Eleven Madison Park
 

Like many of the finest things in life, Eleven Madison Park is a restaurant that seems to get better with age. Although it opened to much fanfare and subsequent acclaim in 1998, it was Danny Meyer’s hiring of Swiss-born Daniel Humm to helm the kitchen in 2006 that elevated the place to the level of the finest restaurants in the country. Humm — who has won such plaudits for the restaurant as four stars from The New York Times and three from Michelin — bought Eleven Madison from Meyer in 2011, in partnership with his front-of-house counterpart, Will Guidara, and didn’t miss a beat. The two aren't resting on their laurels, either; they did away with the minimalist "grid" menu in November 2012 and introduced a $195 multi-course tasting menu focused on the "extraordinary agricultural bounty of New York and on the centuries-old culinary traditions that have taken root here," according to the restaurant's website. As expected, it’s received rave reviews. They’ve also pushed culinary boundaries by taking part in a sold-out kitchen "swap" with Chicago’s Alinea (number 14 on this list). The Willem de Kooning quote on the front page of their website says it all: "I have to change to stay the same."
 
Click here to watch chef Daniel Humm react to winning his James Beard Award.