Only French Laundry earns Michelin's 3 stars

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10/2/2006 frisco j. says:

what the hell? is french cuisine really the standard?

from http://sfgate.com:

Just one restaurant, the French Laundry, won top honors -- three stars

-- in the Michelin guide's first-ever ranking of the Bay Area food scene, unveiled this morning.

And it's in Yountville, in the Napa Valley. No San Francisco restaurant made the cut.

Four restaurants earned two stars: Aqua and Michael Mina in San Francisco, Manresa in Los Gatos and Cyrus in Healdsburg.

And one-star rankings went to 23, including Chez Panisse, Alice Waters' iconic Berkeley restaurant, and three San Francisco restaurants that hold the Chronicle's highest rating: Fleur de Lys, La Folie and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton.

One star also went to: Rubicon, Bushi-Tei, Quince, Range, Acquerello, Masa's, Gary Danko, Boulevard and Fifth Floor, all in San Francisco; Sushi-Ran in Sausalito, Chez TJ in Mountain View; Auberge du Soleil and La Toque in Rutherford; Bouchon and Bistro Jeanty in Yountville; Terra in St. Helena; Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg; Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant in Forestville; and K&L Bistro in Sebastopol.

Michelin, a French company, is better known for its European guides, which have been known to make or break restaurants with stars given or taken away. San Francisco was its second North American guide; the company plans to roll out guides to more American cities next year.

Among local favorites omitted from the list: Slanted Door, Zuni, Oliveto and A16.

Altogether, the guide lists 356 restaurants, and 28 earned stars. In New York, which was Michelin's first foray into the United States last year, 37 restaurants won stars out of 500 listed. Three stars went to four New York restaurants, and another four won two stars.

In the Bay Area guide, Wine Country restaurants claimed almost as many star rankings as San Francisco restaurants -- 10, compared to 14 for the city.

The new rankings make the French Laundry's Thomas Keller the only American to run two three-star restaurants -- his Per Se in New York won three stars last year. Bouchon, a more casual bistro, is his as well.

The winning chefs will be feted Monday night at a reception at the Ferry Building, where the new Michelin guide will be released.

E-mail Carol Ness at cness@sfchronicle.com.

URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-...

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10/2/2006 Herra Chink y. says:
How.... predictable.
10/2/2006 Bruno T. says:
well, michelin is french. what did you expect?

If you want the highest rated american rating, its probably in an american publication. and yet Im sure french laundry will be in the top 10 on that list too.
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10/2/2006 Nat K. says:
I think it is, even though that is clearly -- but slowly -- changing (for the good, IMO). I just read Ruth Reichl's book Garlic and Sapphires, about her time as the NY Times food critic, and apparently it was quite groundbreaking to review "ethnic" food 10 to 12 years ago. So it sort of makes sense that as it becomes more "acceptable" to have upscale versions of other cuisines, those types of restaurants start creeping into ranking systems.

Michelin very much belongs to the older way of thinking about what kinds of restaurants can be considered the best.
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10/2/2006 frisco j. says:
delfina, my favorite, didn't even get one star. so annoying.
10/2/2006 V e s t i g e .. says:
does this settles the debate on whether NYC or SF has better execution?

think not.
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10/2/2006 Stephan "IYLMNYTATYPOM" W. says:
Did Michelin not even give Chapeau any stars?
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10/2/2006 John D. says:
haha, bushi-tei is going out of business... better hurry up and taste that one star!
10/2/2006 V e s t i g e .. says:
that just means you have low standards, jordano.
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10/2/2006 frisco j. says:
did they even go to chapeau? still annoyed.
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10/2/2006 Herra Chink y. says:
This is Michael Bauer's blog on 5/26 on Michelin ppl...

http://www.sfgate.com/...

He pretty much said exactly what happened 5 months ago - French Laundry = 3 stars, everything else let the chips fall where they may...

And of COURSE Asian food wouldn't be on the list... have you been to France? Their Asian meals are, ahem, lacking...
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10/2/2006 frisco j. says:
collin, no argument there.
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10/2/2006 Miriam "kleine maus" W. says:
Manresa over Chez Panisse!

