As always, your Reader Rater Favorite Restaurants [“Your Top 50,” March 9] demonstrates the shortcomings of a system which pretends that the ability to enter a restaurant qualifies a person to offer an informed opinion regarding what happened there. It’s certainly true that nobody stays on top forever, and no doubt Grant Achatz is truly a genius exercising his talents not only in cuisine but in gadget-laden presentation as well. Still, it is hard to believe that, were Charlie Trotter to be included in this list (his omission was an oversight, wasn’t it?), we would find that, based on food score, 24 chefs do what they do as well as or better than he. When limiting the list to $$$$ and $$$$$ restaurants, he winds up tied for 13th. It’s a good bet that if you just asked the raters what the best restaurants in town are none would list 12 before getting to Trotter’s.
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