Food world "Oscars" held in Bilbao

REUTERS - Bilbao in the Basque Country yesterday (June 19) prepared to host what is considered the "Oscars" of the food world - The World's 50 Best Restaurants award ceremony. Top chefs are due to attend the event at which the annual ranking of the world's best restaurants is announced. New York's 'Eleven Madison Park' won first place in 2017 while Denmark's 'Noma' has been crowned best restaurant four times. The Best 50 list, which was launched in 2002, has gained prominence among chefs around the globe, rivalling the long-standing Michelin guide with its star system. There are no criteria for putting a restaurant on the list, which is based on a poll of more than 1,000 chefs, food critics and other industry insiders spread across 26 regions. Each member gets 10 votes and at least four of those votes have to be for restaurants outside their region. The Basque region is well known for its culinary traditions. The Basque Country region was well represented in 2017 with six restaurants making the top 50 list, including Etxebarri Grill in 6th place and Mugaritz taking 9^th place.