In 1900, two French tire-manufacturer brothers named published the first the Guide Michelin — a 400 page tourist guide to destinations accessible by car across France. Hastily prepared for the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, it was released with the sole purpose of getting French drivers into their cars, out on the road, driving between towns - the bankable theory being that they would eventually need to buy new tires.
Other tourist guides at the time targeted the foreigner using rail travel exclusively. At the time, there were less than 3,000 registered automobiles driving the roads of France, so it was quite the gamble to produce 35,000 copies of a guide specifically targeting drivers - especially one that would be offered free of charge. It almost sounds silly, like sponsoring exercise to sell more food, but it worked: the Guide became popular quickly, with a Belgium guide appearing in 1904, followed by Spain and Germany in 1910. Other European countries followed as Michelin became synonymous with high-standard, unbiased reviews.
The first American guide was published in November of 2005 and concentrated on New York. It included 500 restaurants from all five boroughs and 50 hotels in Manhattan.
The three-star ranking system was introduced in 1931:
One star = A very good restaurant in its category (“Une très bonne table dans sa catégorie”).
Two stars = Excellent cooking; worth a detour (“Table excellente, mérite un détour”).
Three stars = Exceptional cuisine; worthy of a special journey (“Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage”)
A Michelin star is the holy grail for the restauranteur. It’s an independent review from a body of anonymous inspectors that address 5 categories of service and food quality at the highest standards. If you see a Michelin star you know two things: first, it’s going to be an excellent dining experience, and second, you’re going to pay for it.
Because of the prestige pricing that comes from the star, the Guide Michelin added another category for establishments that don’t qualify for a star, the Bib Gourmand. This is given to restaurants that serve “good food at moderate prices,” and has been awarded to taco trucks in LA, and other superlative local favorites.
My friends and I keep track of the number of Michelin star-rated restaurants we’ve eaten at. We brag about them to each other, bemoan the money we spend there, but the conversation always go to the experience we had eating there. My evening at Eleven Madison (3 stars) remains the best dining experience I’ve ever had complete with a three-card monty demonstration for dessert and getting the waitress fired mid-meal! Sheya and I had lunch on our honeymoon in Tuscany at Il Falconiere, sat next to the Contessa Marina Cicogna, were served by a water sommelier, and had fresh venison from the owner’s estate fashioned to look like a forest scene.
The Guide publishes every year and in 2023, Atlanta and Denver figured prominently in adding stars to the roster. We are booked for a Christmas party in Denver in December and will be partaking at Wolf and Tailor, stay tuned for a review!
“What I really wanted was a spiritual house, a place inside me
where I could feel fulfilled at anytime.”
—Aniela Gregorek
Dining at fancy restaurants is a privilege, for sure, but not one that I would want to do every single meal. I still love my home-cooking and am blessed with a wife who is a good cook, prides herself on her cooking, and has done the work to cook well and get better.
On our honeymoon, we enrolled in cooking school in Tuscany run by 4 sisters, all my grandmothers age. They tolerated men in the kitchen long enough for me to chop a vegetable and then ushered me outside to drink an incredible glass of Sangiovese while they worked Sheya through every step of producing an incredible meal. She still cooks these meals in our home, to the delight of any who dine with us.
When Sheya and I were first together, she worked for a year in our business because we felt that it was important that she understood where our livelihood comes from. She remains the best employee we ever hired and I miss her influence in that business often.
When she “retired” we had no kids and she struggled to fill the hours of the day away from work. She didn’t want to return to work, did some charity work, engaged with friends, but ultimately turned her energy to cooking. This was a good thing for me, but bad for my waistline!
One day we were lamenting the fact that our grandparents were getting older and reliving some good old times with them. She pointed out that most of her family’s best memories were occasioned by a shared meal with the old family recipes and what a shame it was that those times were gone forever. The idea hit me immediately: Go cook with your grandmothers, and so she did.
Over the next several months she went and stayed with her grandmothers and asked them to cook the old recipes with her. She took scrupulous notes and translated the granny math to real measurements, and produced a collection of old Southern dishes that anyone would be proud to have available in their own kitchens. But these were all the more special because they provided her with memories to cherish now that these ladies have passed on.
People often comment on how good her cooking tastes. She and I know the extra ingredients are love and cherished memories.
“Kindness matters so much on that journey of endeavor.
It is what separates the good from great.”
— Bear Grylls
Yelp! is a review site that I use often. It’s a great way to explore a community through its culinary landscape. I’ve used it to find some of my favorite restaurants around the world, including the world’s best gelato (del Teatro in Rome)! They may have done this for years, but this is the first year I’ve seen it: the Top 100 US Restaurants based on Yelp! reviews.
I’ve been to exactly one of these and it is the absolute must-go place that Sheya and I pick when we are in that town (Table in Asheville). Many of them are off the beaten track by a long shot and not places I’ll seek out, but there are some places that look exceptional.
Interestingly, Tucson Arizona is the most represented city on the list. Who knew?