Re-Post: The Acceptable Loss 3.0

I'm going to have another piece about Federer, combining his last game with the fact that Albert Pujols, playing his last few final games, hit his 700th home run on the same night. But I did want to unearth this piece, mainly because of how much Rafa was a presence on Fed's big night. From Federer asking Rafa to play doubles with him (it is clear that Nadal was not planning otherwise on competing at the Laver Cup), to Nadal crying basically as much as Fed, and that adorable picture of them clasping hands. 

These two were fierce rivals back in the day, and their fans even more fierce, if not outright bitter. But overtime, starting probably with the 2009 Australian Open Final - the day that to me Federer finally saw Nadal fully as his equal - they grew incredibly close. Not just close as work colleagues that got on, but it seems like they are true, genuine friends. From Federer joining Nadal at the opening of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, to Fed talking about sometimes he'll just call up Nadal. At the end of the day, the idea that Federer would go out of his way for his last match as a professional to be a doubles match playing alongside Nadal is equally bonkers and beautiful.

*****************************************************************************

Twice before, I've written about the concept of acceptable losses. First was when the Spurs lost to the Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals, after choking away Game 6 and the ability to win a 5th title against the best of the LeBron-era Heat teams. The second was two years later, when the same Spurs lost a Game 7 to the Clippers in an incredible back-and-forth affair. What made the first loss acceptable was the respect the Spurs effort engendered them to with the NBA and sports public. What made the second loss acceptable was more or less the same, plus the additional bonus of what happened the year in between - the Spurs winning the NBA Title 4-1 against the Heat, capping it off with maybe the best three-game stretch of basketball ever played.

**Quick note, a few other acceptable losses in my lifetime as a sports fan: the 2012 Devils Stanley Cup Final loss to the Kings, as they beat the Flyers and Rangers with Marty Brodeur having one last turn-back-the-clock playoffs. The Raiders playoff loss this year because the future is so bright. And in a very hindsight is 20/20 way, the 2012 Broncos divisional round loss to the Ravens, as I should have just been happy to have a healthy Peyton back in my life, and the Ravens at least made good and beat the Pats and won the Super Bowl, giving Ed Reed the ring he so rightfully deserved**

For a third time I will write about an acceptable loss, but if anything what is more special is not the fact this is an acceptable loss, but the fact that I can consider it that when I saw my favorite tennis player lose to his long-time rival up a break in the 5th set, squandering any realistic chance to catch that rival in all-time career slam wins, and basically end once and for all the debate of who the best tennis player is. Yes, Rafael Nadal's loss is very much acceptable, and what made that match so much more special is that if Nadal was able to maintain his one-break edge in teh 5th set and take it home, my friends that are Federer fans would probably say the same thing.

I don’t know whether it was a more mature understanding of sport, or a secret admiration for Roger Federer developed over time, or just an acceptance that rooting for the 2^nd best player isn’t all that bad, but I was more or less fine with that result. If I rewind 5 years, let alone 10, that match would have horrified me (Note: arguably even more so than the Super Bowl would a week later). My guy didn’t play all that well, but came up huge in big moments. The match was, in terms of the scattershot nature of the play, somewhat similar to the 2009 Final they contested. In that match, Federer was probably the better player in the first four sets, but Nadal just wouldn’t go away. Ultimately, he broke Federer early in the 5^th set, ran away with a 6-2 finish, and emotionally broke Federer – reducing him to tears in the postmatch speech. Eight years later, Nadal was outplayed but not deterred, and broke Federer early in the 5^th set. It was all set-up. A script we’ve seen so many times before, where over time Nadal just breaks Federer’s will. Instead it didn’t happen. And I’m OK with that.

That men’s final (and a quick shout-out to the Williams’ sisters final creating an incredibly nostalgic tournament)  was a four-hour celebration of the sport, of these two rivals, of two players whose time passed them by fighting back in a way only Champions know how to do. The idea of Nadal, a man who hadn’t so much made a Major Semifinal, let alone win a major, since the 2014 French Open, or Federer, a man who had made finals somewhat recently, but hadn’t won a major since 2012 and had missed the last six months of 2016, making a run would have been a legendary story. For both to do it? Pure elation. As a Nadal fan, it was somewhat comforting seeing Federer on the other side of the net, seeing the rivalry that carried Men’s tennis to its highest point ever, on the center stage.

You could see it in the way Federer spoke about the match after he won. Roger Federer was never all that conceited, but hid his much deserved arrogance behind a sweet demeanor, but he spoke beautifully. You really felt when he said that he wished tennis had draws so he could split the trophy with Rafa that he meant it. This tournament wasn’t just about #18, but about turning the clock back to when he ruled the sport, before Djokovic passed him, before Murray passed him, before his own countryman in Stan Wawrinka passed him. Playing Nadal in a major final was just a sign for Federer that all was right in the tennis world. Better for him he won it this time.

For Nadal, you can say the same as well. Ever since he won his 14^th slam in 2014, ending a period where he won three out of five slams, making a final in one of the other’s, he was on top of the world. If anything, he fell farther, quicker than Federer did. Long a man who did his best in the slams, where he would grind player’s will over 5 sets, he started tensing up at big moments, losing winnable 5-set matches to Andreas Seppi, Fernando Verdasco and Lucas Pouille in the last three hardcourt slams he played. Nadal was unfortunate in that his peak overlapped with both Federer and Djokovic’s peaks. Federer had that 2003-06 period before Rafa became an all-court threat and Djokovic was just a prodigy to be to lock up 9 majors. Similarly, Djokovic has had the last three years when Nadal and Federer were either too injured, too old or both. Nadal never had that stretch, and more than anything it was just a joy to watch him play for a major again.

Over the last two years as a Nadal fan, with it seeming increasingly more likely he may never win a major again, it became, for the first time, easy to accept my fate of rooting for the guy who would never be the best. Sure, Nadal had Federer’s number head-to-head, and had a resume that makes him an easy argument as the 2^nd best player ever, but he wasn’t the first best. And he shouldn’t be. Federer was better, Federer was more peerless. Federer was both an emotional artist in his beautiful play and a robotic genius in his ability to stay healthy, stay active and stay so darn good deep into his 30s. Federer is the greatest player in men’s tennis history. His highs were higher than anything we’ve seen. His longevity will likely be better than anything we’ll ever see. I’m fine admitting that. I’m fine admitting Nadal isn’t the best. I’m fine because Nadal has done enough to hold his place so easily at #2, has provided the sport a lift when it most needed it (a Nadal-less Tennis would have faded mightily in the mid-00’s if, say, Federer won 11 straight majors). Nadal was a part of probably the two best rivalries in men’s tennis history. Rafael Nadal had written his history already, but the coda was missing, and while I wouldn’t be surprised at this point to see him win the 2017 French Open, even if the 2017 Australian Open Final loss is the last great moment, it was sure great. Made even greater with Federer being across the net.

More than anything, this was a great celebration for the rivalry that made the sport. More than anything, it proved that rivalry may not be the right word. Rivalry has a hidden tinge of malice, or tension between the two combatants, like the Ravens-Steelers, or even, for an individual example, the Serena-Sharapova rivalry back in the day. Nadal and Federer surely have played enough great matches for it to register as a rivalry. The most notable was the 2008 Wimbledon Final, at this point more or less accepted as the Greatest Match in Tennis History. Right behind it was the 2009 Australian Open final (Federer actually said in an interview he considers this match to have the highest level of shotmaking of any Roger-Rafa match). But if anything, that match ended the truly malicious or tense part of the rivalry.

This was the match Federer accepted Nadal as his equal as a legend of the game, and we can poetically point to one singular moment. When accepting his trophy, Federer broke down on the stage, crying uncomfortably as a stunned crowd applauded. He receded back to gather himself, and Nadal was called up to accept his trophy as the Champion. Nadal accepted his trophy and instead of starting his speech, immediately went back to Federer and put his arms around the still-crying Federer, embracing him in a moment that should be cemented for life.  I have witnessed two incredible displays of earnest sportsmanship by one of my favorite players in my lifetime as a fan. The first was Peyton Manning’s short message to Bill Belichick after last year’s AFC Championship, “This might be my last rodeo, so I want to say it sure has been a pleasure.” The second was Nadal embracing his biggest competitor. Instead of exalting in breaking Federer’s will and spirit to inconceivable levels, he embraced the fallen comrade instead.

