In this case "best" is a very ambiguous and difficult term.
If speaking in the context of .NET framework, where Managed C++ code is compiled into MSIL instead of native code, I'd say that Managed C++ has very little advantage over VB.NET and C#. Dealing with unmanaged C/C++ code is easier though.
In general terms however, C++ code can be compiled to native code, which can be faster than JITted (MSIL) code on certain circumstances. With C++ it's possible to do some extreme performance tuning (for instance via templatized code, inlined functions and inline assembler) that is not possible directly with VB.NET or C#. I think this is what the article you quoted is referring to.
If operating within .NET framework, Managed C++ can be used to optimize critical parts of the application. It can also be used to interface with legacy C/C++ code.
Also, plain (non-.NET) C++ programs are easier to distribute since they don't require the .NET Framework runtime. But this is also valid for C, VB, Delphi, D, Obj-C and so on and so on. In theory, C++ is also very portable, much more so than .NET applications.
A simple answer to "is C++ better than C#, VB.NET etc" is impossible to give. Generally the heavy-duty "C++ optimizations" can be done in .NET environment, either by using Managed C++ or by calling native code from DLL's via P/Invoke. C# and VB.NET are
a lot cleaner and nicer languages than C++, and they are also a lot easier to learn throughly.
I leave you with a blatantly obvious, low-SNR answer: C++ is optimal for certain tasks and unoptimal for others. So are C#, VB.NET, Java, Python etc. Programming languages are tools. You should choose the right tool for the job.
Edit:
Given the current situation in computer hardware and CPU architecture, "optimization" is becoming an increasingly difficult concept. The old C-style *q++ = *p++ tricks just won't work anymore. So, I'd say that is totally possible to write extremely efficient code with C#/MSIL, in some cases it's even faster than well-written compiled C++ code.
So, where does that put C/C++ to? To where they belong, operating systems, embedded systems and obscure platforms
