Bauer Drops Beretta, Bix, Spruce and More From Top 100

Sir Michael Bauer's incendiary Top 100 restaurant extravaganza was published this Sunday in the print edition of the Chron. In step with the "boom time" that was 2010 in restaurants, there were a whopping 26 newcomers this year, as revealed on Thursday of last week. Although the full 2011 list won't go live on the web until Tuesday, Bauer came out with the 26 restaurants that were dropped early this morning. As predicted, the cuts include Chez Papa Resto, Nombe, Bay Wolf (Oakland) and The Dining Room at the Ritz. Proving it was indeed a tough year for Sir Bauer to make subtractions, several 3.5 star restaurants: Etoile (Yountville), Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant (Forestville), Madrona Manor (Healdsburg) and Spruce, were removed; followed by a slew of three star holders: Cafe La Haye, Bar Bambino (despite a recent menu refresh in step with current trends), Bix (noteworthy steak tartare and all), Beretta, Firefly, Frascati, Murray Circle (Sausalito), Neela's (Napa), Press (St. Helena), Wexler's, Wood Tavern and Yoshi's (San Francisco). The straggling omissions are Chow/Park Chow, Flora, Hog Island, Limon, Tipsy Pig and Vik's Chaat Corner. It's interesting, some of Bauer's list staples that have been on there for ages, like Amber India, Willi's Wine Bar, Zarzuela, Piperade, Pesce, Coco 500 and Jardiniere are still sitting pretty.

He admits some dropped restaurants were "about as good as I remembered, but in the end it comes comes down to numbers — somebody has to go." So a sparkler like Bar Bambino gets the axe, while similarly great Italian places like Ristobar and A16 get to stay. Do we dig the choices? Not dig? Take a gander at the full 2011 Top 100 list courtesy of Grubstreet after the hop and have at it in the comments.

A16
À Côté
Absinthe
Acquerello
Ad Hoc
Adesso
Amber India
Ame
Angele
Aziza
Baker & Banker
Bar Agricole
Bar Jules
Benu
Betelnut
Bistro Aix
Bistro Don Giovanni
Bocadillos
Bottega
Bouchon
Boulevard
Bourbon Steak
Camino
Canteen
Chapeau
Chez Panisse/Café
Coco500
Coi
Commonwealth
Corso Trattoria
Cotogna
Cyrus
Delfina
Dopo
Dosa
Farallon
Fifth Floor
Flour + Water
Foreign Cinema
Frances
French Laundry
Gary Danko
Gialina
Gitane
Greens
House of Prime Rib
Incanto
Ippuku
Jardiniere
Kaygetsu
Koi Palace
La Folie
Mamacita
Manresa
Marlowe
Masa's
Michael Mina
Mission Chinese Food
Morimoto
Nopa
Nopalito
O Chame
Oenotri
One Market
Osteria Stellina
Perbacco/Barbacco
Pesce
Picco/Pizzeria Picco
Piperade
Pizzaiolo/Boot & Shoe
Plum
Poggio
Prospect
Quince
Range
Redd
The Restaurant at Meadowood
Ristobar
Rivoli
Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar
RN74
Saison
Sante
Scopa
Slanted Door
Solbar
SPQR
Station 1
Sushi Ran
Swan Oyster Depot
Terra/Bar Terra
Town Hall
Ubuntu
Va de Vi
Waterbar
Willi's Wine Bar
Yank Sing
Zarzuela
Zero Zero
Zuni Cafe

· The 26 restaurants that missed the Top 100 cut [Chron]
· All Previous Bauer Top 100 Coverage [~ ESF ~]

[Image: GrubStreet]