Originally Posted by bhrubin

It is possible that Eleven Madison Park is overrated--but I find that highly doubtful. I have too many friends who have dined there over the years and recently who also really know their fine dining, not to mention the restaurant is enormously acclaimed by not only Michelin but also the NYT, Pellegrino, and just about every rating that matters.

I've been to Daniel--last year--and it was overrated IMO, but not for its food. Its wine pairings were just OK IMO, and one was terrible. I actually had to refuse that wine pairing and make the sommelier replace it for everyone at our table. I've NEVER done that before. Then I noticed Daniel lost a Michelin star this year--and I wasn't surprised.

I doubt that's true for Eleven Madison Park.

I think your assessment lacks credibility. I also find your "in France" assumption to be wildly prejudiced, as there are far more 1 star restaurants in France that would never get a star in the USA--simply because Michelin doesn't rank the USA except for the SF Bay, Chicago, Vegas, and NYC. Michelin is overrepresented in Europe because (1) not every region's customer base buys into the Michelin rankings/criteria, and (2) Michelin needs to keep its biggest customer base (Europe) happy. If Michelin actually ranked the entire world, and had to maintain food quality/creativity standards across the world, Europe would pale in comparison to many other regions. Michelin is to food as Bordeaux is to wine--with an assumption that Old World is somehow always better than New World, despite the overwhelming evidence that both can be wonderful and the direction for both is New...and that sometimes the New World can trump the Old. Let's face it--the fact that Noma is only 2 Michelin stars is laughable...and an obvious embarrassment for Michelin.