Consolidated "Michelin Restaurants" thread
 

Three French restaurants capture the ultimate prize: Three Michelin stars

http://www.canoe.ca/Travel/News/2004...337263-ap.html

Michelin Giveth Stars and Taketh Away

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/11/dining/11MICH.html

Thanks for posting this.

The mentioned restaurant near Reims is better known as "Boyer", which is also a first class Relais & Chateaux hotel.

Just heard this today on NPR radio.

Fraud Charges Abound in Michelin Dispute

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown....rgDate=current

(scroll down to about 1/2 way down the page...)

Sorry, looks like the weblink has moved. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...um/redface.gif Here's the current one:

Fraud Charges Abound in Michelin Dispute

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown....te=17-Feb-2004

Ex-employee disputes value of Michelin stars
 

From the Herald Tribune during my trip to Paris 2 weeks ago:

Not all restaurants awarded three stars in the prestigious Michelin guides are up that high standard, and not all are vetted as often as the public would believe, a former inspector for the guides said.

Pascal Remy, who was dismissed after working 16 years for the 104-year-old Michelin Red Guide, told Europe 1 radio that the company had less than a dozen inspectors at work at any one time and each tested only about 200 restaurants per year, a fraction of those listed.

Michelin said Remy had been fired for a "serious fault."

Thanks for posting this.
I found the article:

http://www.iht.com/ihtsearch.php?id=...20040226144038

Interesting story .. his book will be a bestseller!

Still, when planning a trip to France, Germany, Italy .... the Red Michelin Book is a great help. Generally speaking, Michelin is a valuable source for hotels & restaurants in Europe.
We have nothing like this in the USA...also Zagat does not come close. On several occasions I found restaurants in Zagat that were gone out of business ..

Michelin Ratings - NYC
 

According to Manhattan User Guide, here are the new Michelin NYC restaurant ratings. I'm not sure if I agree with some of the one star. Gramercy Tavern probably deserves 2, and it's far better quality than Nobu, for example.

***
Alain Ducasse
Jean-Georges
Le Bernardin
Per Se

**
Bouley
Daniel
Danube
Masa

*
Annisa
Aureole
Babbo
BLT Fish
Café Boulud
Café Gray
Craft
Cru
Etats-Unis
Fiamma Osteria
Fleur de Sel
Gotham Bar and Grill
Gramercy Tavern
JoJo
Jewel Bako
La Goulue
Lever House
Lo Scalco
March
Nobu
Oceana
Peter Luger
Picholine
Saul
Scalini Fedeli
Spotted Pig
The Modern
Veritas
Vong
Wallsé
WD-50

Daniel should have 3 and Alain Ducasse 2...I don't think Ducasse should be that high - perhaps they are awarding more points for atmosphere than food (which would be quite a dis-service to the Michelin name). It is especially interesting to see Jean-Georges at 3 in light of the aforementioned.

I am disappointed to see Babbo only get 1* - their tasting menu is superb and, at $50 per person less than Jean-Georges, more than worth it! It's true it's not as "fancy" as the 2-3* but the food, and especially the food and wine pairings, are the best.

I think I tend to agree with thelark.

Oh! And where are L'Impero and Alto? :(

What happened to Guide Rouge (Michelin) online
 

Whenever I go somewhere in Europe then I do a search and look for typically one star restaurants in the area in the Michelin Guide at www.viamichelin.com

Now it looks like they crippled the search. You can only search for restaurants without any criteria and they don't tell you if they have stars unless you click on them. :(

Many years ago Michelin charged for their searches and I gladly obliged. It yielded micropayment type charges. Then suddenly in 2002 or 3 they changed everything to be free and even refunded my micropayments. :rolleyes:

Now this....... I don't want to and buy every bloody book and the big cities book is not useful since I often go to smaller towns.

How relevant is the Michelin Guide these days?

