Also visited Asador Etxebari a couple years ago. It's certainly up there, although so many great restaurants, vintages, styles, etc to have one "best" choice. A couple of photos here. And for those who aren't familiar:
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/etxebarri-spain
Beyond that, so much has changed over the years in terms of what defines "great" cooking. I'm older and started eating well in the very early '80's. Back then it was classic style: Soltner's Lutece and La Bernadin, or New American: Inn at Little Washington and French Laundry, here in the as my "best" choices in the U.S. In Europe back then it was France, period. I preferred the cooking of the Burgundy region, and therefore would say Lameloise in Chagny, etc. moreso than the great rooms in Paris in the 80s/90s.
Fast forward to today, my taste has simplified substantially and so has my definition of great cooking. I admire classic style cooking, but am done with it personally. Hence a favorite such as Asador Etxebari in Europe where cooking simply consists of a variety of different woods and fire along with the very best regional food stock.
Here in the U.S. today, while French Laundry is always mentioned as the epitome of NoCal cooking, in all honesty it hasn't changed much since I first visited in the early '80s. IMO Manresa is where the best and most innovative cooking is being done in NoCal right now. in SF imo it's Benu, although Spruce would be my number two.
I've also noticed discussion about Napa and Sonoma. I lived in the Bay Area from 2000-2016 and spent a lot time in all of NoCal's wine regions. Napa makes sense if you coming in from out of town for vacation as that's where most things are located. But would also recommend getting over to the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville (west Sonoma County on the other side of the 101). And while the drive from the Bay Area is a little longer, we actually started spending more time up in the Anderson Valley. A lot of the original Napa and Sonoma growers who sold out years ago end up re-locating there. We'd base out of Mendocino (a treasure of a town) and spend the days sampling and visiting the produce/farmers and wineries/growers in the Anderson valley to the east. It's a very different vibe than Napa/Sonoma, which I personally prefer.
Great thread!