World's Best Restaurant, El Bulli, Takes 2-Year Break

Spanish chef Ferran Adria stunned the world of fine dining by announcing that his celebrated El Bulli restaurant will be closing for 2 years after the 2011 season. Adria—creator of dishes like squid ravioli, turtle dove with blackberry caviar, and freeze-dried foie gras—says working 15-hour days has been difficult, and "now we need more time with our families." He also needs time to work on an encyclopedia of the dishes he's served, the Independent reports.

The molecular gastronomist says he plans to keep experimenting with new dishes and will keep the kitchens at the three-Michelin-star restaurant, located north of Barcelona, open as a research lab. El Bulli is widely considered the world's best restaurant and the 2010 season was fully booked within an hour of the diary being opened; about 2 million people compete for 8,000 seats annually. Competition for 2011 is likely to be even more frenzied now that it will be the last chance to sample Adria's creations until 2014.
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