A Wine Country Restaurant Ranks In Top 10 Of The Best And It's Not In The Napa Valley

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The Bay Area area commanded a strong lead on the inaugural list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Close to home, Healdsburg's destination restaurant in the wine country SingleThread landed at No. 8 on the list of the best restaurants in North America.

"Having been named the One To Watch by The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2018, less than two years after opening, SingleThread has established itself as one of the finest dining institutions in the US," according to the judges who decided to include the restaurant.

SingleThread was the only California restaurant in the top 10.

The 50-Best North America award recognizes restaurants in the United States, Canada and countries within the Caribbean, excluding Cuba and Dominican Republic, which are part of 50 Best Latin American Restaurants ranking.

At No. 13, the highest ranking San Francisco restaurant was Benu, which judges described as inspired East-meet-West cooking, where innovation and bold flavours based on California's produce are met with restraint.

Judges include a panel of 300 chefs, restauranteurs, food and restaurant journalists, and gourmets.
They ranked Saison in San Francisco at No. 21, writing that: "Chef Lee is a San Francisco native and first-generation Chinese-American who showcases Northern California's superb ingredients, farmers, ranchers and fishermen."

Napa Valley restaurants have ranked on the 50-Best lists — including Press, The French Laundry, and Bear.