About an hour ago at a media brunch—at Bloomingdale's with pretty gift bags, natch—Michelin Director Jean-Luc Naret announced the star ratings of the second annual Michelin guide for the San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country. 384 restaurants around the Bay made the cut, plus 61 hotels. As mentioned earlier, while the Michelin guide's impact is debatable in the area, there's absolutely no denying that for the eater who follows the restaurant scene, the release of the little red book is always interesting.
The biggest news this year is probably the debut of St. Helena newbie Meadowood in the two-star slot. Chez TJ (Mountain View) also joined the two-star club, making last year's two-star quartet of Manresa, Cyrus, Aqua and Michael Mina a sextet.
The rest of the star ratings, quite frankly, are not terribly different from last year. The French Laundry, as expected, remained the lone three-star, with seven newcomers—including One Market—joining the 27 one-stars. Bay Area favorites like Gary Danko, Chez Panisse and The Dining Room at the Ritz stayed in the one-star category, while The Slanted Door, despite being a noted Naret haunt, remained starless. Losing their only star were bushi-tei and Dry Creek Kitchen.
ONE STAR
Acquerello
Ame (new)
Auberge du Soleil
Bistro Jeanty Yountville Napa Valley
Bouchon
Boulevard
Chez Panisse
Coi (new)
Cortez (new)
Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, The
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant
Fifth Floor
Fleur de Lys
Gary Danko
K & L Bistro
La Folie
La Toque
Madrona Manor (new)
Martini House (new)
Masa’s
One Market (new)
Quince
Range
Redd (new)
Rubicon
Sushi-Ran
Terra
TWO STARS
Aqua
Chez TJ (new)
Cyrus
Manresa
Meadowood, The Restaurant (new)
Michael Mina
THREE STARS
The French Laundry
· Michelin Releases Latest Edition Of San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country [Michelin]
