Total focus on one main ingredient is a trend for 2017.
Le Coq Rico, a Parisian spot whose chef Antoine Westermann has opened a second location in New York, serves only carefully sourced and aged birds with aristocratic pedigrees and amazing sides. A whole Plymouth Rock chicken costs $98, feeds four, and they'll send the rest (carcass and all) home. Is it worth it? Totally. My favorite is the Catskills guinea fowl.
A similar focus on simple, smart, and delicious food is available in East London, where Chef Carl Clarke started Chick 'n' Sours with bare-bones decor and the best-tasting chicken. More Asian-inflected than Le Coq. Try the plate of drumsticks and thighs with General Tso's glaze for £10 pounds ($13). Clarke's second outpost in central London is now open and drawing eager crowds.
Here's a list of other restaurants around the world that embrace simplicity and do one thing really, really well.
Liholiho Yacht Club (San Francisco): Poke (pronounced "po-KAY") is to Hawaii what ceviche is to Peru or crudo to Italy. Think the end cuts of fish, with soy, nuts, and ginger. Poke bars are popping up all over the world, and this is one of the best.
El Pastor (London): Tacos may be the original one-dish wonder (next to pizza and hamburgers), but they've never been done so well in England.
1 Pot (Paris): Where the shabu-shabu tradition—dunking fish, meat, or vegetables into water or stock—meets its match. Sublime ingredients meet Asian technique.
Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte (New York, London, Paris): Perhaps the mother of the single-subject restaurant idea. It is still perfect. Steak and fries is all you need.
Burger & Lobster (London, New York): It's all in the name. Three main courses and two desserts. That's it. B&L has already spread its wings from its original Mayfair location to the City and beyond, to New York.
The Meatball Shop (New York): If what you want is classic red-and-white checkered tablecloths and meatballs, this is the place. Additional points for being open late most nights and for hauling back on a multi-shop expansion to concentrate on what it does best. The game has only improved.
Uncle Padak (Hong Kong): In a city that's used to single-cuisine options (dim-sum to ramen to sushi) UP's Korean fried chicken has taken Hong Kong by storm. It's finger-licking good and the lines move fast. A favourite for business people.
News by Bloomberg, edited by Hospitality Ireland