WTF?
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10/2/2006 Herra Chink y. says:
I can't believe San Tung didn't get 3 stars. SHOCKED, I tell you!
10/2/2006 Bruno T. says:
chapeau? I doubt that.

michelin isnt about whats your favorite neighborhood restaurant, or what represents great value for the money. They are only concerned with what are the top dining experiences, period. Although a lofty goal like that is prone to errors you have to at least respect that kind of ambition. No one else is doing that. Every other list has 10 or 20 five star restaurants in every major city, which doesn't help you single out the one.
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10/2/2006 Omid "One Star // Une Étoile // Ein Stern // Een Ster" T. says:
I'm still getting over the shock of Father in Law's BBQ on Divisadero not getting a star.
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10/2/2006 Stephan "IYLMNYTATYPOM" W. says:
Bruno: Michelin is about a certain *sort* of "top dining" experience.
1) french
2) fancy
3) french
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10/2/2006 Shawn T. says:
How in the hell did Range get a star??!! And Delfina didn't? And I puke on them bestowing a star to Sushi-Ran. SUSHI-RAN????????

Whatever, Yelp is the new Michelin and Zagat.
10/2/2006 D T. says:
Heheh, I gave Chex Panisse 1 yelp star.
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10/2/2006 luis m. says:
Yelp would make a killing if they made a Yelp Guide and used selected yelper reviews. They could update it with the new reviews every year, or let the best reviews run for multiple years. If they are interested I know a literary agent that can work on a publishing deal for them.
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10/2/2006 Shawn T. says:
Luis, the editors would be forced to choose the best "boobies" and "clown fart" reviews. That would be unfair, the world should know about them all.
10/2/2006 Bruno T. says:
Well Michelin is about what they think are top dining. And they are french. what did you expect

i'm korean, half of my reviews are about korean restaurants. also I live in redwood city, another 1/3 of my reviews are about mexican restaurants.
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10/2/2006 Brian "Haggie" H. says:
Two stars for Aqua? Only if you get in a time machine and go back a decade.

The "ommited"' restaurants are great, but I agree that they aren't starworthy.

I think the list is fairly representative. Not bad for a first try.
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10/2/2006 Stephan "IYLMNYTATYPOM" W. says:
Bruno: I had no idea what to expect. I thought that perhaps MIchelin would take a less culturally and gastronomically franco-centric approach when reviewing restaurants in a place as diverse as the bay area.
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10/2/2006 Shawn T. says:
I agree that the reviews are going to be slanted towards French, haute-cuisine spots. But, The Spotted Pig got a star in NYC. Also, Sushi Ran is not French. Why didn't they go to Kiss instead? Because they were too damn lazy to actually do some research and just relied on the more well-known.
10/2/2006 D T. says:
It's simple. I give you $$$, you give me a *, I give you $$$$, you give me **, I give you $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, you give me *** for life.
10/2/2006 Bruno T. says:
well rest assured I don't necessarily think their reviews are right. Sushi ran sucks.
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10/2/2006 Jorge M. says:
The Spotted Pig rocks!
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10/2/2006 A "to the Rock Star" P. says:
My feeling is that Yelp is more relevant that the Michelin rating or even Zagat for that matter. Yelp is more immediate and up to the minute. Instant gratification! And while Yelp has an elite group, Yelp is not elitist and is a bit more transparent in reviews that the other guides that have an antiquated and undemocratic process of determining ratings.
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10/2/2006 A J. says:
Like any single review source, I think that Michelin's Le Guide Culinare represents a particular point of view. Similarly Yelp, Zagat, Chowhound, Saveur, Gourmet or any other guide represents it's own aggregate personality.

As individual diners, we make our own decisions about what falls in line with our own personal tastes. What defines each guide is it's constituency. All you have to do is ask your self if you fit in that consituency. If not...dance to another drummer's beat. We all do this...soon enough we learn which friend's recommendations to trust, and which to completely ignore...same deal, just at different levels.