I know its not quite the same but I am a Zagat's subscriber for years. For some unexplicable reason prefer them over the Michelin rating system.

How relevanzt can they be, if the testers at some place come 3 times and everybody knows they come???

I consider the Michelin ratings to be the most reliable of any system. I've just traveled in Spain, and had amazing meals relying on Michelin ratings. I found other guides to be more descriptive of the food, so I used them as an addition to Michelin - but Michelin was the most important resource for me.

Giving this a bump for a great Michelin find yesterday in Belgium. I went to the closest rated restaurant, which happened to be a "bib gourmand". The restaurant was very high quality, much better than anything than I find in the U.S. The lunch with two courses was EUR 15!

Zagat's: give me a break...... First of all, I am talking about Europe. Secondly,the average American has no idea about good food and Zagat's is based on reviews by the public.

Michelin 2009 (various)
 

Hi,
It's that time of the year, with a Red Book release. [Tokyo edition]

• When are the other [NYC, Paris, London & other] Michelin guides released?
• Will you be interested in perusing the starred restaurants with a view to dining there?

Particularly the 'western' owned celeb-chef restaurants, considering you may already have access to other restaurants by these chefs?

(My question is general - I am interested in hearing about your experiences across cities rated in these Guides and would ideally try to dine in some of the interesting restaurants in Tokyo, NYC, London and Paris over the next few years if FT, circumstance and my finances combine for some long-haul holidays. :))

Here is a very cursory breakdown for the rankings in this book:
Greetings to FT friends in (or visitors to) Tokyo - and to those enjoying other Michelin-rated meals in Europe or NA. :)

i have wondered if it is easier to get stars in one location than another. i am unfamaliar with japanese haute cuisine, but is it a difficult to prepare and require as much human input as french? are the facility requirements as difficult and as expensive in japan as in france? are the same people used to rate both places.

most french restaurants have problems with the facilities and the expense of the facilities to acquire and maintain the third, and even the second star.

from experience with the Zagat guide, where most rating is done by locals, the ratings in various cities is not very consistent.

outside of france, i have only eaten in one 3 star in london(ramsey), and one in italy. i did not think either to be close to the 3 stars of france.

my favorite red Michelin guide is the 'Main cities of Europe Michelin' covering the following main cities in one single booklet:

Austria: Vienna
Belgium: Brusselns, Anwerp
Czech Republic: Prague
Denmark: Copenhague
Finland: Hlsinki
France: Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Toulouse
Germany: Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart
Greece: Athens
Hungary: Budapest
Ireland: Dublin
Italy: Rome, Milan
Luxembourg: Louxembourg
Netherlands: Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam
Norway: Oslo
Poland: Warsaw, Cracow
Portugal: Lisbon
Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia
Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg
Switzerland: Bern, Geneva, Zurich
United Kingdom: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow

that guide is worth buying every year.

Others I buy every 2nd or third year: Switzerland, Austria, GErmany, France, Italy.

Overseas red Michelin guides I have also the latest edtions of the San Francisco Bay area, and the New York one.

And last bur not least I treasure first year editions of red Michelin France (1900) and Switzerland (1994)

Rudi, these guides would be worthwhile including in the FT 'book club' or whatever the loan library is called.

I'd buy and make available a Sydney 'Good Food Guide' if i could get access to the Europe guide you mention. ;)

In Austria we have the Fallstaff Guide too, which can be found on www.vipgourmetclub.com (Restaurant & Wine-Guide).

