inspiring dish goes to a first course served at The Pass, the white-tablecloth half of adjoining restaurants from chefs Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner.

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    Gentl & Hyers ©2013
    7/11

    7. The Optimist, Atlanta

    Named for a kid's sailing dinghy, The Optimist is the creation of Atlanta chef and managing partner Ford Fry, who clearly knows how to navigate a winner: It is without a doubt the best of a growing number of big-name fish houses that have opened this year.

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    ©Peden+Munk
    8/11

    8. Jeffrey's & Josephine House, Austin, TX

    Details make the difference at the country's most stylish pair of restaurants.

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