Go Fork Yourself: What Surprises Me About the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List, Vietnamese Cookbook Recommendations, No-Cook Meals for Summer, Simple but Great Hospitality

Also this week: how to wash leeks, tonnato experiments, where I buy squid ink, thoughts on tourist lodging and remembering Bill Moyers.

There’s no paywall on Go Fork Yourself this week! If you aren’t a paying subscriber, this is just a small taste of what you’re missing. For access to more videos, click here and make your subscription a paid one.

🔥 Are you ready for Grill Week AND a new season of Wild Game Kitchen on Tastemade? I’m hosting the fiery festivities, and we’re playing grill-themed episodes of my outdoor cooking show all week long. Check out the schedule here.

Hello from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul Airport, heading to New Jersey for a live show with The Restaurant Guys Podcast. I’m feeling better, and we have a lot to get into because we skipped last week’s Q&A session.

Every week I answer your questions during Go Fork Yourself. To ask me a question, send a direct message or post in the comments section below. You can also email questions to spilledmilk@andrewzimmern.com. There’s no paywall on this post, but typically only paid subscribers get to watch the Go Fork Yourself videos. Join the party and upgrade your subscription today!

Let’s get to your questions.

Links

• The World's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2025

• Associated Press article on the anti-tourism protest movement in Spain

• Bloomberg piece on challenges of expanding family-run restaurants

• Vietnamese cookbooks: Đặc Biệt by Nini Nguyen, Di An by Tue Nguyen, The Slanted Door by Charles Phan, Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking by Binh Duong, Vietnamese Food Any Day by Andrea Nguyen, The Little Viet Kitchen by Thuy Diem Pham, Vietnamese by Uyen Luu

• Squid ink on Amazon

• Cold meals for hot days: ceviche, cold cucumber soup, gazpacho

World's 50 Best Restaurants

Here are the restaurants that all should have the best shot at being in the World's 50 Best, our 3-star Michelin restaurants, including Somni or Providence, the latest additions to the U.S.’s Michelin 3-star family:

Smyth​, SingleThread, Alinea, Masa, Per Se, Quince​, Somni, Providence, Benu, Eleven Madison Park, The French Laundry, Addison, Le Bernardin, The Inn at Little Washington, Atelier Crenn, Jungsik

Atomix was the only U.S. restaurant in the top 50. The 51 to 100 ranking had several U.S. restaurants: César in New York City at No. 98, San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn at No. 96 after dropping off the list last year and NYC icon Le Bernardin at No. 90, a drop from No. 71 last year. SingleThread in Healdsburg, California dropped to the back half of the list to No. 80 after ranking at No. 46 last year.

10:19: Mike:

Hi Andrew. I loved your recent posts about Paris and wondering if you plan to do similar posts regarding Rome. If you already have, please point me in the right direction. Regarding Rome, any suggestions on where to stay—neighborhoods or parts of the city more so than specific hotel recommendations. My wife and I plan to go this November to celebrate her 60th. Thanks so much.

11:09: Scott:

Andrew, I’d like to take a stab at Vietnamese cooking. Can you recommend a cookbook or two?

13:27: Jake:

How do you clean leeks without cutting them in half first?

14:14: Isa:

Hi Andrew! Have you ever tried making tonnato with a different fish other than tuna?

14:50: Justin:

Just had lunch at Pastis in the Meatpacking District. Fabulous experience sitting at the bar. They topped up my St. Germain Spritz with sparkling rosé not just once but twice without asking (amazing service). I understand why more restaurants can’t do this, but my goodness, what a way to make a customer feel special. Should more slightly higher-margin restaurants be doing this more often, particularly for 1-2 seaters at the bar ordering apps and entrées?

17:08: Missy:

How do you get your squid ink?

17:26: Celine:

It's officially time for me to turn off my oven and stove for the season. Any suggestions on filling no-cook dinners?