Breaking news: In the world of Michelin, some things don’t change.
The three-star rankings for this year’s Michelin Guide for New York City restaurants are exactly the same as last year. They include Eleven Madison Park, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin, and Per Se and Masa, two restaurants at the Time Warner Center.
All 10 of the two-star places would’ve be the same as last year, too, if it weren’t for the addition of the relocated tasting-menu spot Aska, in Williamsburg, from the Nordic chef and Noma alum Frederik Berselius. (It’s one of six Michelin-starred places in Williamsburg; Brooklyn has 12 total.) The only other change from the two-star list is that Ichimura at Brushstroke, the destination sushi spot downtown Manhattan that recently closed amid relocation rumors, was dropped from the list entirely. The nine other two-star stalwarts: Aquavit, Atera, Blanca, Daniel, Jungsik, Marea, The Modern, Momofuku Ko, and Soto.
Things are much more interesting in the one-star category, where there are 12 new establishments from the list of 77. Some of those are not all that surprising, such as Mario Batali’s La Sirena and the eponymous Günter Seeger NY, both from long-standing chefs who have a lot of Michelin cred. Then there’s Nix, the delightful vegetable-centric restaurant in the East Village, and Contra, a forward-thinking spot on the Lower East Side.
Sushi is another big winner: Ushiwakamaru, Sushi Inoue (the sole Harlem restaurant on the list), Sushi Zo, Kanonyama, and Sushi Ginza Onodera prove that raw fish remains a Michelin-star magnet. And rounding out the new one-stars is Agern in Grand Central Station, Faro, and L’Appart, hidden in the Brookfield Place shopping center.
If this list leaves you with questions, you’re not alone. Some of us are wondering where in the world is Le CouCou, the beguiling French restaurant from Daniel Rose and Stephen Starr that’s been standing-room-only since it opened in June. Ditto Olmsted, the outstanding Brooklyn restaurant with a garden in the back and modern American cooking from chef Greg Baxtrom. And double ditto for Missy Robbins’s Lilia, another hit Brooklyn spot with stupendous pastas and a vibe that might make people think of Barbuto. And if you’re wondering why Michelin still doesn’t feel like awarding at least one star to Sushi Nakazawa, a lot of us agree with you. We would say the same for Mission Chinese Food, Cosme, and Estela. Come on, Michelin!
Back to that breaking news: Eater obtained a copy of the bound book from a SoHo bookstore. Tony Fouladpour, Michelin’s director of communications, isn’t sure how it happened. “The books were packed in boxes marked ‘do not display’ in bright fluorescent tape,” he says flatly.
News by Bloomberg, edited by Hospitality Ireland
