The Merrill Dubrow Blog

Yes I love to eat! Yes I like to try new restaurants. I was reading an article the other day which was about S. Pellegrino’s annual “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list which was released at a celebrity-chef-studded event in London, England, marking the ninth edition of the much buzzed-about (and hotly debated) catalogue of the international culinary landscape.

The illustrious list is compiled by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy — an 806-member panel of the globe’s most venerated chefs, food critics, restaurateurs and gourmands.

A few things about the list:

• No. 1 spot on annual list goes to Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark
   
• After four years at No. 1, Spanish restaurant El Bulli takes No. 2 spot
   
• Eight of the restaurants crowned this year are in the United States

After four consecutive years ranked as the World’s Best Restaurant, Spanish restaurant El Bulli takes a seat at No. 2. However, that won’t make it any easier to snag a table. Only 8,000 reservations are accepted every year, out of a reported million requests.

Eight of the restaurants crowned this year — Alinea in Chicago, Illinois; Daniel, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, wd~50 and Eleven Madison Park in New York; and The French Laundry in Yountville, California — are in the United States, the most by any country

Of the remaining 42 top finishers, six are in France; Spain and Italy each have five. Here is the list:

Ok I will admit it – I haven’t been to ANY of these restaurants and only heard of a handful. When I think of the best restaurants I have ever been to my list would include:

• Abe & Louise in Boston
   
• Postrio in SF
   
• Quality Meats in NY

What about you?

• Have you been to any of these restaurants?
   
• If so how was the experience?
   
• What is the BEST restaurant you have ever been to?

I look forward to reading your comments.

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I was reading a very interesting article a few weeks ago that I wanted to share. The article was about the Davie Brown Index (DBI) and talked about a number of things.

Davie Brown Entertainment, a Dallas celebrity research company, conducts online surveys to determine how we feel about celebrities – are they trustworthy, do we like them and would we buy what they’re hawking?  For each DBI survey, 1,000 Americans from a pool of 4.5 million are asked about a celebrity’s eight key marketing attributes. Those results make up an overall DBI rating.

The article listed a number of categories that including overall score, awareness, appeal and endorsement. The one category I would like to focus on and discuss today is trust.

The DBI listed the top ten celebrities that people trust:

1. James Earl Jones
    
2. Morgan Freeman
    
3. Pat Summitt
    
4. Will Smith
    
5. Warren Buffett
    
6. Tom Hanks
    
7. James Garner
    
8. Denzel Washington
    
9. Willie Mays
    
10. Ron Howard

Interesting list.  I decided to pause for a minute and think about the list and who I would include and replace. Here are some of my choices:

• I would take off Pat Summitt, Willie Mays, and Will Smith
   
• I would move up Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington & Ron Howard
   
• I would add Robert Redford, Sean Connery and ugh… Derek Jeter.

Ok your turn:

• What do you think of the list?
   
• What do you think of my choices?
   
• Are you surprised Oprah WASN’T on the list?
   
• What changes would you make to the list?

I look forward to reading your comments.

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When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to run to the store and buy baseball cards. I loved the sport, loved watching the sport, loved going to Fenway Park and even though I wasn’t very good I loved playing baseball. At night I would always take out my shoebox of baseball cards and look at the players bio’s, stats and try and answer the trivia questions. Ok I will admit it I collected baseball cards as a kid. I still have a ton of cards and planning on giving the collection which includes a ton of autographs to my kids.

When I was younger I also collected stamps but didn’t have the same passion I did as baseball cards. Even though I am not sure I would call it a collection (maybe I should) I have over 1500 books (estimate) with subjects ranging from sports, to research and business.

Lots of my friends collect different things that range from plates, magnets, postcards, maps, beer cans and many other things.

Now your turn:

• What did you collect as a kid?
   
• What do you collect now?
   
• What do some of your friends collect?

I look forward to reading your comments.

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Last week I was talking to a buddy and the conversation ended up going into a discussion about camping.  He was telling me that he was going camping with his son and wanted to know if I have ever done that, liked doing that and would ever consider doing that?

Then we started chatting about funny camping stories and found ourselves laughing up a storm at stories we have heard in the past.

My funniest camping story was when I was in college my buddies and I had rented a tent, all the other stuff and drove down to Cape Cod to rent a camping spot. We were all excited except one thing didn’t cooperate the weather of course… It basically poured and we couldn’t set up the tent. Ok I am not handy but my friends were and after battling the elements for a few hours, we ended up in a hotel room and tossed the tent in the corner for the weekend.

Ok stop laughing please – we tried and failed. Actually I am not a camping guy and hope I don’t have to do it anytime soon.

Ok your turn:

• Do you like to camp?
   
• Have you run into any animals in the wilderness?
   
• Any funny camping stories to share?

I look forward to hearing from you.

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