I wonder if the reviewers wound up at Longman & Eagle on one of their bad nights. If it were anything like an experience we had where the four of had our drinks brought to the table over a period of 30 minutes and 2 of them were wrong, I'm surprised they kept the BG.

BG is not really an Award, it´s only about value

It's definitely an award. It recognizes the restaurants Michelin believes offer the best quality cooking/ingredients below a certain price ($40 for 2 courses plus a glass of wine or dessert, excluding tax and service). Think of the hundreds or thousands of restaurants in the cities Michelin reviews where you can dine for that amount but that are not recognized. Bib does mean something.

It's an award, usually announced before the stars are announced, it's about quality and good value = Bib Gourmand, while starred restaurants are usually judged more intense [quality, setting, presentation, atmosphere etc.] and these are more expensive, while Bib Gourmand awarded restaurants assure guests of good quality, value and accessibility.

At Pichet in Dublin, Ireland during a lunch visit we noticed that they display their Bib Gourmand award. This award is given each year to restaurants which meet the criterias of value + quality. They can get awarded or deleted by Michelin, the same as with their */**/*** star ratings.

Please see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

SF list is out. http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/ar...p?t=626518203a

7 "3 Stars" for the region

Coi getting its 3rd star after a chef change probably bodes well for Atera's chances in NYC. I am visiting SF in a few months over MLK weekend and have a number of these places I want to go to, starting with Benu and Atelier Crenn.

SF is outrageously inflated. Almost like HK level now. I´ve been to 3 of the 7 within the last 2 years, and none of them are 3* quality.
The last 3* I had that I feel was 3* worthy was Eleven Madison Park.

They are making menus to a style that give the M folks arousal in their tingly parts. "We" did the same thing with some of our finest grapes to do the same for Mr. Parker for way too long.

:D Unfortunately, I´m very partial to his tasting profile.

Exciting! I've been to SF a few times but before I started following Michelin. I look forward to your thoughts on Benu and Crenn. The latter has been angling for 3 stars for years.

I ate at Crenn about 3 years ago (maybe things have changed). I thought the service and presentation were all on point. The food was very good, but I didn't think it was 3-star worthy; personally I thought maybe they focused a bit too much on making things look cool. Overall the restaurant kinda reminded me of Atera and Belcanto, and if both of these places are 2 stars, then Crenn surely is not a step above.

I would love to try Benu as well next time I'm in SF. I've heard very good things about it!

I also was unimpressed with the taste at Crenn a few years ago. Showmanship, creativity, sure but I only thought 1 course was exceptional and the others merely okay. No taste sensations or even memorable courses :( Clearly I am in a minority. It is the only starred restaurant that I have never wanted to return to.

And I think what may be the best, certainly the most pioneering, restaurant in the Bay area never gets rated at all. Some of my other personal favorites are also completely missing.

I guess it goes to the subjective component of any type evaluation of this sort, especially when the restaurant refuses to be rated. I haven't been to 11 Madison for years but I remember when the San Pellagrino ratings came out saying that I didn't even think 11 Madison was the best restaurant in that building, much less the city. Although the other restaurant in that building closed and I'm sure 11 Madison has morphed more than once since then.

A personal suggestion, skip the Michelin Guide for at least one night and go to Chez Panisse.

Eleven Madison Park is where I was served the best meal I've ever eaten. It's also the only restaurant I know of that skyrocketed from 1 to 3 stars in just one year, which speaks to how much it has evolved over the last few years. I am curious to try the new menu since it reopened after its renovation a few weeks ago, which I likely won't be able to do until next year. I've got a full roster of restaurants over the next two months! My second favorite meal was at Epicure in Paris.

I've had three exceptional meals at Benu over three years. We usually take a restaurant run down to either LA or SF once a year. We like to try 'new' places, but each of the last three times to SF, one of the nights we've retraced our steps and gone to Benu. The most recent trip this year included L'Atelier Crenn, Quince and Benu - all tasting menus.

Quince and Benu were pretty much tied for top place in our minds for overall food and service. I might give the wine list at Quince the edge and the flavour profiles at Benu were more interesting, but both were right up there. Benu has evolved over the years but not so much that they've strayed far from their original appeal. Well worth a visit.