My husband, Daniel, doesn’t understand why I would write about how I got a dinner reservation. He doesn’t think anyone will read it.

Maybe, he’s right.

FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD

Perhaps, I’m banking on the fact that there are people out there, like me, who want to eat their way through a city, or a country. People who want to discover a region’s local delicacies, or experience flavors and spices that aren’t readily used in their own cooking.

While it may seem that if a person is intelligent enough to follow the directions on a restaurant’s website, regardless of the restaurant’s popularity, that a reservation would naturally follow. Well, it doesn’t. Not always.

Online platforms like Open Table, Tock, and Resy, have certainly helped the foodies of the world book great tables around the globe. However, there are tricks, hacks, strategies, and (dare I say) skills involved in the process. 

I have been known to book a holiday around a particular restaurant, securing the table long before the flights or hotel. I scour the San Pellegrino list of the Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World prior to committing to a country to visit. It may sound extreme, but as it turns out, I am not alone. The New York Times recently wrote an article about a trend called ‘destination dining’. The article highlighted people who created entire itineraries around the reservation at a particular restaurant. Those who live to eat, rather than eat to live. My people.

WORSHIPPING SAN PELLEGRINO

Year to year, the San Pellegrino 50 Best List ebbs and flows with the finest epicurean experiences of the times. Some restaurants hold their title for a few years, while others have a shorter tenure. It’s a culinary roller coaster for those in the business of food, and for those who love to eat. I often find myself watching the rise and fall of restaurants the way others might watch the stock market. Can we agree that food is more fun than stocks?

Simply summed up, the San Pellegrino 50 Best List, since 2002, with a thousand experts in the field, ranks the top restaurants in the world according to unique culinary experiences. The list acts as a barometer for dining and food trends—a defining list of what is hot right now.

BEAT THE SYSTEM

There are a few ways to beat the reservation system, which can be frustrating at the best of times. Ways to grab the table you’d like, on the day you’d like, and without fear of getting saddled with the dreaded 5pm or 11pm time slot.

A few personal case stories follow, describing how I secured reservations at some of the best restaurants in the world, including, then number one, Eleven Madison Park. Want to skip the stories and head straight to the cheat sheet? Scroll down. Otherwise, read on. As an aside, I have very little in the way of photographs for these experiences, as I spent my time fully absorbed by the food. Indeed, the sign of a fabulous meal.

KEEPING READING BY CLICKING THE BUTTON BELOW FOR CASE STUDIES ON JAMIE’S HACKS TO GET THOSE HIGHLY COVETED RESERVATIONS AND OTHER GREAT TIPS.

The case studies include:

• The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, South Africa
• Pujol, Mexico City
• Eleven Madison Park, New York City

Jamie was interviewed on our podcast BOOK THE RESTAURANTS BEFORE THE PLANE TICKETS. TAKE A LISTEN! It’s a great companion piece to this story.

She also joined us on our Season 1 Podcast: I AM LOST AND FOUND where we discussed among other things Five Travel Comebacks to Plan Right Now and her introduction of the “New Planet” vs. “Old Planet” which combines a healthy dose of realism with a yearning to experience the world once again.

FEATURED IMAGE: Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash