DininginFrance.com has released its 2006 list of the 10 best French restaurants in the world located outside of France.

Diners visiting these restaurants will experience some of most extraordinary French cooking to be found anywhere, inside or outside of France.

“Since French cuisine is considered the very best in the world, those choosing to always live and eat well will certainly want to dine at the very best French restaurants in the world, even when not traveling in France,” said Maurice Graham Henry, the owner of DininginFrance.com.

The 2006 list is geographically balanced. “To that end, I am very pleased that we now have two French restaurants in Asia represented, Ch‰teau Restaurant Joel Robuchon in Tokyo and Michel Bras Toya Japon on the island of Hokkaido,” said Mr. Henry.

In continental Europe, three of the restaurants selected—Domaine de Chateauvieux, Le Pont de Brent, and Restaurant Philippe Rochat—are in the relatively small French-speaking part of Switzerland, the same as the number selected in the entire United States.

And are all the restaurants listed actually French? Two exceptions are the restaurants of Thomas Keller, The French Laundry and per se. But while the cuisine may be officially designated as “American cuisine with classic French influences,” the cooking is usually described as being essentially French.

And no less an authority than Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck has noted, “It is just possible that the best example of precise classical French cooking is not in France but in the United States,” about the cooking at The French Laundry.

Comprehensive information, access to restaurant reviews, and links to official restaurant websites are available on DininginFrance..com

The 10 Best French Restaurants in the World located outside of France 2006

Chateau Restaurant Joel Robuchon - Tokyo, Japan
 
Domaine de Chateauvieux - Satigny, Switzerland

The French Laundry - Yountville CA, USA
 
Joel Robuchon at The Mansion - Las Vegas NV, USA
 
Le Louis XV - Monte Carlo, Monaco
 
Michel Bras Toya Japon - Toya (Hokkaido) Japan
 
per se - New York NY, USA
 
Le Pont de Brent - Brent, Switzerland
 
Restaurant Philippe Rochat - Crissier, Switzerland
 
Schwarzwaldstube - Baiersbronn, Germany
——-