These were the two greatest competitors of their era, and Nadal took his time to console Federer. Eight years later, Federer got his chance to pay it back with him saying he should split the trophy. He meant it. The two greatest players in tennis history competed in a great five-set final, with drama, with shotmaking, with strategy, with everything anyone could have hoped for. And at the end, they got to show what great class acts they are, what great ambassadors they were, and while the tennis world may be split in two distinct camps, the two players aren’t. And neither am I anymore. They were happy to play each other, and we all, including me, a die-hard Nadal-ite, were just as happy to witness it.

2022 Asia Trip: A to Z

A. is for Alice

Let's start with one of the many cocktail bars I went to in Seoul. The place loves their cocktails (granted, there were similar establishments in most of the cities I went to). Alice was quasi-gimmicky, in that it was Alice in Wonderland theme - but they didn't hit you over the head with the theme, but instead hit you over the head with great cocktails. There were interesting ingredients, from utilizing soy bean paste, to beer foam and flowers, to so much more. Even the names were whimsical - like "Hippity, Hoppity" and similar things. The best part I appreciated is that none of the drinks were overly strong or bitter, just perfectly balanced, perfectly inventive.

B. is for Bibimbap

Drink and food items won't make up all twenty-six letters, but probably get pretty close. Bibimbap took a leading role for multiple meals of the trip, starting with a starring role in my first meal of the trip. Korean Air's First Class is known for their giant bibimbap main, and it was a great start, including my first experience with the scores of little plates that come with any standard Korean meal. The bibimbap only got better from there, having it twice in Jeonju - a city known for its bibimbap. I had it twice there, one at the most famous spot (Hangkook Jib) and once at a more hole-in-the-wall type place, both fantastic. The real skill I want is the way they professionally mix it all up for you, doing it in a violently fast and efficient way that puts me to shame. There were other culinary treats in Korea, but bibimbap was a mainstay.

C. is for Chungdeokgung

Technically I'll be talking about both main "palaces" in Seoul, but they deserved representation. It's so cool that an incredibly dense city like Seoul can make time to have two giant parks surrounding palaces right in the middle of the city. They are beautiful locations, from the buildings themselves, to the larger well manicured grounds, to the imposing Bukhansan Hill in teh background. You can see why the Joseon kings picked these areas for their palaces. I never truly understood why there were two of them, why they were right next to each other - but for a tourist in the year 2022, I'm grateful for it.

D. is for 

E. is for Eathai

I've been fortunate enough to say that I've eaten at the original Eataly, in Turin. I've been to the Eataly in New York as well. I don't know if in twenty years we'll have Eatthai's all across the world, but for the first one, they had a great set-up. About 25 different carts and stalls selling Thai food from all across the country, from various traditional street foods, to stalls with foods from specific areas of Thailand. They even had a fairly sizable shopping area with local produce, mixes, snacks, etc. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - well if that's the case Eathai is doing Eataly proud.

F. is for FindTheLockerRoom

The term speakeasy is thrown around a lot, and I feel like there's almost competition in how bizarre you can make the entrance to a bar. Well, FindTheLockerRoom is about as good an attempt at that, with it in a nameless, somewhat dirty alley, up two flights of stairs with a set of lockers with semi-hidden handles to swing them open. But inside was magic, a great cocktail bar with really inventive cocktails, great flavors and really great, personable mixologists, and a really nice crowd - far less pretension than a lot of Bangkok spots. Odd to call a speakeasy a place without much pretension, but here we are.

G. is for Gaggan Anand

My booking at Gaggan that I shifted date roughly seven times was the other anchor of the trip. Of course there were high expectations. And while the food was maybe only 95% as good as it was the first time, the experience was better, mainly because of hte presence of hte namesake Chef. Reinventing their approach, he only serves 14 diners a day, in a chef's table set-up, with Chef Gaggan Anand there each day. He was there to regale us, discuss things with us, shake our hands at the end of hte meal, talk to briefly about him loving Goan food. It was great to eat his food, of course, but it was just as good to be able to converse with him, learn from him and make it a true experience over just a truly great meal.

H. is for Hanok Village

Jeonju is known for a few things, the most notable beings its sprawling Hanok Village - Hanok loosely meaning home. It was a 3x9 block space or so, designed to look mostly like an old Korean style area, but lost in this region, fill with home stays and houses, were a series of trendy coffee-shops, restaurants, shops, and even an outpost of Nomadic Brewing, arguably my favor craft brewery over the course of the trip. The Hanok Village was such a great place to just get lost in and walk around. Even the landscaping was great, with a man-made creek running the side of one of the main roads within the village. Jeonju was as far as Seoul as you can be in terms of the type of city, mianly shown by that little beauty of a village.

I. is for Itaewon

Seoul has a few different late-night (read: clubs, lounges) areas. Gangnam is the most famous, but also the flashiest, glitziest, and an area where many places will only allow either (a) Koreans or (b) people dressed to the nines. Hongdae is another, but caters to a more younger, hip-hop esque crowd. I found a happy medium in Itaewon. The main drag of Itaewon is as busy, glitzy, light and hopping as you wouild expect, but on the parallel roads were some gems, such as Club Faust, a very authentic EDM club where it was too dark to think anyone went there to be seen. The place was everything it was purported to be, and it was also a hoot to find out that even in Seoul, Korea, the busiest go to very-late night eats were still gyro spots.

J. is for Joseon Dynasty

This is a stand-in for Korean history as a whole, which was a major component of multiple museums there. Overtime though I kept on getting bombarded by the history, art, culture of the Joseon Dynasty, the group that unified Korea in the 1300s, up to the Japanese takeover in the late 1800s. From their palaces and portraits in Jeonju, to the two main palaces in Seoul, to their jade and white porcelain artwork that filled the galleries and halls of their musuems. The Joseon dynasty lives on as the major inspiration for the culture, food, art, clothing, etc., that dominates modern day Korea today and it was cool to learn about them as I had no real knowledge of their importance prior to the trip.

K. is for Kimchi & Small Bowls

I'm sure there is a name for these little bowls. I need to look up what they should be called. It isn't just kimchi - some of the bowls have kimchi in it (various fermented vegetables - the radishes were my favorite), but others were dried fruits, caremalized fruits, glass noodles, tofu, and so much more. The max I had was about 10 bowls at one of the bibimbap places. I remember taking a photo of a nearly filled table, and this was before I got the actual bibimbap bowl. Food in Korea is not cheap. It's not expensive either, but when you add in getting all these bowls in the price of the meal, maybe it is fairly cheap on second thought.

L. is for Le Du

I realize too many of these letters are just taken up by various restaurants, but sadly these restaurant are overly present and overly important on the success of the trip. Luckily they're all generally quite good. Le Du was a bit of a gamble, one of the few Thai-focused tasting menu spots in Bangkok, and while it isn't as reputed as say a Suhring (German), it was fantastic. Their ability to present Thai food, somethign we think of as extremely comfort based (kind of like Indian), but in elevated, unique and inventive ways was amazing. Some of the best seafood based dishes I've had, to be honest. And it was a seriously unpretentious place to boot.

M. is for Mingles

I was supposed to do this trip, or at the least the Korea portion, in May 2022. I had the tickets booked on Korean Air, and was just starting my research in earnest, when the Covid outbreak in Busan hit. One of the few things I had locked in during my brief time prepping for the trip was a meal at Mingles. I knew it then and I experienced it now - it was the best meal in Korea. Standard incredibly well thought out, executed, tasting dishes. From featuring king crab, to pork jowl, to lamb in three inventive quasi-Korean ways, to long lost Korean dessert fruits. Maybe the best part was the Korean Liqueur tasting that went along with it. Mingles was everything I could have wanted from my fanciest, best, meal in Korea.