I just got the new red Michelin guide Switzerland 2009

***
Crissier: Philippe Rochat (former owner Girardet)
Brent above Montreux: Le Pont de Brent

**
Basel: Cheval Blanc @ Hotel les trois Rois (new)
Cossoney: le Cerf
Ftan: Paradies - La Bellezza
Fürstenau: Schauenstein
Genève: Parc des Eaux-vives
Hägendorf: Lampart's
Küsnacht (ZH): Petermann's Kunststuben
Le Noirment: Georges Wenger
La Punt-Chamues-Ch.: Bumann's Chesa Pirani
Satigny/Peney-Dessus: Domaine de Chàteauvieux
Schwyz/Steinen: Adelboden (new)
Sierre: Didier de Courten
Uetikon am See (ZH): Wirtschaft zum Wiesengrund
Vevery: Denis Martin

* 70 Restaurants: I do only list the new * ones:
- Interlaken/Wilderswil: Alpenblick Gourmetstübli (my regular one on my way to/from Wengen: I had the pleasure to introduce many FlyerTalkers to that place already before getting this star rating)
- Lucerne: Jasper
- Samnaun: Gourmet Stübli La Miranda
- Scheunenberg: Sonne
- Verbier: La Table d'Adrien
- Widen: Ryokan Hasenberg - Usagyama
- Zürich: Mesa
- Zürich: The Reataurant (@ Hotel Dolder)

Thanks for the list, Rudi.
It shows you are treating a lot of FTers to some fine food.

May you receive the same great hospitality on your travels. ^

:)

Michelin Stars - Do they really Mean anything ?
 

Or is it all politics ?

stars
 

They mean more than any other food ratings. Three stars are still the very top of the line. I am going to Paris next week and will eat and one three star but most all the others are bistros with great food and 30-40 euros per meal. There is a little politics in everything. There are food sites like egullet.com which has reviews on all kinds of food and restaurants.

The Michelin "macarons" do serve as a general indicator of quality and level of fine dining -- typically, the more the "macarons" the more the grand class dining and price.

I used to rely solely on the Michelin star rating and was impressed by 3 stars. However, after eating at about a dozen 3 stars over the years, I realised that I enjoyed 1 and 2 star places more than the 3's. This time in Paris, we have dined mostly at bistro's and have had a fantastic time reserving a Michelin restaurant for a special occasion.

Yesterday, we dined at Taillevent, a 2 star establishment, which, to me, still feels like a 3 star place. It was fine dining at its best and the 80 Euro lunch menu was simply fantastic.

I'd like to visit a certain, recommended 2 hat in Dublin (thanks AidanC)
...what's the beef with Michelin's methodology?

Are you asking what the ratings mean (see this article), or why some people don't give much credence to them (see the Controversy section of the Wikipedia article)?

I think even despite the so-called controversies, Michelin still carries a fair amount of weight in the gourmand world. That being said -- as others have well stated -- you can certainly find excellent meals and dining experiences in establishments that haven't even been rated.

i was thinking because of the coveted nature of the stars, surely under the table deals must happen.

For a restaurant to lose a star would be a disaster

i think they do mean something. i have only had one bad meal in a 3*.

among other things that i have read in various places(no links) a 3* must use cloth napkins of a certain minimum size. use plates of a certain minimum quality, cover tables with some minimum described cloth, etc. one cannot get there on food alone. i recall talking to georges blanc some 20-25 years ago. he was quite upset that it cost him the equivalent of $2 mil (at that time) to upgrade his grandmother's restaurant (chez la mere blanc) to get the third star. the food did not change, just the ambiance.

so, probably a countryside 2* is a best value. i found many had food that i thought was just as good as 3*.

i used to prefer Gillaut Millau, as they rated only food. both guys are dead now, and i have not tried the book lately.

most 3* restaurants claim that they cannot make a profit and maintain the 3* rating.

Chef's and maitre d's have commited suicide after losing a star; but not recently (Michelin ratings aren't as business significant as they used to be, now Food network stars are equally important monetarily). Michelin has a meticulous methodology and while there have been whiffs of scandal, Michelin has proven the integrity of its process over decades.