Bottom line? Take what you read with a grain of salt.
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10/2/2006 Cornelius S. says:
michelin is what it is. i'm glad it exists, but it far from teh word of god. (that's come from an agnostic)
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10/2/2006 Scott A. says:
What many don't realize is that it takes a very good restaurant to get one star. It's just a different rating scale and as others have noted, a specific perspective on what is "star worthy."
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10/2/2006 Jamie M. says:
Amen, AJ J. The Michelin Guide is meant for a particular type of reader/diner. It doesn't purport to be like a Zagat, which is meant to be a survey for the widest possible audience.
I say brava for Michelin coming to the bay area. I now have a few new places to try next time I'm in the North Bay. Although, I'm sure now I'll have to book a year in advance.
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10/3/2006 Herra Chink y. says:
I know none of us are Michael Bauer lovers, but he makes a good point.. http://sfgate.com/cgi-...

Making sense of the Michelin stars
Michelin came to town to evaluate our restaurants, but the choices don't necessarily reflect the Bay Area sensibility.

PR Newswire

Michelin came to town to evaluate our restaurants, but the choices don't necessarily reflect the Bay Area sensibility.

By now most people know that Michelin released its San Francisco guide yesterday, and only one Bay Area restaurant, the French Laundry, earned a three-star rating.

That was about the only thing that wasn't a surprise in the guide; the seminal Chez Panisse, a restaurant that revolutionized American cooking and is still at the top of its game, earned one star.

The grumbles and gripes going on here is similar to when Michelin introduced its first U.S. guide in New York last year. Some were apoplectic that only four -- Per Se, Alain Ducasse, Le Bernardin and Jean Georges -- were given the big prize. Four restaurants earned two stars, just as in the Bay Area. We had 23 one stars; New York had 31.

The company claims that the same standards apply here as they do in France, but I wonder if that's truly the case, especially when they claim that the majority of inspectors were American and from the West Coast.

I have no problem with the restaurants that earned three stars in New York (I've been to them all), but in the last few years I've had equally good meals at Fleur de Lys, Chez Panisse, Michael Mina and the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, to name a few.

Maybe we should blame it on the French Laundry. I wonder if our restaurants are being handicapped because it's much better than any of the other restaurants here and the three stars in New York, including Per Se.

When I did my evaluations more than a year ago, seven restaurants earned my top rating of four stars: French Laundry, Manresa, the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Chez Panisse, Fleur de Lys, La Folie and Campton Place (which has since lost stars because of a chef change). At the time Cyrus was too new, but from my initial review, it seems as if it could easily earn the top rating.

However, if I compared them to the French Laundry, they would all came up short. I was confronted with a dilemma. Does that mean only the French Laundry would get four stars?

I decided to separate it in a class by itself and evaluate all the other places as if it wasn't there. In New York, I think the restaurants were more evenly matched, because they didn't have a ringer like the French Laundry that stood far above the others.
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10/3/2006 Herra Chink y. says:
While I don't disagree about any of the restauants that have earned stars (well, maybe one or two, but why quibble?), what surprises me are the places that didn't earn stars. If you talk to food people from both coasts, Zuni Cafe is always at the top of the must-visit list. It's a restaurant that defines the Bay Area sensibility. And what about Slanted Door, Oliveto, A 16, Delfina, Foreign Cinema or Farallon?

Many selections on the list don't offer a sense of place, which in my mind is a hallmark of any great dining city. To me, the list lacks many of the places that go to the heart of Bay Area dining and define who we are.

====

I've never been to French Laundry, although I've heard it's earned its reputation, but I have been to both upstairs and downstairs Chez Panisse and find it hard, if it's "about the food" to rate it anything less than perfect.
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10/3/2006 Kosuke "finished bashing the ethically flaccid for the day" I. says:
Does Michelin even matter for the true cognoscenti? After all, while judging things on a three star scale may have worked reasonably well in france 5 decades ago where restaurants were all french, and service is according to a very specific set of criteria, but in this modern day and age of multi-ethnic cuisines and modern service styles, the very idea of shoe-horning every restaurant into this supremely limited world-view is ludicrous. I say take the Charles Phan approach and say "I don't kiss up to the french". They don't shave nor do they wash, so I can totally understand his viewpoint.
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10/3/2006 Gil "whoo hoo" S. says:
I enjoy Zuni, Slanted Door, A16, Deflina, and Foreign Cinema more, and I'm more likely to visit, but they just aren't at the same level as Michael Minna, Aqua, or French Laundry.