N. is for Noir: Dining in the Dark

Yup, another restaurant, but I wanted to highlight Noir again because not only did the gimmick (dine in a pitch black room, using only your sense of taste to enjoy dishes) not get any more grating, but if anything was even better the second time around. I knew going in the food is very good (still very much true). I knew going in my waiter would be blind, and I would be getting to experience a meal as she would. I knew going in this place offers jobs for communities of people that otherwise live on the margins of society, even more in a place like Vietnam than they would in the US. It all adds up to a fascinating, meaningful, and of course, tasty experience.

O. is for (the) Observatory

A couple months ago I ranked The Observatory as my favorite EDM club in the world, and after going back it holds the spot. The music and the actual set-up in the dark back-room is great. But its more than that. It is the birds-eye view of Saigon from the 10th floor and the semi-open air outer area (with its own more pop-focused DJ). It is the baloons, the greatest local invention that I can't believe hasn't become mainstream elsewehre. Even the drinks are fairly cheap. Nothing may have made me more sad than The Observatory not living up to my memory of what it was when I went in 2019. Instead, it was every bit as great a time. Sometimes things live up to your memory.

P. is for Porcelain 

Korean Art became a recurring part of my time in Seoul, from a full barrage of it at the National Museum of Korea (which two of the three floors are effectively an art/archaeology museum). The best part of that was their use of white porcelain, beautifully detailed, designed, painted over and calligriphied to beautiful results. The porcelain stood out from the serious of beautiful jade jewellery and tools, and the calligraphy on paper or folding screens. The porcelain was more uniquely Korean and more beautiful.

Q. is for (BB)Q

Unsurprisingly, Korean BBQ was consumed during my time in Korea. I guess also usnurprisingly, it was quite different (read: better) than it is in the US. The main difference was the variety. I went to a place that served exclusively cuts of pork, where I got two strips of pork belly that were immacutely grilled, sliced and grilled some more by the server - replete with the series of little bowls as per usual. Another place was serving perfectly thin slices of galbi short rib. And I did patronize one establishment serving high-end dry aged rib-eyes (that admittedly was a bit too much, but damn was it incredible). I never went to what we would consider a Korean BBQ place, and glad I did it that way. It's better to branch out, and certainly better to let them cook for you.

R. is for Ryunique

Last food based letter, I promise. Ryunique was the first tasting menu I went to on the trip, and it offered a more vibrant, more unique (pun intended - the name is a combination of Chef "Ryu" and "unique") experience than I'm used to. The dishes looked like art pieces, more so than a Mingles a few nights later. Some were a little too out there - like their food sculpture to resemble a dragonfly. Some were just perfect, like their underground potato, fish and truffle soup dish that I still think about. On the whole, Ryunique showcases an extremely confident view of what Korean ingredients can be used for, in a truly charming way.

S. is for Suwon

Suwon is not a small town - with about 1.3 million inhabitants, but I went there as an afterthought, being the town that the Hwaseong Fortress is located. The fortress itself is beautiful, nine km long, with ornate turrets, mini temples and hideouts. The city of Suwon looks beautiful also from the fortress walls, nice buildings, great shop-faces, the resplendent park that surround the fortress wall. The city even has its own baseball team (one of my few regrets: not going to a KBO game) and a soccer stadium that hosted world cup matches in 2002. I feel bad that I went to Korea and only visited two cities, but in reality it was three - Suwon deserves to count.

T. is for Temples

I guess some places call them Wats, other pagodas, other temples, others something else, but they're all somewhat religious, really serene and my favorites were the places that were strewn out randomly in busy streets and dense areas, little oases within the mayhem. The best examples of these were in Saigon, where they truly were in the busiest areas at times, but had large, well manicured, pristine grounds, with smiling, golden buddhas. The Wats in Bangkok were more impressive and ornate - enough so to warrant its own letter. The ones in Korea though were so clean and perfectly shaped. The mix of clean woods. The use of hte common 'royal' light green as a consistent throughline. Sometimes it's hard to even tell which religion each one is, but all are just great places to wander around.

U. is for Uber (and related apps)

This is a story of at first terrible anxiety, to relief, to embarrassment. One night into the trip, when I spent 45 minutes aimlessly trying to flag a cab, I was ready to say that I should just leave Korea that night. Then I found their local Uber variant (Kakao T) which worked well throughout Jeonju, but not so much in Seoul. Then one day I decided on a lark to turn on Uber, and what did I see: the app worked just fine. I was annoyed at myself for not doing the right level of research. In Thailand and Vietnam, Uber definitely does not work, but Grab works about as well. Nothing is more 2020s than saying that the lack of Uber almost derailed my trip, but getting it back defintiely helped.

V. is for Vietnam War

One of the few tourist sites I returned to in my time in Saigon was the War Remnant Museum, a three story museum, with just eight or nine exhibits, but all focused on exploring the atrocity that was the Vietnam War. Understandably (and fairly), the Americans are painted in a bad light, with entire exhibits in beautiful honesty, through award winning photography, painting, sculpture and facts, exposing the needless brutality of the war. It is harrowing, sure, but also damn important. Of course, to give them credit, they also had a whole exhibit on how the American people are not the American government, and many Americans resisted to the point of being jailed fighting in an unjust war. The War Remnants museum toes a great line between the Vietnamese government viewpoint (which blurs too much into propoganda at say the Hanoi Hilton) and the reality of what took place.

W. is for Wat Pho

At times I've had mixed thoughts about going to Bangkok intsead of spending of a few more days in Korea. To some degree that was driven by an outstanding reservation at Gaggan, but I could've moved it again. Anyway, I did go, and I am glad because it gave me a chance to experience Wat Pho, and the Royal Palace grounds next to it, again. I first went there in 2003, a trip I sadly have limited memory of. It was like going back for a first time - the incredibly intricate wat turrets. The giant reclining buddha being a sight to behold, with so many angles with shimmering gold behind you. The various other buddha status and beautiful grounds. Very little was "new" about my time in Bangkok or Saigon, and while this wasn't it was as good as new.

X. is for (E)Xcel based planning

I have an excel format that I use to plan trips. Yes, that says more about my picadillos and work issues than it does about trips, but all in all it is a format that works. And it was so amazing to be able to use it again for a multi-week trip. The reserach, the planning, that is all part of it. In the end, the typhoon turned some of research useless, but at least even in that situation, I had a stable format to edit off of when adding back in Jeonju. Some may find this level of planning to cross the line easily into over-planning, but to me the planning is part of it. Envisioning the trip, getting excited, seeing it on paper, and then living it in reality.

Y. is for No Y Class

It took till the second to last letter for me to shoehorn in getting to talk about the two main flights I took, my longest flights in business class, or in the case of Korean Air, first class. This was my first real First Class flight, and it was incredible, from the truly large bed, to the restaurant quality meal served on better than restaurant quality crockery. To of course the flowing bottles of blue label. Everything about Korean Air's performance was perfect. The way back on Singapore may not have been as spectacular, but flying business class on the world's best airline is a decent way to spend 19 hours, with pre-selected meals and a comfortable mattress and sheets. I've been lucky to accumulate enough points to make these luxury flights a reality. If anything, it was the expiry of some of these points that necessitated this trip in the first place, and thank God for that.

Z. is for Zero Regrets

My 'Z' is almost always the same, and for two reasons. First, admittedly it is hard to come up with meaningful words beginning with 'Z' that have some relevance. Second, it is true. It would suck if there were regrets given the investment of time (planning) and money (paying) involved in the trip, but I do think I got a lot out of this trip. With two years of anticipation behind it, and a rocky, typhoon-altered start, there was some risk of failure - only heightened by my mini-freakout around taxis. But I first found an app to get me a car, and then found a love for Korea - the food, the culture, the drinks, the people, the sites, everything. I left wishing I spent more time, which is almost always the feeling you want when leaving a place. I was able to eat at Gaggan again. I was able to experience The Observatory, and the various great bits of Vietnamese life again. Asia is a daunting place, with significant language barriers and traffic and mental math at all times converting currencies, and time differences. But go in with an openness to experience something new, and it is unendingly beautiful.

