The New York Times has released its annual Restaurant List, which compiles what its writers and editors believe to be the 50 best restaurants in the United States.
Just like last year, two Minnesota restaurants made the cut. Bûcheron in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood and Diane's Place in Northeast Minneapolis were both included in this year's edition.
"Bûcheron is almost certainly the country’s first French bistro to count lumberjacks as a source of inspiration," Brett Anderson writes of Chef Adam Ritter's restaurant.
"It’s a sincere claim, if you can imagine large men laying down their axes to enjoy meals adorned with juniper and pickled elderberries," he continues in a blurb that goes on to praise its fall seasonal dishes and staples like the smoked whitefish dip and tater tots.
Meanwhile, a write-up from Tejal Rao praises Chef Diane Moua's pastries at Diane's Place before going on to commend the rest of its offerings.
"Ms. Moua exalts the Hmong home cooking she grew up with in the Midwest with a sense of both technique and abundance, serving heaps of the pan-fried bean thread noodles that her aunties and grandmas used to cook, as well as sheer-skinned steamed pork rolls just flickering with pepper, and a deeply restorative chicken soup with thick housemade noodles," Rao writes.
The recognition comes on the back of a year where both restaurants have received a heap of accolades.
Moua was a James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Midwest, and her restaurant was named Food & Wine's restaurant of the year just last week.
Meanwhile, Bûcheron grabbed a James Beard Award in June as the nation's best new restaurant.
It's the third time in the last five years that two Minnesota restaurants were placed on the list. Last year, Vinai and Oro by Nixta were given the recognition.
Other recent inclusions were Gai Noi in 2023, Petite León in 2022, and both Sooki & Mimi and Owamni in 2021.
