Most Exclusive Restaurant

Damon Baehrel has what most chefs in the world would kill for – a restaurant with a five-year waiting list. The restaurant is aptly named after himself; in his own words he’s “the chef, the waiter, the grower, the forager, the gardener, the cheesemaker, the cured-meat maker,” and everything on the menu comes from his 12-acre property.

Formerly known as the Basement Bistro, the place is actually located in Baehrel’s basement and has only 12 tables. Each night, he cooks and serves a 15-course meal for 18 guests. Although he has never received professional training, Baehrel is a master of molecular gastronomy. All of his small bites are dehydrated, infused and tinctured on their way from the garden to the table.

One of his signature dishes is a palate cleanser called the ‘sumac flavored ice slush’. It involves the steeping of sumac leaves to make tea, to which he adds liquefied wild violet stems (cut from his backyard) and a dozen varieties of fresh grapes (from his garden). He freezes the mixture and serves up one spoonful for a refreshing bite.

Baehrel himself built the red-and-white-trimmed kitchen-as-barn that he works in. He works hard to keep it squeaky clean, laying down plastic sheets to protect the linoleum floor. The steel prep tables are lined with regular restaurant gear – blenders and food processors. You’d also find a multitude of unique ingredients in the shelves like powdered bracken ferns or pickled maple leaves.

Another interesting dish from Baehrel’s kitchen is the ‘Acorn Ice cream Cone’, which actually takes an entire year to prepare. He forages the acorns and submerges them in a stream for months, according to a Bloomberg news report. Then he dehydrates them and grounds them into a powder that he uses to make a cone. On top of the cone, he serves a frozen eggplant ice cream of sorts.

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