2022 NFL Season: Week 4 Power Rankings & The Rest

Ranking the 0-3 Teams (inc. Houston)

2.) Houston Texans  (0-2-1  =  49-59)

The Texans are winless through three games. Everyone would have predicted that. What is less predictable is that (a) they've at least drawn one of the games, a game they were leading throughout, and (b) even in the other two they've looked reasonably good. This isn't a good team, but Lovie Smith has them playing hard and competitive. I do think they'll end up like last year's Lions where they play a string of fairly close games at the start, but then fizzle out as the losses pile up.

1.) Las Vegas Raiders  (0-3  =  64-77)

It's odd that neither of the winless teams on their face look that bad. Certainly no one would be surprised the Texans are winless, but the Raiders have looked decent at times. The Carr to Adams connections has looked great so far. But their pass protection is falling off, and their defense remains barely better than the sum of its average parts. Given my past views, it would be easy to just slam Josh McDaniels for being off to another poor start but I actually think he's doing reasonably well and just been a bit unfortunate to lose. You can't keep going down 11 points to a team like Tennessee though.

Ranking the 1-2 Teams (inc. Indianapolis)

15.) New York Jets  (1-2  =  52-81)

There are a staggering amount of 1-2 teams, and for the most part none of them are real surprises other than the three at the top of hte list. The Jets really should be 0-3 if not for a miracle win against the Browns. Their defense has still not really meaningfully improved despite a lot of investment. At some point we have to at least ask the question if Robert Saleh is a bit over his head as a head coach, especially as the defense has not gotten much better in year 2. Apparently Zach Wilson will be back next weekend which is a great development to get a best sense of where this team is.

14.) Seattle Seahawks  (1-2  =  47-70)

Another team that by all accounts should be 0-3, they had no right to win that first game against the Broncos, needing an all time bad red zone and game management performance to get it done. The offense was fine this game, but Atlanta might have one of the worst defenses in the league. Geno is fine but he clearly has a defined ceiling that is below what ever level it needs to be for this team to win any more than five or six games.

13.) Washington Commanders  (1-2  =  63-82)

I treat Washington similarly to how I treat the Jets. A team led by a defensive head coach whose defense hasn't played all that well, and only kept in games (this last one notwithstanding) because the offense has done better than expected. Granted, the Commanders have good personnel on offense around Wentz. The OL being a disaster wasn't great. As for the defense, when they get Chase Young back it should help, but Rivera so far has not been able to coach up this team nearly as well as he used to in Carolina.

12.) Pittsburgh Steelers  (1-2  =  54-66)

This offense is just a mess, and without TJ Watt for the forseeable future the defense is not good enough to carry them. That Thursday performance was depressing, being easily outplayed by a Jacoby Brissett led team. It shows that the problems in Pittsburgh are beyond Mitch Trubisky (or Kenny Pickett). In the end, I do fear that this season might spell the end of the Mike Tomlin streak of getting to at least .500 every season.

11.) Arizona Cardinals  (1-2  =  62-87)

Kyler hasn't been great, but this team is deteriorating around him. The defense played reasonably well, but this offense is a mess. The OL is bad. It is clear that they seriously overpaid for Hollywood Brown, and that skill position mix is just not good enough with Nuke Hopkins. Kyler really doesn't have a chance - and part of that is also Kliff Kingsbury just not being it as a head coach. It's always too early to say these things, but considering this is a continuation of a trend that started when they were 9-2 last year, I think this is a lost year for the Cardinals.

10.) New England Patriots  (1-2  =  50-71)

I had really had a hard time ranking these next six teams. They're all a bit interchangeable, and what doesn't help is the ones that are statistically better through three weeks are all the ones that had worse priors heading into the year. The Patriots offense looked decent, and the Jones to Parker connection looks quite good. But then he gets hurt and is likely out a couple weeks. Hard to read too much from the defense as Jackson is just in a zone right now but it was a bit jarring that Belichick felt the need to blitz that much. If they can't get traditional pressure they might be in trouble.

9.) New Orleans Saints  (1-2  =  51-68)

They should be better. They should be better than the Panthers or Falcons, but they just clearly have not been. Some of it is bad luck, some of it is Jameis being Jameis. The defense is still reasonably good, but that was a listless performance against the Panthers. One of the few bright spots I guess is that Chris Olave was a great draft pick, which they absolutely needed given they traded up for him giving up some of their already limited draft capital.

8.) Carolina Panthers  (1-2  =  62-59)

There's few certainties around this team three weeks in. I think mainly the one is that the Panthers defense is reasonably good, and their using their top players like Jeremy Chinn really well. That's why they've been able to overcome a pretty average Mayfield start. His final stat lines are on the border of OK, generally because of him hitting a big play or two each game, but accuracy has not improved at all. 

7.) Tennessee Titans  (1-2  =  51-84)

For at least three quarters, it looked like the 2021 Titans were back. Henry looked good. Tannehill was playing in rhythm. The OL was playing well even without Lewan. The top guys on defense were showing out. And in the end, they needed to stop a 2pt conversion to beat a so far bad team in the Raiders. This is what the Titans are, and I'll give them never ending credit that they know it. They know the 1seed was a mirage. Injuries have only made it worse.

6.) Detroit Lions  (1-2  =  95-93)

The Lions really should have won that game. Granted that would put them probably towards the back end of the 2-1 teams, but they outplayed the Vikings for long stretches of that game and then just had coverage disasters late. The Lions are a young team, a growing team. So far they've done about as well as you would want (again, excepting for the fact they should be 2-1). Goff has been ok, helped by an OL that is playing better than I expected. The Lions should hover around .500 - it all comes down to if they truly trsut in Goff, and if not when do they pull the trigger on a replacement.

5.) Atlanta Falcons  (1-2  =  80-81)

The Falcons offense has been above average every game. It was a bit of garbage time in week 2 against the Rams to make that game closer than it was, but they blew it in Week 1 and controlled the matchup against the Seahawks defense from start to finish. The Falcons have a few things really going for them, from Kyle Pitts being just a monster, to Drake London showing really well so far. Marcus Mariota looks good in the offense. He still takes too many sacks, and I do wonder if they want to get a view of what Ritter looks like at some point, but the Falcons if anything are an exciting team.

4.) Indianapolis Colts  (1-1-1  =  40-61)

The Colts loss to the Jaguars looks slightly better now (still not good) with what the Jags have been doing, and the defense finally showed decent life and shoudl get Barrett back fairly soon. The Colts are basically what we expect except for one huge issue to me: Matt Ryan needs to show he can still hit even intermediate throws. The arm looks fine, but be it an OL that he, understandably, doesn't trust in, or weapons that aren't ready yet. That has to get better for this not to be a late-career-Ben type offense.

3.) Los Angeles Chargers  (1-2  =  58-84)

This ranking is built purely on priors. The Chargers shoudl be better. I do fear that maybe Herbert is just not going to be right all year (playing late into blowouts won't help) and if so maybe this is just a year for this team. The Chargers should be better. They have the talent, they have the QB (assuming health). They have time to make up ground but this has been a truly slow start.

2.) Cincinnati Bengals  (1-2  =  64-55)

It's easy worry about the Bengals poor start. The offense wasn't clicking even when Burrow wasn't getting sacked. But lost in that was a defense that has continued its performance it showed in the playoffs. Yes it hasn't been the hardest set of offenses for them to face, but they've been in control of all of them. They should have won Week 1. Hopefully this was more than just playing the Jets and a real "get-right" type of game for a team that still has a lot of good components.

1.) San Francisco 49ers  (1-2  =  47-37)

Man is this defense great. The DL is just a heavy rotation of all gamers. The secondary is playing better than it did last year. That side of the ball is so in sync. The offense is the opposite. Jimmy G became a punch-line due to the safety, but even outside of that he was below average - but also no one is open far too often. I don't know what it is exactly that is holding them back from at least giving Jimmy easier throws - let it be Jimmy that holds you back, not the offense as a whole. It may not matter in the end, given how damn good that defense is.

