In response to Grumpy Glutton's blog post last week that broke down the distribution of Chronicle stars, Michael Bauer tries to explain his star system, the selection process, and the disproportionate abundance of 2.5-star restaurants: "Generally if a restaurant doesn't earn at least two stars, we won't review it unless it's a high-profile place that has grabbed diners' attention. We usually don't trash neighborhood restaurants, either; we figure they survive or die on their own, which is the reason you see so many 2- and 1 1/2-star places. I probably give more 2 1/2-star reviews than anything else, which means that I consider the restaurant to be very good ... The main reason I review something that comes out to less than 2 1/2 stars is if the place has received lots of hype or buzz." [BauerBlog]
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