Marque Restaurant

One might assume Mark Best's molecular mastery would result in fiddly dishes lacking soul, but his astonishing creativity meshes craft with comfort. Crushed Dutch cream potatoes covered in a potato-cream foam, with bone marrow, cured sea urchin and a coffee dusting, invokes a chowder gone to heaven. A dehydrated sheet of Dijon mustard covering dual charred squares of Blackmore nine-plus wagyu, paired with sweet onion and a sour dill pickle to rival any NY deli, creates a brilliant, textural deconstruction of a burger (hold the bun). The optional cheese plate betters any traditional board: overlapping scales of shaved mushroom atop brunet cheese with orange zest and cocao powder. Seasoning is inspired, from dehydrated kalamatas to saltbush, smoked roe, avruga and salted yolk. Every course of the mandatory degustation menu is a surprise, the dramatic wine matching a sheer delight, the service seamless, and the sum of all these parts world-class.