Ranking the 2-1 Teams

13.) Chicago Bears  (2-1  =  52-57)

Probably not controversial. Shockingly with a game to come against the Giants they have a decent shot of moving to 3-1. Every year there is a team like this that is clearly not very good that gets off to a decent start, and generally just crashes back to earth - see the Panthers last year. The Bears do have a decent defense, but there is just no way they can continue to compete and win games throwing less than 20 times a game. They are trying to win running a 1970s offense. That has a maximum limit. The more worrying question is if they are forced to always run this type of offense because Fields will never get there, or is this just a stupid idea that curbs his development.

12.) Cleveland Browns  (2-1  =  85-72)

The other team that is clearly not that good but there is I guess some path where they remain competitive highlighting the areas the Browns are really good. They have a good pass rush and a great secondary. They have a good OL and running game. Those things can lead a Jacoby Brissett team to stay around the margins of .500 until the guy who shall not be named comes back. I think there's a lot of people understandably annoyed that we are headed towards a path where Watson can come back and "save the day" for the 7th playoff team bound Browns.

11.) New York Giants  (2-1  =  56-59)

The Giants are not a great team, and it is becoming more and more clear Daniel Jones is just not going to make any sort of leap. I have to imagine with a new regime in place this year, this is the last year of him being the starting QB. That said, man are they giving him no help. The OL was terrible against Dallas, particularly the RT. The receivers dropped crucial catches, including two on the drive when down 20-13 that could have extended it - one for a big gain. The defense remains decent but until this offense can finally get a lift up the Giants will be spinning their wheels.

10.) Dallas Cowboys  (2-1  =  46-52)

The Cowboys have good enough pieces around Cooper Rush to stay competitive until Dak comes back. It helps when your opponent leaves Demarcus Lawrence on an island against an overmatched RT but he was a monster, and they're doing a great job of mixing how they use Parsons to keep offenses on their toes. Lamb has to get over his case of the dropsies - it was hilarious to see ESPN do a marketing push around him being the next in a line of '88s' to star for the Cowboys, and while he had some circus catches he also had some pretty crucial drops. They need Gallup back in a minute.

9.) Denver Broncos  (2-1  =  43-36)

Yes, the offense is a trainwreck right now, and while a lot of the focus is being placed on Nathaniel Hackett, at some point Russ needs to play better as well. He was outright missing guys and looking very much like the guy that had rough periods these last few years. That said, the Broncos defense has been phenomenal so far - a major step up from their play last year. Their secondary was great for large stretches against hte 49ers and the pass rush is getting contributions from players who are not Nick Chubb. All positive signs for a team where you think the offense just has to get better.

8.) Minnesota Vikings  (2-1  =  58-55)

I was all set mentally to pounce on the Vikings for being mentally absent and they pull off a nice little comeback to keep pace in the NFC North. Even with the win, I think the sheen has come off the Kevin O'Connell start. I'll give them this, Justin Jefferson was basically erased by Jeff Ukodah and they still found a way to score 28 points. It helps that while the Lions could erase Jefferson, they seemingly forgot Thielen exists on many plays. The Vikings defense is just average enough for a steady offense to get the 10 or so wns they need to at least get a wild card. It is not deep though so if any injuries hit they could be in trouble on that side.

7.) Los Angeles Rams  (2-1  =  61-70)

If anything, that game was more a sign of a Super Bowl hangover than the first loss to Buffalo. They played quite well getting a 13-0 lead and then basically stopped trying. Stafford was forcing stuff to Kupp. The defense aside from Donald was going through the motions. There's enough top flight talent to make it work, and they still quite easily won the game, but they have to do better. That should have been a 24 point beatdown, not a 1-score game at the end. Stafford does look a lot better than what we saw in Week 1 so that is a good sign at least.

6.) Jacksonville Jaguars  (2-1  =  84-38)

I'm close to fully buying in. On sheer performance, they probably should be no worse than #3 in this set of teams. I don't think many teams with two as clear beatdowns as they have this early in a season are ever revealed to be frauds. The defense is what really excites me. It's easy to focus on Trevor Lawrence cutting down mistakes and Christian Kirk making good on a contract so many mocked, but right now the defense is playing extremely fast, the coverage far better than you would expect. 84 points in three games is very good but not outstanding. 38 points allowed is outstanding. It helps to have coaches that actually know what they're doing. If anything this season may show we may have underrated just how truly terrible Urban Meyer was.

5.) Green Bay Packers  (2-1  =  48-45)

Well, the defense is about as good as we thought it could be which is a major plus. The combo if Jaire Alexander and Rasual Douglas are excellent. If only they can remember to cover running backs leaking out in pass routes. But anyway, defense very good. Offense? I would love to see a breakdown of whether anything changed from what they were doing or Tampa did after the fumble on the goal line. Up to that point they were killing Tampa with quick plays and even running well. From the second that happened it went completely away. They should get guys back and get better - it's good to know Green Bay can win games 14-12 but they can't count on it.

4.) Kansas City Chiefs  (2-1  =  88-65)

Well, that is a bit worrying. Granted, like we'll talk about in a few spots with Buffalo, the Chiefs probably win that game 9 times out of 10 if not for some freak things, such as the kicker issues costing them four points (7 if you count the fake field goal). Mahomes looked fine, but it is worrying that this is against a defensive scheme of Gus Bradley that he usually torches. The running game is a nonentity right now and you wonder if that ever gets fixed. The defense continues to play well - the Colts gained under 4 yards a play - so I still have good faith in KC in the long term.

3.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers  (2-1  =  51-27)

I don't know if we can just point to the guys that may come back without noting that the Bucs offense wasn't that great in the first few games either. They've been to the red zone three times period - granted they've scored TDs of more than 20 yards as well. This looks to be a slightly higher variance carbon copy of the 2019 Pats offense that got people thinking Brady was done. The defense has been incredible so far, but they get their toughest test this weekend against KC. Let's remember the 2019 Patriots also had a pretty incredible defense too.

2.) Baltimore Ravens  (2-1  =  99-77)

Both of my top two 2-1 teams had their lone loss against Miami. In the one sense it's a good sign when your only loss is against an undefeated team - but also a sign that Miami pretty easily could be 1-2. Anyway, the Ravens offense has been incredible this year, and in this game they actually started running the ball quite well. The Ravens have also torched the blitz, which was their kryptonite in 2021. What they really need is more consistency from their defense. They've been good at forcing turnovers but have had way too many breakdowns in the secondary. This offense is good enough to win shoot-outs but there's enough talent, especially in the back-seven, that they shouldn't need to.

1.) Buffalo Bills  (2-1  =  91-38)

Yes it is a bit worrying how bad the OL and run game was. Yes, the injuries have really hit the secondary hard. But the Bills went on the road in 100 degree weather, outgained Miami by 280, and would have won this game if any of like ten things happened. From the fake spike that cost them likely three points at the end of the first half, to the missed field goal, to the turnover on downs having 1st and Goal at the 2. Then there was them getting torched on a 3rd and 22 by Waddle (credit Miami there). The Bills were the better team. They lost. It happens. They just can't make it a trend, but sadly if you look at a lot of their losses in 2021, this is sustaining a trend.

Ranking the 3-0 Teams

2.) Miami Dolphins  =  (3-0  =  83-64)

I'm going to talk about this more when I talk about the Bills, but the Dolphins are very lucky to win that game. The offense still on its face looks good, but they have to sustain more drives, they have to do a better job staying on the field. Maybe that starts to happen more, and if so this team can be seriously dangerous. Tua looks good, Hill and Waddle are a great combo, but it isn't resulting in enough points aside from that increidble one quarter against the Ravens.

1.) Philadelphia Eagles  =  (3-0  =  86-50)

All offseason, smart people were speaking out about how good the Eagles are, and how good their roster is, and how if Jalen Hurts can take a step up this might be a team that can cruise to a top seed, and so far all of that is proving true. Their defensive line is playing like it did back in 2017 when they ran a pretty similar formula, with another 2nd year QB who took a huge step up, to a top seed and then ultimately a Super Bowl. The biggest benefit in the Eagles favor is an easy schedule, which they're taking advantage of fully so far.

