Over the years at Le Crocodile, chef Michel Jacob has cooked for scores of celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, and Quincy Jones on their birthdays. But for this restaurateur, the real VIP tables are the ones filled with people from his own industry. “The number one biggest reward of being a chef is having some of your peers eat at your own place,” he declares.

Perhaps that’s because those in the industry know what really goes into making an extraordinary restaurant. From the food to the service to the ambiance, they are each other’s toughest critics—and they value each other’s opinions.

That’s why Straight staffers called up over 100 local restaurants and asked chefs and owners to name the best Vancouver restaurants in 11 categories. (They weren’t permitted to vote in their own.) Because we wanted them to tell us what they really thought—without the risk of alienating friends or colleagues—we promised not to attach names to their responses. Here are their collective picks, along with some shout-outs to their colleagues.

Maenam was voted Best New Restaurant and Best Other Asian Restaurant. Chef and owner Angus An opened this innovative Thai restaurant last May, reinventing the West 4th Avenue space that was formerly his West Coast restaurant Gastropod. An’s authentic Thai dishes, moderate prices, and stylish room have clearly filled a niche not only with industry players but with Georgia Straight readers as well, who voted Maenam Best New West Side Restaurant and Best Thai Restaurant this year.

Industry insiders again ranked established restaurants—including Le Crocodile, Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill, Sun Sui Wah, and Tojo’s—at the top of their respective categories. As in previous years, Vij’s Restaurant took an overwhelming number of votes in the Best Indian category.

Several chefs at Indian restaurants related how Vikram Vij has inspired them.

Chindi Varadarajulu, owner and chef of Chutney Villa, considers Vij a mentor. She says she’ll always remember how he dined at her restaurant shortly after it opened in 2003 and offered encouragement. “For him to come and eat here and give me the two thumbs up—well, it was a very humbling experience for me.”

Abhishek Roy, who opened Atithi Restaurant last year, was thrilled when Vij dropped by unexpectedly to offer support. “He’s kind of my guru. I get all my inspiration from him,” Roy says. “He said, ”˜Just keep your passion alive. It’s a very hard job. It doesn’t happen overnight.’ ”

While long-time favourites swept most categories, several relatively new restaurants followed hotly on their heels. In the Best Italian category, Adam Pegg and Lucais Syme are getting rave reviews from their peers for La Quercia. “The people you have in the front of the house are excellent,” says Hapa Izakaya’s Justin Ault, who calls La Quercia one of the best restaurants in the city. “The passion and the quality of food they’re putting out, it’s great.”

“La Quercia rocks.”¦What they’re doing is brilliant,” echoes Andreas Seppelt, co-owner of Go Fish and Les Faux Bourgeois. “It’s a tiny room, just pure love. There’s a joy, originality of approach, and lack of pretension that all come together.”

Seppelt’s Faux Bourgeois bistro has earned its own share of fans since opening less than two years ago. The casual French spot took second place for Best French, beating higher-end contenders.

When asked for their pick in the Best Japanese category, some voters wanted to give two. “That’s a tossup,” said Maj Yee, Canadian managing director of Goldilocks Bakeshop. “For traditional Japanese, I like Tojo’s. But [for] izakaya-style, I like Hapa Izakaya.” Tojo’s and Hapa placed one and two, respectively, perhaps an indication that voters’ appreciation of Japanese food goes well beyond sushi.

While newcomers have made inroads, the oldies are still goodies for a reason. Le Crocodile’s Jacob—whose restaurant was again voted number one in the Best French category—attributes his success to consistency.

“People come in the door and they know what they want to eat,” he says. “Too many young chefs change their menus too often. All the best restaurants in the world”¦they are known for 10 or 12 recipes. Your mom and dad used to go there to eat that special fish. You go there to eat that fish. Your kids will go there to eat that fish.”

One of his most popular dishes is an Alsatian onion tart. “We have had the onion tart on the menu since Day One, for 26 years. I’m up to here with the onion tart,” he says good-naturedly. “But people come for it. The onion tart pays my rent.”

He likens a chef who makes a signature dish over and over to a pop star who sings a hit song repeatedly. It can be a challenge to keep up the quality of the performance, but that’s the song people want to hear. “You have to be good to sing it every night as good as [you sang it] the first.”

According to industry players, Jacob is still hitting the high notes. But there are also many other restaurants that are turning out great meals—and you may never even have heard of them. Votes in the Best Underrated Restaurant and Best Cheap Eats categories were so diverse that we couldn’t possibly have chosen a winner. For a selection to whet your appetite, see the full list of winners.

With files from Matthew Burrows, Shadi Elien, Helen Halbert, Miranda Nelson, Carlito Pablo, and Craig Takeuchi.