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This Manhattan restaurant is hotter than a creatively deconstructed tamale.
Cosme, a contemporary small-plate Mexican eatery in the Flatiron District, was named best restaurant in the nation Tuesday by the controversial World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
The chic hot spot — which features everything from “arctic char tostadas” to “duck enmoladas” — beat out the seasonal Tarrytown gem Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the long raved-about Midtown seafood favorite Le Bernardin.
It’s unusual for a non-European-style restaurant to rank so high on the list, but regulars weren’t surprised.
“The duck fajitas are phenomenal,” raved Nikki Kozel, 30, of Brooklyn. “That’s what they’re known for.”
Morgan Miller, 35, added, “It’s very deserving of the [honor] . . . The food is fantastic. The guacamole is really good. Their light fish options are great.”
Overall, Cosme placed No. 23 in the world — a big jump from its debut on the list at No. 40 two years ago.
By contrast, Le Bernardin placed No. 36 and Blue Hill at Stone Barns was ranked No 28. Former “World’s Best” winner Eleven Madison Park — which placed fourth last year — didn’t make the list at all.
Organizers of the award system claim, vaguely, that winners are selected by a group of more than 1,000 voters, including some culinary-industry folks, media members and other avid diners.
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NextBut the list, which focuses on fine dining, has come under fire in recent years for being too Eurocentric and honoring too many male chefs.
In the list’s 18-year history, the No. 1 US restaurant had gone only to European- or North American-style restaurants.
But organizers this year said they are trying to diversify — and they apparently kept that in mind: Cosme’s 28-year-old head chef, Daniela Soto-Innes, who hails from Mexico City, was named 2019’s “World’s Best Female Chef” by the same group.
This year’s No. 1 world ranking went to Mirazur, a French Riviera restaurant with a backyard farm.
The list was expanded to 120 restaurants this year, including other New York City eateries. David Chang’s Ko ranked No. 76, the tasting-counter Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare placed No. 77, and the small-plates eatery Estela won the No. 80 spot.
Other US-based restaurants that made the list include Atelier Crenn, a French restaurant in San Francisco, and Alinea, which serves “New American” grub in Chicago.
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