Looking Ahead to Next Week's Games

16.) Arizona Cardinals (1-2)  @  Carolina Panthers (1-2)  (4:05 - FOX)

15.) New York Jets (1-2)  @  Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)  (1:00 - CBS)

14.) Los Angeles Chargers (1-2)  @  Houston Texans (0-2-1)  (1:00 - CBS)

13.) Seattle Seahawks (1-2)  @  Detroit Lions (1-2)  (1:00 - FOX)

I call it the "I don't care" Sunday, as we get these games that I really just don't care about. I guess there is some intrigue if Zach Wilson plays for the Jets (or similarly if the Steelers just do what is so obvious and bench Trubisky). But really in a weekend with a lot of really good games on paper, there has to be a counterbalance.

12.) Washington Commanders (1-2)  @  Dallas Cowboys (2-1)  (1:00 - FOX)

11.) Cleveland Browns (2-1)  @  Atlanta Falcons (1-2)  (1:00 - CBS)

10.) Denver Broncos (2-1)  @  Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)  (4:25 - CBS)

I call it the "I care 1% more than the games above" Sunday, as again I find it hard to muster up much for these three either. Browns vs Falcons could be somewhat exciting, but featuring two likely to be meaningless teams in the grand scheme of things. The Broncos will be interesting to watch just to see if they can get their offense going against a team that just let Tennessee get its offense going for the first time.

9.) Tennessee Titans (1-2)  @  Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1)  (1:00 - FOX)

8.) Minnesota Vikings (2-1)  @  New Orleans Saints (1-2)  (9:30am - NFLN)

7.) New England Patriots (1-2)  @  Green Bay Packers (2-1)  (4:25 - CBS)

I call it "Just decent games" Sunday, as we get our first London game appearance, and a decent game for once (assuming good Jameis shows up). The Titans and Colts have a crucial game to see who can stay in reach of Jacksonville (wow, that was weird to write). For the Colts its a great opportunity to show that their offense can do more than gain four yards at a time. For the Patriots, they complete round 3 of "man these would've been such marquee matchups three years ago". Seriously, a run of @PIT, vsBAL, @GB - that would've all been primetime or 4:25pm slots, but now is just two 1pm games and this 4:25pm game that looks a lot worse than even I would've imagined.

6.) Chicago Bears (2-1)  @  New York Giants (X-X)  (1:00 - FOX)

I call it "Who wants to be the ultimate fraud" Sunday, as one team is coming out of this with a fraudulently good record. It would be ridiculous if this Bears team that can't (or rather, just doesn't try to) pass is 3-1, but equally so if the Giants win again. 

5.) Los Angeles Rams (2-1)  @  San Francisco 49ers (1-2)  (MNF - ESPN)

I call it "Good enough on paper it may get me to watch the main broadcast" Monday, as for the first time I'm given a conundrum. I generally was pro-Buck/Aikman, but also am an unabashed Manningcast-head. This game is good enough, a rematch of the NFC Title Game (and separately a great Week 18 game) with two teams that always play each other seemingly well. The level of play from both may be somewhat below where it was last year, but both sides have some great incentives - the Rams to stuff SF at 1-3, and the 49ers to continue to show their defense is good enough to carry Jimmy G.

4.) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)  @  Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)  (1:00 - CBS)

I call it "Um, yeah, this is why the NFL is great" Sunday, as somehow what probably seemed like a sleepy 1pm kickoff game is now a game between the two hottest teams in the league, the Eagles and Jaguars coming off two straight butt-kickings each. For the Jags this is a great test of the OL and Lawrence's rebuilt confidence against a defense that just sacked Wentz nine times. For the Jags, also a chacne to prove the defense is real against one of the more dynamic offenses to date. Good stuff.

3.) Kansas City Chiefs (2-1)  @  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)  (SNF - NBC)

I call it "Thank You, NFL. Pt. 1" Sunday, as for the Chiefs - the challenge you get is avenge your Super Bowl loss in a fashion that shows your offense still has it without Tyreek against what has been to date the league's best defense. For the Bucs, it is how your offense can come back to life against a defense that has done a great job so far against top receivers. Both teams have a lot to gain with wins - neither with all that much to lose with losses. This feels like a great, classic SNF game. Let's just hope it is better than the last time these two played.

2.) Miami Dolphins  (3-0)  @  Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)  (TNF - Amazon)

I call it "This is what Thursday's are made for" Thursday, as we get Miami right off their big win playing the defending AFC Champs (off of their own "get right" performance). It will be a really quick turnaround for Miami given how tough, draining that game was. For the Bengals, a good chance to show if that rebuilt line will continue to get better against a team that blitzes nearly as much as anyone. For the Bengals, a win here and they'll have steadied the ship just at hte right time.

1.) Buffalo Bills (2-1)  @  Baltimore Ravens (2-1)  (1:00 - CBS)

I call it "Thank You, NFL, Pt. 2" Sunday, as one of two teams that both easily could/should be 3-0 if not for collapses against Miami is going to 2-2. For the Bills, a 2-2 start could mean being two games behind in the division already (granted, if Miami loses Thursday, that pressure goes away). For the Ravens 2-2 may not mean that much as at worst they could be a game behind the Browns, but they want home playoff games, plural. This is a great matchup. It was when the season started, it is now. The Ravens match up really well to be honest, but if the Bills can pull this off, they would be 3-1, playing three road games and some miracles away from being 4-0. Good stuff here.

My Top 25 Restaurants

25.) Avenio (Avignon, 2018)

Most of the restaurants on this list are either tasting menu spots or places with a wide array of small plates that can sometimes work as mini-tasting menus. Avenio is not one of those. But it is a classical french restaurant that served, as I would come to learn is fairly standard, set 3/4-course meals, at a relatively high fare and great level. The main dish I remember is an exquisite duck preparation, and their dessert was fantastic with a take on a lime pie. I would like to go back to Provence to try more of their great food; Avenio was a nice appetizer in that sense.

24.) The Pot Luck Club (Cape Town, 2018)

OK, now we're talking. The Pot Luck Club is a small plates restaurant, where you can order 4-5 of them per person making it something of an effect of a tasting menu. The food is slightly less well plated than a formal tasting menu restaurant, but was fantastic all the same - my favorite dishes being a lamb ras el hanout with aubergine caviar, a confit quail with peanut sauce or their desert of an apple tart with cinnamon ice cream. The Pot Luck Club was the sister restaurant of the fancier, classical tasting menu based The Test Kitchen, which closed during the pandemic - The Pot Luck Club lives on and in a future trip to Cape Town, which certainly is happening, I'll make a return visit.

23.) Eucalyptus (Jerusalem, 2018)

Eucalyptus has a tasting menu, but its mostly a sampling of menu items at a smaller size. Instead since I went with my parents on our trip to the Holy Land, we ordered our own sampling of the menu to share, which were all fantastic. They were plated well, seasoned well, prepared well, from a duck pastilla which was excellent to fish kibbeh to my favorite dish which was their mansaf - essentially their take on lamb biryani. The restaurant was also in a lovely setting down a wide, green alley near the Jaffa Gate, a perfect scene for a great Christmas Dinner.

22.) Noir: Dining in the Dark (Ho Chi Minh City, 2019)

This restaurant has great food, but also a better story. Noir puts diners in a completely black room, a level of black and darkness that seems impossible. Your given feed that you don't know what it is, but are told to eat and experience it with your sense other than sight. It seems a bit gimmicky, but they're committed to it and they also employ disabled people (blind or deaf) as the wait-staff. What really makes the mark, though, is the food itself is excellent and might have been on this list. Sadly I don't have pictures, but remember it being a mix of Vietnamese and Thai, from great little bowls of red curry, to galangal soup, to great beef preparations. Even the desserts were great, with maybe my favorite asian dessert I've ever had, with a dragon-fruit pannacotta. For the great idea, the excellent execution, and better food than you would expect from what is openly a fairly gimmicky concept, Noir was a full success.

21.) Mak N Ming (Vancouver, 2018)

From here on out these are all tasting menus, with one exception. This is also the first one on this list to have since closed due to the pandemic. Anyway, Mak N Ming was a husband/wife teamed restaurant in Vancouver that served an excellent, if a bit heavy, tasting menu, all with a refined, modern Asian bent. From an excellent Ramen, to a dish they called 'dirt' which looked like a pot filled of dirt that you ate (honestly, forgot exactly what it was), to two excellent tartares. Mak N Ming was a great restaurant with a clear focus. I think it also set a good squeeze between overly fancy, "tweezer" food with just great tasting food. My only one complaint isn't even a fair one in that it was a heavy meal. Then again, they really gave you your moneys worth.

