***

How Michelin’s team of anonymous inspectors would evaluate Los Angeles in its first year back was a hotly debated topic within the city’s restaurant community. In particular, would the guide — which has been criticized for giving too much weight to fancy European food, luxury trappings and formal service over stellar food — find a way to capture L.A.’s complex and wide-ranging dining scene?

For the most part, Michelin’s Los Angeles picks were predictable, with some notable omissions — such as Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, which received two stars in the 2009 Los Angeles guide; Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’ Bestia and Bavel; Scratch Bar & Kitchen in Encino; and Republique.

***

***

Except, well...Michelin didn’t actually seem to care much about how Angelenos actually eat here. Check this out: There were no Thai restaurants awarded any stars this year. There were no Korean restaurants awarded any stars, either, or Filipino restaurants. The only Mexican restaurant, Taco Maria, is in Orange County; the only San Gabriel Valley restaurant to make the list was the upscale Bistro Na’s in Temple City.

Where were the Mariscos Jaliscos of the world, or the Bestias for that matter? No Chengdu Taste or Sichuan Impression or even Triniti or Destroyer? What about slightly more elevated (but still California casual) names like Felix, Bavel, Republique, or Lukshon? Even Silver Bough, Phillip Frankland Lee’s pricey tasting menu restaurant up in Montecito, seemed built for a star or three, but apparently didn’t actually impress Michelin this year.

***

Though the guide has awarded one star to ramen shops in Tokyo, a hawker stall in Singapore, and a street stand in Bangkok, LA didn’t land any Michelin star taco trucks. No Korean restaurant received a star. Only one single SGV restaurant, Bistro Na’s, got a star (though a good number did receive Bib Gourmand designations).

***