Dining 2008: Newsmakers

Paul Liebrandt

Finally, the ego has landed. A supernaturally talented chef whose tempestuous reputation at times earned more press than his prodigious gifts, Liebrandt has, if the almost unanimous raves are any indication, gotten his groove back with Corton. Following months of speculation, the former Gilt chef, in collaboration with Drew Nieperont, opened his latest restaurant in October. It has quickly become, hands down, one of the best restaurants of 2008, proving yet again that a chef who once served eel with watermelon and candied violets to Upper East Siders has plenty of substance to back up his spectacles.