20.) Ryunique (Seoul, 2022)

Ryunique is fairly new in the Seoul restaurant scene, and I think it is on the way to being even more seen as a leading restaurant in a leading food city. The food was generally beautiful, the only knocks is there were a few courses that looked better than they tasted, and their main, while excellently cooked, was a bit basic. They had a few standout dishes though, like maybe the best set of desserts that I've had at a tasting menu. 

19.) Field & Main (Virginia, 2021)

I went here twice last year, first with my parents for an early 30th birthday present, and then ater in the fall with parents, sister and fiance. Both times we got their tasting menu, and while it is less plates than most on this list, each dish is about perfect, cresting with a large meat plate, from bison (2nd visit) to prime rib (1st visit) accompanied by a rich, complex, brilliant black garlic sauce. Earlier dishes included a charred, curried carrot, great miso-glazed fish dishes, perfectly in-season butternut sqaush, fish tartare, and much else. The place is also idyllically set in a small, rural Virginia town, just a perfect hidden gem in the middle of nowhere.

18.) Le Du (Bangkok, 2022)

There are many top restaurants in Bangkok, and Le Du is one of the few that focus on actual Thai food (quick shout out for the now closed Bo.Lan, a place I never was able to make it to). Their thai focused tasting menu was excellent, with great use of thai veggies, thai spices, thai curries, everything. The only real knock I can have is there was no standout meat dish. But there were excellent catfish, crab, shrimp, so much more. Le Du also had the most reasonably priced wine pairing I've seen, and good win to boot. The restaurant is doing some great things showcasing a cuisine that so rarely is featured in upscale venues in its own capital.

17.) Restaurante 99 (Santiago, 2018)

We were hoping to go to Borago, which is Santiago's top rated restuarant, but 'settled' for Restaurante 99 instead, which was excellent. The food is based on local ingredients but is more of modern fusion than any real 'Chilean' focus, but it was still excellent. It was early January, so we sat outside and because of that the pictures are a bit blurry, but do show off some of the inventiveness of the menu. There was a dish with aout six or seven preparations of mushrooms, including one constructed mushroom using two different preparations to make it look like a large mushroom. There was a bowl of perfectly seasoned little cockels, two great amouse bouches, and honestly I think my favorite set of desserts ever at a tasting menu spot - one called a 'red pepper' which was a sorbet with bits of red pepper again constructed to look like a red pepper. Restaurant 99 was a great spot, our best meal on maybe my favorite trip of all time.

16.) Janse & Co (Cape Town, 2018 & 2020)

Janse & Co is a pick your own adventure tasting menu, where you can select 5-8 courses of their list of about 15-20, with everything just looking great. The dishes are all fantastic, and in reality little separates Janse from the two restaurants above it. My favorite dishes generally are their meats, between a lamb tartare with huacatay and coriander, fish with cumquats and mushrooms, a jacopever (south african fish) with watermelon, to oyster and mussels with a large oyster cracker. The dishes are inventive, feature local proteins, in a classy setting Sadly, this is on of the places that have since shut down, a huge gap now created in Cape Town's culinary scene. RIP to a great, great restaurant.

15.) Canis (Toronto, 2019-20)

The last restaurant on the list to have closed during the pandemic might be the saddest loss of all. Toronto's Canis became a refuge for me a few times when I had flights cancelled returning from Toronto. It was a small tasting-menu only spot with a seven course beautiful meal with Canadian ingredients and inventive preparations. It was proper tasting menu small portions, quick bites, but just incredible presentation. They always started with two amouses, one of which would be a tartare on cracker, then always a small half-pie of duck terrine. The rest of the menu would change, from a couple fish or seafood dishes (they had a great lobster dish) to a couple great meats (honestly, had good lamb and beef, but their best dish was a duck that was braised for two days. Their sauces and consommes were always perfect. They were great in turning what was written as a 6-course meal into 8 with some throw ins. The place truly was special, and I really hate that they had to shut down.

14.) Belly of the Beast (Cape Town, 2020 & 2022)

This place is still open god willing, and was just a fantastic experience. Housed in a warehouse in a area of the town being gentrified. The six course meal is served at a very leisurely pace, with the focus being on the food and its creativity. The dishes were all made with such heart and mixed a lot of interesting components - from ones like a South African take on babaganoush with venison tartare, then three giant mussels with various sauce toppings, then a beautiful chantarelle mushroom dish, a peri-peri dusted flaky hake, and a karoo lamb with a perfect sauce. The desert was even a warm, lovely cake. It wasn't the fanciest, but each dish was impeccably prepared. Pretty soon we'll start getting into restaurants that go more in the gastrology route - but there are some brilliant restaurants that are just 'normal" in a sense that still are worth going out of your way to eat at.

13.) Pier (Cape Town, 2022)

Pier is run by the group that runs even more notable restaurants in the Cape Town area, and is located in the heart of the most touristy area of the city in the V&A Waterfront, not an area for a truly creative explosion of primarily seafood, but all Capetonian food. The restaurant had some incredible dishes with incredible presentations, uncluding a pork jowl and crayfish soup, a mussel and ham sauce put within an oyster, to an incredible lamb flash-grilled in front of you with a million different fixings and sides and incredible sauces. Pier was so clean, so smart, such a great restaurant in a city full of them. Even the cheese course was amazing. Pier was a truly great experience.

12.) Sud 777 (Mexico City, 2018)

Ok, these top eight are all fabulous, all tasting menu based, and admittedly all expensive. Sud 777 when I went was expensive but not notably so. It was seen as Mexico's 3rd or 4th best restaurant, and while it still probably is, it is a bit more reputed now moving up rankings for best restaurants in Latin America. Sud 777 is in a far corner of Mexico City in a residential area with the restraurant being set-up in a multi-story house. The menu was veggie forward (though not vegetarian), all sourced from their farm out back. The dishes were all excellent, from a starting pair of amouse bouches, to a brilliant braised watermelon dish (something I very much failed when trying to replicate), a marlin crudo, a beautifully soft beef cheek, and one of the most interesting desserts I've had, which was literally a roasted onion next to an onion sorbet - and it was amazing. I would love to go back to see how they've changed, if any, from their more homey core that they had at the time.

11.) Belcanto (Lisbon, 2021)

I just went to Belcanto last fall and chronicled it fully on this blog course by course. Some of this will be a repeat. Overall, the one word to describe it is opulence, from the position near the Opera house, the gold inside, the pristine white tablecloths, and the food from delicious small bites showcasing a refined version of Portuguese cuisine, to the famous 'Garden of the Goose that laid the Golden Egg' dish, fit with a long-cooked egg covered in gold leaf. There were about 15 moments alltogether, and while some were slightly below great, most were amazing, including the gold leaf, their breads and butters, to a little gold ball of cod, to an oyster with tuna tartare and a cod pearl. The food was authentically Portugeuse, from river prawns to so many great sardines and cod, to the main dish having a beef liver nata tart. Belcanto was immaculate in its gaudiness, even though it was pumping up what is often seen as a less refined cuisine.

10.) Mayta (Lima, 2022)

I went to Mayta not really knowing how good it was, and was astounding by the quality of its tasting menu. Not the longest, but maybe the one that truly had no bad dish. A little bit later, it was ranked as the 32nd best restaurant in teh world. Hard to argue. The setting is great, with stone tables and greenery everywhere. The food was incredible, with some of the most interesting dishes I've had - from a aged, roasted eggplant with an incredible foam, maybe the best cooked fish I've ever had, and a really beautiful duck and black rice main. Even the desserts were nice. Sure, you coudl wish it was longer, but there was also no miss, no oversight, nothing but great dish after great dish.

