Originally Posted by
bhrubin
The fact is that Michelin includes small town/village and resort location restaurants in France and in Europe as a whole--but does not do that in North America or Asia to even a remotely comparable degree. The only big exception might be the Napa Valley!
You know, there is a reason for this anomaly. Small town in France (and Belgium, etc) have examples of top level restaurants. For me the best restaurant in France is in the town of Chagny. However in small towns in the US the best restaurant is usually Cracker Barrel. Yes I'm sure you can find some good examples here and there, as you say Napa Valley. However the vast majority of the geography in the US is served by fast food restaurants, diners, and the occasional decent restaurant that isn't quite up to Michelin standards of quality.