The catch is that the rating criteria may not match your own dininig preferences. For example the difference between 2 and 3 star might hinge on what kind of fountain pen is provided for you to sign the bill (an exaggeration, but it is an actual rating criterion and one of many non-food quality aspects in the stars). Overall the Michelin red guides have proven to be the best by far (zagat and egullet not withstanding), imho. They do include non-star rated restaurants that are worth visiting (to Michelin's credit).

I had a quick look at some of the 3 star restaurants

Obviously since it all originated from France, there is a heavy European bias which is a bit of a shame

Actually a bunch of restaurants in Germany have returned their stars because they turned out to damage their bottom line. Top-notch food is not a hugely profitable business, and the stars were deterring regular customers.

From a customer point of view, I would certainly use the Michelin listing as an indicator. I don't even care so much about the stars - where the Guide Rouge is really useful is with the non-star, but listed, restaurants.

Do you feel that the AAA diamonds and Mobil stars are the same way?

No, absolutely not. Both AAA diamonds and Mobil stars are based on checklists and dominated by physical facilities (just as the UK official hotel rating system is -- hotel gets an additional star if a trouser press is provided in the room, for example). Two identical hotels can differ by 1 grade because providing 24 hour room service increases the rating. It really is nothing like Michelin ratings which are more comprehensive and subjective (in a good way). Lots of AAA/Mobil ratings have been gamed (improved by working to the checklist, rather than improving the product).

2009 Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland - out this week
 

FYI the 2009 edition is news this week:
Michelin Launches Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2009 [reifenpress.de]
Ramsay's stars shine on bad year[news.com.au]
2009 Michelin Guide names 21 new restaurants as Bib Gourmands
Record 10 women chefs win Michelin stars [Telegraph]
Michelin stars can be a double-edged sword, say winners[catersearch]
Let FT's DiningBuzz readers know if you've been impressed (or otherwise) with some of the restaurants in this year's guide.

Meanwhile, my 'local' Dublin restaurant won 'Best Leinster Restaurant' in the Restaurant of the Year Awards; hopefully some DUB-based or visiting FTers can stop by, if you have the time and desire to eat somewhere nice in Dun Laoghaire. :) Restaurant of the Year Awards

All excellent points. Michelin has proven to have similar standards world-wide while allowing for huge differences in style. The granting of a star to a pub in the UK (which does not have white tablecloths) is a great demonstration of this philosophy and process. As for the efficacy of Japanese haute cuisine (its efficacy and expense), the best comparison is on the TV show "Iron Chef" where it has been pitted against both French and Italian cooking at the highest level (constrained to using the same key ingredient); you can see for yourself how the cooking is done and how the judges react to the flavours. My own conclusion is that it is every bit is good, arduous and intense.

Japan has always been willing to pay for a special restaurant -- despite a bad economy in Japan, some would say a decades-long recession bordering on depression. The success and prevalence of Michelin starred restaurants in Tokyo is no accident. Of course it also draws on a huge population base (100 million if you count the trains); however so can Paris (it is almost feasible to take Eurostar to dinner from London to Paris, for example). It is no accident that the highest food prices (ingredient costs) in the world are in Japan (things like a perfect melon, costing USD 100, are commonplace in stores there). In that environment the Michelin starred restaurants are relative bargains and seem like value pricing.

I threw away the Tokyo guide in disgust a couple of weeks ago after one of the most disappointing meals of my life at the 3-star Joel Robuchon. I think any top French restaurant in any major city in the world would have done a better job. 2 star RyuGin was phenominal however. Maybe I am just a 2 star kind of guy, because I think PreCatalan in Paris has gone downhill since it's 3rd star.

I am all over this book, but Amazon shows it not being available until 05/15...at least for the 2009 edition. I did not know they had a European version like this.

Has anyone here picked up the 2009 GB & IE edition yet?

Have you 'tested' any of your picks and are able to report on it to your fellow DiningBuzzards?

:)

Both new stars in Birmingham throughly deserve them and the existing star is as good as it gets for a UK one star. I look forward to driving out in the spring and trying the new one star in Ludlow.