Where to Go to Eat in 2012 Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times Horse Meat Disco at Eagle London. I've eaten sushi around the world, and the best in Tokyo is at Sushi Sawada. In the kitchen, it's just the chef, Koji Sawada, and his wife. And there's nothing there except charcoal and a box of rice. As old-school as you can get. I found it to be a breath of fresh air. In Paris, Le Chateaubriand looks like a typical bistro, but you're getting extraordinarily intelligent food. The chef is Iñaki Aizpitarte - there's nobody like him. He's doing food in new ways, and in the sort of relaxed setting that you might find in America but is rare in Paris. Everyone who ever goes to Paris asks me if I can get them a reservation at Chateaubriand. Everyone goes to San Sebastian, in Spain, for food. But if you want to have the best seafood experience of your life, drive about 10 to 15 minutes outside the city to Elkano Restaurant. It may not look like it, but it's got a state-of-the-art storage space for seafood; they get a shipment of sea water every week that they use to keep things fresh. And everything's cooked over charcoal - it's like Basque barbecue. A dish might consist of turbot, a local sherry, a few other ingredients. Very simple, but everything is delicious. Don't worry if you can't get a reservation at Noma, the acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant. Head to Restaurant Relae . Christian Puglisi, the chef, and his team are all Noma veterans, serving exquisite and light vegetable-centric food, and amazing bread. Christian is a great chef - he's worked all over Europe. And he's Italian, so there's sometimes an Italian bent to his dishes. His food is simple, but not simple. In New York, you have to try Kajitsu in the East Village. I think, consistently, it might be the best restaurant in the city. And it's totally a value; there's an eight-course tasting menu for $70. The executive chef, Masato Nishihara, serves Shojin temple food, an ancient cuisine developed in Buddhist monasteries - sort of Japanese comfort food. It's all vegetables, but you're not going to miss the meat. And his pickles are so delicious. It's a thought-provoking experience, but also incredibly fun and extremely tasty. Mr. Nishihara is extraordinarily talented. When I was in Kyoto, where he cooked for years, the chefs there told me, "Even though he's in New York, he's one of ours." That's the highest compliment. David Chang is the chef and owner of the Momofuku Restaurant Group.