As other point out Michelin is French / Euro-centric and gives short shrift to Asian restaurants -- they try to include one and they come up with a middling sushi joint in Marin.

That's fine by me. People who don't know ethnic cuisine shouldn't claim to be authorities. The local papers are offbase when they try to proclaim the best burrito, papusas, or sushi. Michelin would only embarass itself, and spread white people ignorance, if it tried.

Even within the French trend Michelin stresses objective food and service quality, not value, overall experience, sense of place, and innovation. Nothing is completely objective, and they make mistakes, but their list is up there with the Chronicle's as far as ranking the very best restaurants.

In most cities it's hard to get reliable information, drowned out as it is amidst places like Citysearch, Where Magazine, SF Magazine, the ads, the free weeklies. That's where Michelin comes in, and Frommer's, Conde Naste, and Yelp. You get the real scoop.

The main problem I have is that it carries too much authority. It's like having a European classical music professor proclaim the greatest music in the world. You get a bunch of people thinking the world started and ended with Beethoven, ignoring African music, blues, pop, what have you.

In a sense, it's great that they come to SF and validate us as a food town. But in another, it could limit people's expectations, locals but especially tourists.

Anyway, I don't think SF has anything to worry about. We're world famous for food, wine, the bridge, and fog. We've already hyped our food, just like we hype eveyrthing else bout California, perhaps to the point of being overrated.

Here's the next idea. Let's have the Yelp guide to pho. We'll go all over Europe to find the best pho joints.
10/3/2006 Mister J. says:
What a 'Michelin'?
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10/3/2006 Karen "it's always something" O. says:
I thought it was a tire?
10/3/2006 Mister J. says:
Honestly, I think this is along the same lines as when the French wineries were 'setting the standards' as to what was good wine and what wasn't. Now that the French don't have a stranglehold on the wine industry, that's all changed.

They're just trying the same idea with cuisine now.

Very petty and narrow-minded if you ask me.
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10/3/2006 Herra Chink y. says:
Most French chefs will give Thomas Keller and Alice Waters their due for their imprint on the cooking scene.
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10/3/2006 Gil "whoo hoo" S. says:
BTW, the Charles Phan quotes sounded somewhat sour grapes, and arrogant at the same time. I like Slanted Door just fine, but I don't think it's at such a high level that he can diss French cuisine like that.
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10/3/2006 Ben P. says:
Gary Danko? I can't believe that place even got mentioned.
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10/3/2006 Mike "UranusDeMilo" W. says:
What the hell is going on?

A French company that *makes tires* is considered the end-all critic for the upper eschelon of restaurants? I saw the books cover in the Chron...it even had the Michelen man on the cover!!!

What's next? The Pillsbury Doughboy telling us what kind of steel belted radials to buy?

Worse yet, a place called "The French Laundry" got top honors?
THE FRENCH LAUNDRY???? BWAHHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

Thanks Michelin! I was feeling grumpy from ironing out my accounts payable. This little mood lifter helped put me on something of an even keel...
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10/3/2006 Nish "Nish" N. says:
Great talk thread, Jordano, while I appreciate the Michelin ratings, it's nice to know that it doesn't make or break a restaurant these days. That said, this story does reflect something (not sure what) on the high pressure and perhaps egos of world class chefs: http://query.nytimes.c...
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10/3/2006 Euge "I'm scared of Elites" C. says:
I own a Zagat's guide, a Chowhound guide and a 7x7 guide.

Yelp! helps me find the right restaurants.

Yes, we can all pat ourselves on the back.
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10/4/2006 Nish "Nish" N. says:
Hey kids, check out this talk thread, or listen to KQED right now...
http://www.yelp.com/to...