The L.A. guide was most famously slammed by late Los Angeles Times critic Jonathan Gold, who was outspoken in his disdain for Michelin’s presence in his hometown. Writing for the L.A. Weekly in 2008, when he was that paper’s critic, Gold contended that the “boneheadedness” of the guide was ill-suited to a city with a dining scene so complex, unique and wide-ranging. “Last year’s inaugural Michelin Guide to Los Angeles restaurants was appalling, ignorant of the way Angelenos eat, reading as if it was put together by a team too timid to venture further than a few minutes from their Beverly Hills hotel,” he wrote. “This year’s guide, although it is more or less identical, is just boring.”

Gold went on to lament the absence of stars for any Korean, Middle Eastern, Central American, regional Mexican or regional Thai restaurants. (A handful of restaurants in those categories did receive Bib Gourmand recognition, Michelin’s separate award for “good quality, good value cooking.”) “We historically have not been a city that fits with the Michelin aesthetic, and I agreed when Jonathan said we’re not a Michelin town,” Yoon said. “But I also don’t think it’s a city that is the same as it was 10 years ago.”

Indeed, much has changed. Half of the 20 restaurants that received stars in the final L.A. guide have closed. Those that remain include Providence, Spago and Urasawa, which each received two stars, and such one-star recipients as Osteria Mozza, Asanebo, Cut and Water Grill. Joining them is an impressive roster of newer and ambitious restaurants that have been credited with helping push L.A. to the forefront of national dining conversations. Vespertine, n/naka, Bavel, Trois Mec, Taco María, Dialogue, Orsa & Winston and Lukshon are all likely Michelin contenders.

It remains to be seen whether inspectors will award stars to a wider range of L.A. restaurants this time around — and if, for the first time, any receive the much-heralded three-star ranking. In the U.S., San Francisco holds the most number of three-star restaurants with eight.