Best of the Best 2015

At the end of 2015, I would like to take the inventory of things I consider to be the best in their class:

Restaurants: 

1. Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
2. Manresa, Los Gatos 
3. The Plumed Horse, Saratoga 
4. Solbar, Calistoga 
5. Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
6. Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
7. Humuhumunukunuku'apua, Maui Hawaii 
8. La Foret, San Jose 

Dishes: 

• Apple Strudel: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Bread: "Country Bread," Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, CA 
• Cakes: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Croissants: "Pistachio Croissants", Thes Comptoirs Richard, Metz, France 
• Flammkuchen: Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
• Gelato: Bella Gelateria, Vancouver, BC 
• Gnocchi: Osteria Nonna Gina, Siena, Italy 
• Opah, Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
• Pancakes: "Lemon Ricotta Pancakes," Solbar, Calistoga 
• Patisserie: Gerard Mulot Patisserie, Paris, France 
• Sandwiches: Small World Sandwich Shop, Amsterdam 
• Tafelspitz: Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
• Tapas: El Pinton, Seville, Spain 

Spas

1. Friedrichsbad Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
2. Caracalla Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
3. Solage, Calistoga 

Rock Concerts

1. Elton John's Made in England Tour, Tacoma Dome, Washington on 9/9/1995 
2. Leonard Cohen, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 11/7/2012. 
3. The History of the Eagles, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 1/29/2013 
4. Postmodern Jukebox, The Warfield, San Francisco, 12/13/2015 
5. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, 5/30/2015 
6. The Gipsy Kings, Mountain Winery, 8/27/2014. 

Rock Albums (2015)

1. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Selfies on Kodachrome" 
2. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Top Hat On Fleek" 
3. Adele, "25" 
4. Sam Smith, "In the Lonely Hour" 
5. Of Monsters and Men, "Beneath the Skin" 
6. Don Henley, "Cass County" 
7. George Strait, "Cold Beer Conversation" 
8. Joe Bonamassa, "Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks" 
9. Mumford & Sons, "Wilder Mind" 
10. Lana Del Rey, "Honeymoon" 

Musicals 

1. Chicago, Albemarle of London, London, UK, 6/1/2000 
2. Cabaret
3. Anything Goes
4. Grease 
5. Monty Python's Spamalot
6. Saturday Night Fever 
7. Showboat, San Francisco, 6/13/2014 
8. Mathilda, Orpheum, San Francisco, 7/23/2015. 
9. Phantom of the Opera, Orpheum, San Francisco, 8/21/2015 
10. The Book of Mormon, San Francisco, 1/7/2014 

Theater

1. Emma, TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, 12/4/2015. 
2. Disgraced, Berkeley Rep, 
3. Cyrano, TheatreWorks, Mountain View