1. Maison Blanche, Paris
Positioned on the top floor of the Art Deco-style Theatre des Champs-Elysees, this glassed-in rooftop restaurant offers stunning views. International bankers, models and actors flock here for the setting, clean design and seasonal cuisine like partridge with caramelized turnips.
2. Antica Trattoria della Pesa, Milan
In the heart of the city, this 100-year-old trattoria caters to A-listers in every category. Its fin-de-siecle furnishings, dark-wood panelling and authentic menu smack of old Milan.
3. NoMI, Chicago
The dramatic views of Chicago’s skyline from NoMi, high up in the Chicago Park Hyatt, are why movers and shakers are willing to leave “the loop” to dine here. NoMi features French-inspired cuisine in a 120-seat Tony Chi restaurant appointed with museum quality art.
4. Cepe, Beijing, at the Ritz-Carlton Financial Street,
In the heart of the Beijing’s central business district, serves up haute Italian for those business meals when you want to focus on the conversation, not your chopsticks.
5. Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles
Where else but in Los Angeles can a breezy pizza and salami joint become the hottest place in town to take a meeting? Co-owned by Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton, the restaurant has been on fire since it opened in November when agents in Armani started lining up for fennel sausage pies and cured meats.
6. The Oval Room, Washington, D.C.
This elegant, non-partisan restaurant one block from the White House was once a Bill Clinton hangout. General Manager Rob Almaraz says servers are asked to leave their politics at the door and discretion is key. Chef Tony Conte, does his best to distract politicos with inspired dishes.
7. The Ivy, London
After all these years, The Ivy still reigns supreme as the power dining spot in media, publishing and showbiz circles. Though everyone is treated the same, some get better tables. Reservations must be made months in advance. The decor is wood-column clubby. The menu is decidedly British.
8. The China Club, Hong Kong
This exclusive businessman’s haunt secreted away on the 14th floor of the Bank of China building is known for its distinctive dim sum and resembles a Shanghai gentleman’s club circa 1930. It is a “members’ only” club, but any savvy hotel concierge can get you a table.
9. Four Seasons, New York City
Captains of just about every industry gather daily in the Grill Room at this midtown Manhattan institution. The cuisine is contemporary continental, but, as managing partner Alex von Bidder points out: “Regulars hardly ever order off the menu.”
10. Jamavar, Bangalore
Bangalore, India’s third-largest city, has morphed into a hip, global technology centre. Technology titans like to talk shop and ink deals at Jamavar, an opulent restaurant in the luxurious Leela Palace, with dripping chandeliers and exquisite Jamavar textiles, eating spiced lobster neerulli, a lobster curry with tomatoes and shallots.