9.) Pujol (Mexico City, 2018)

Pujol is Mexico City's best or 2nd best restaurant, going back and forth with Quintonil (haven't been). It was the first on this list to be featured on Chef's Table with chef/owner Enrique Olvera. On the downside, there were only six listed courses which expanded to eight with a few extras thrown in. On the plus side, each was immaculate, from the famous baby-corn coated in a sauce made from ants, to a perfectly cooked octopus, to another perfectly cooked dish with lamb chops and a green mole. Even the desserts with their mango dessert and best churro you will ever have were both excellent. But of course, one cannot talk about Pujol without talking about the Mole Madre dish, their centerpiece, which is just a plate with two concentric circles of dark and light mole, with nopal tortillas. It seems crazy to serve just that as effectively the main course - but it is truly unbelievable. It is accepted people will go as far to lick the last drop of mole off the plate. It truly was a showstopper of a dish that elevates a bunch of other really great dishes.

8.) Mingles (Seoul, 2022)

Mingles is Seoul's top ranked restaurant, and after going I can see why. It was a classic tasting menu shop, with sharp clarity on its menu, its decor, its everything. It also had a really nice 'Korean Liquor' pairing along with the wine pairing, something I took that got me to taste various different Korean localized liquors. The meal itself was great, with some of the best, most interesting dishes I've had, such as a great king-crab two ways dish, a brilliant take on surf & turf (pork & squid stuffed oyster, along with a braised beef cube), to an incredible lamb three ways dish as the primary main. The vegetable dishes were also spectacular, such as a corn soup dish that opened my eyes to just how sweet corn can be. Mingles was a special restaurant showcasing the best of modern Korean cuisine.

7.) I Pupi (Sicily, 2019)

This was the second tasting course meal we had in our trip to Italy in 2019, and while the first one - Imago in Rome - was a big disappointment, the seafood-forward I Pupi in Bagheria, Sicily (about 30 min away from Palermo) was incredible. Their first course of a random assortment of small bites was inspired, each being seafood forward. The second plate which was a platter with six nigiri on it with six different salts to add on top was divine, and while not 'Italian' in any way was just an insane dish. The rest of the meal got more Italian, but still small, focused, refine, seafood plates, from a zuchinni noodle wrapped fish, to an incredible soup, to lamb chops (the only meat). Each dish was so well put together, alternating from amazing small bites to dishes that approached the size of a normal restaurant starter, to everything in between. This was just a fabulous meal and such a nice comeback after being disappointed with Imago earlier in that trip.

6.) Mume (Taipei, 2019)

I talked in the Belly of the Beast section of how most of the ones ranked above it are more on the molecular gastronomy side - and the top three all are, but Mume is frankly not, but it is truly mesmerizing. Like Pujol it is only six dishes but each was amazing in its focus and depth. Their two starters of jicama & prawn then a plum, kombu and tuna crudo were both just beautiful. The wagyu beef tartare was incredible, with teh softest bread for you to lap it up with. The two 'mains' of braised milkfish and oxtongue were impeccable. Even the dessert of tropical 'snow' was awesome. To some degree, while I could never see myself being able to make the dishes that the top three do because I wouldn't know where to begin, these are not dishes that are out of the realm of possibility. I could make something that looks similar; what is out of the realm of possibility is any idea that they would taste nearly as good, be as clean, as refined, as perfect as 'normal' food can be,

5.) Maido (Lima, 2016 & 2022)

Maido will always have a soft spot for me as it was the first tasting menu spot I went to, at a time where I didn't really know just how well reputed it was. We went for lunch, unable to get a dinner reservation but the menu is the same either way. It is a japanese-peruvian kaiseke meal that is just perfectly designed, executed, presented and crafted. 13 courses, all seafood based, all incredible, from various nigiris, to incredible takes on ceviche, to a choripan of fish & octopus sausage, to a very complicated but inredible soup decanted in front of you. Even the deserts of sea urchin and what they call the 'reef' which is a giant edible reef rock, are wild. I'm sure there are places in Japan that are just as good and more 'authentic', but this is my favorite take on Japanese cuisine ever. Just now I remember being mesmerized at each dish, on how it looked when it was brought out, on the complexity of the way it is described and of course on how it tasted. This, and to be fair the two above it, are peerless for me in the sense that I have zero idea how to recreate any of these dishes. They are simple while being complex, each ingredient, each little piece just so perfect. I hope to go Lima's other world reknowned restaurant Central at some point (maybe even this year, to which I will have to likely re-write this list to add it in), but if we could only go to one premier spot last time, Maido was a perfect pick.

4.) Gaggan Anand (Bangkok, 2022)

Because of many reasons, I'm going to rank my 2nd trip to a Gaggan Anand restaurant separately from the first one. One reason is it technically is a different restaurant, in a different space. Another is the experience was different - this is a restaurant where he serves just at a chef's table to a group of 14 people. And the biggest difference was Gaggan Anand himself was present, was there to talk to the patrons, the entire thing being equally an experience along with the food. The food was still great, with some of the most inventive dishes I've ever had with insane preparations that he explained so well. It still had all the measure of excitement, like random things that tasted like tom yum soup, or charcoal chicken balls or a dried paper lightly filled that tasted just like hummus. It was classic Gaggan, classic modern cooking, and the only restaurant on this list whre the Chef was there to personally chat with and serve to the customers. The old restaurant is higher up the lsit because at the end I think the food was even better, but my second trip to a Gaggan was about as good as I could have imagined.

3.) Azurmendi (Bilbao, 2021)

Like Belcanto at #7, I did just go to Azurmendi and it came as close as any meal I've had to unseating what might be a lifetime pick at #1. The basque restaurant certainly met it for downright creativity and presentation. From the picnic basket of small bites, to the greenhouse where they were literally picking up roses from a garden bed before you realized it was sorbet, to of course each incredible bite at the table. All in all they technically had 27 dishes, almost all of which were excellent in their design, freshness, preparation and ultimately taste. My favorites of the small bites were the cod fish brioche and the truffle meringue, just incredible little bites. The daiquiri rose was incredible, from presentation to taste. The asparagurus three ways and play on fish taco were divine. The tempura oyster was maybe the best bite I've ever had, and the ending dishes of cod tart and iberico pork were just sublime. They have a rich tapestry to which to create from local produce and Iberian meats and fishes, but Eneko Atxa's brilliant mind puts it to incredible use.

2.) Central (Lima, 2022)

Very likely next year Central will be named the best restaurant in the wrold by San Pellegrino in their World's Best 50 list. It is well deserved (the restaurant ranked above it for me has reached similar heights on the same list). The dishes are both uniformly incredibly tasty, and ridiculously inventive. As shown on his turn on Chef's Table, what chef Virgilio Martinez and his team create are art pieces, they're stunning, they're beautiful, they look as good as any dishes I've had, and they were all very good. From dishes made out of random amazonian vegetables, to amazonian fish, to incredibly weird lattice things, to some of the most inventive desserts I've had, including a panoply of peruvian chocolate as the final dish. The best part of the restaurant is how focused the theme is, with showcasing hte beauty of Peru across elevations and its various weird ingredients. It may not have been as many courses as it was in its height pre-covid (I believe 18, now down to 14) but I can only imagine what the four extra would have been.

1.) Gaggan (Bangkok, 2019)

I don't know if any restaurant will ever top Gaggan, which had so much hype entering in, having seen it on Chef's Table, see it rise up the world rankings, and it being Indian focused. I was expecting a lot, and it somehow overdelivrered. The 25 course menu was just perfect from the start of audacious versions of famous Indian street food (still unsure how my little bit of what looked like a cracker with foam and curry leaf tasted like idli sambar), to the mains of prawn balchao, decronstructed curries, a perfect lamb leg, and multiple Japanese dishes during Gaggan's Japanese phase. The setting, sitting at the chef's table watching his sous chef's go to work, with Gaggan's noted love of Heavy Metal ringing through the speakers, was a delight. IT was so well paced, 25 dishes of 3:30, never once making you feel like you're being rushed through each delectable dish. It is astounding to think this is what is possible with Indian food, that this is how good a menu can be even if you limit yourself to just five meat courses in the 25, and how great an atmosphere, a perspective, a cuisine and a legendary chef can concoct together.