Great to hear that Michelin is coming back to LA - long overdue. I wonder how Melisse (my favorite restaurant in these parts) stacks up; I believe it had 2 stars before they decided to stop coverage of the region.
On a separate note, back from my trip to Basque country! Brief thoughts below:
-Arzak (3 stars, San Sebastian): very innovative cuisine, particularly on the texture side, but this was definitely the restaurant, relative to my expectations, that fell short. A very enjoyable meal but perhaps lacking a bit in pizzazz. Wintertime perhaps doesn't make for having the best cuisine available.
-eMe Be Garrote (1 star, San Sebastian): loved the ambiance here (set in what looks like a redone barn, outfitted with rustic wooden finishes and lots of retro bikes hanging from the walls), and the food was fabulous as well. I somehow lucked into turning a glass of red into a little more than half a bottle for 16 euros - no complaints from me! English-speaking staff is definitely on the lighter side relative to other spots we went to - may have something to do with the restaurant being ~20 minutes outside of downtown San Sebastian.
-Azurmendi (3 stars, Bilbao): now that Hertog Jan closed in Bruges, this is now my new favorite restaurant in the world. Absolutely an incredibly immersive dining experience. Every single course was amazing. The walkthrough from the lush entrance, to the kitchen, then to a beautifully-appointed side room, is a great way of introducing the amuse-bouche courses. The wine pairing at 125 euros is a steal; you get treated to interesting wines all over the world, as well as some really old ones...I enjoyed a glass of 1975 vintage Rioja with one course, followed by a sherry wine that was laid down for aging in the 1950s(!). I usually am not a big fan of wine pairings, but wow...this one blew me away.
By far, I felt that Azurmendi was the can't-miss restaurant of the above ones I visited. I hope to make it back in the future (not sure how to swing it with a baby in tow...) for all the restaurants that were closed at this time of year.