The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term refers by default to the Michelin Red Guide , the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars . Michelin also publishes Green Guides for travel and tourism, as well as several newer publications such as the Guide Voyageur Pratique (independent travel), Guide Gourmand (good-value eating-places), Guide Escapade (quick breaks) and Guide Coup de Cœur (hotels of character).
History
André Michelin published the first edition of the guide to help drivers maintain their cars, find decent lodging, and eat well while touring France. It included addresses of gasoline distributors, garages, tyre stockists, and information on fuel prices, changing tyres and repairing automobiles.
The guide was distributed free from 1900 until 1920. The Michelin brothers introduced the charge to establish more credibility after a pile of guides were found propping up a garage workbench. The guide introduced the star in 1926 to note good cooking; two and three stars were added in the early 1930s. The cover of the guide was originally blue, but since 1931 has been red.
As motoring became more widespread, the star system was developed and guides to other countries introduced. Today a series of twelve guides list more than 45,000 hotels and restaurants across Europe, and the guide to France has sold 30 million copies since it was introduced. There are now Red Guides covering France, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, Italy, Germany, Spain/Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK/Ireland. The guide covering France is still by far the most thorough. There is also a Red Guide covering the "Main Cities of Europe". The first guides for cities outside of Europe were published in 2006 for New York City and for San Francisco (Hauman).
Guides for Tokyo, Los Angeles and Las Vegas have been released since November 2007. In guides released in November 2008, Tokyo was awarded a total of 227 stars; 9 restaurants were given three stars, 36 two stars, and 128 one star. This is more than three times New York City's total, and more than twice as many as Paris's total. (It should be noted, however, that Tokyo is home to 160,000 restaurants, versus New York City's 25,000 and Paris's 13,000.)
A guide for Hong Kong and Macau was published on 5 December 2008.
In 2008, German restaurateur Juliane Caspar was appointed the editor-in-chief position of the French edition of the Guide. She is the first female and non-French national to take over at the French edition.
Red and Green Guides
The Michelin Red Guide has historically had many more listings than its rivals, relying on an extensive system of symbols to describe each establishment in as little as two lines. Restaurants rated with a star also listed three specialities. Recently, however, very short summaries (2-3 lines) have been added for many establishments, for example 9,000 in France. These short summaries are written in the language of the country for which it is published, but the symbols are universal. The Red Guide uses anonymous inspections and does not charge for entries. Michelin claims to revisit establishments on average once every eighteen months in order to keep ratings up to date.
There is a Green Guide for each French region and many countries, regions, and cities outside France. Most Green Guides on France are available in several languages. They include background information and an alphabetical section describing points of interest. Like the Red Guide, they use a three-star system for recommending sights: three stars, "worth the trip"; two stars, "worth a detour"; one star, "interesting".
Michelin stars and other ratings
The guide awards one to three stars to a small number of restaurants of outstanding quality. Stars are awarded sparingly; for instance, in the UK and Ireland 2004 guide, out of 5,500 entries, there are 98 with one star ("a very good restaurant in its category"), 11 with two stars ("excellent cooking, worth a detour"), and only 3 with three stars ("exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey").
Since 1955, the guide has also highlighted restaurants offering "good food at moderate prices", a feature now called "Bib Gourmand". They must have a menu priced at no more than £28 in the case of the UK, or €40 in Ireland. The name comes from Bib (Bibendum), the Michelin Man, Michelin's logo for over a century.
The guide also recognizes many restaurants without any stars or Bib Gourmands. These restaurants are usually rated solely on the scale of "forks and knives". The forks and knives rating is given to all restaurants recognized in the guide, and range from one to five, one fork and knife being "Quite comfortable restaurant" and five being "Luxurious restaurant". If the forks and knives are colored red they designate the restaurant to be "pleasant" as well. The forks and knives scale is designated to speak of the overall comfortability and quality of the restaurant, however any listing in the guide requires a relatively high standard of the kitchen as well.
Restaurants, independently of their other ratings in the guide, can also receive a number of other symbols next to their listing.
- The coins are given to restaurants that serve a menu for a certain price or less. The price depends on the local price-standard. In France the required price is currently €16.50.
- Interesting view or Magnificent view , designated by a black or red symbol, are given to restaurants that offer dining with a view.
- The grapes are given to restaurants that serve a somewhat interesting assortment of wine.
Controversy
Because of their reputation the Michelin Guides are subject to increasing amounts of scrutiny and criticism.
Allegations of lax inspection standards
Pascal Rémy, a Michelin inspector, and also a former Gault Millau employee, wrote a tell-all book in 2004, claiming that Michelin had become extremely lax in its standards. He gave evidence that, though the guide claims to visit all 4,000 reviewed restaurants every 18 months in order to keep the guide up to standards, they are actually visited about every 3.5 years, unless a specific complaint had been made. Rémy's employment was terminated. He brought a court case for unfair dismissal, which was unsuccessful.
Accusations of bias
As the Michelin Guide is published by a French company, some US food critics have claimed that the rating system is biased towards French cuisine, or towards the formality and presentation of the dining experience. When the Michelin Guide released the first edition of the New York City guide, Steven Kurutz of the New York Times , noted that Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe, a restaurant rated highly by other American guides (the New York Times and Zagat Survey), received a no star-rating from the guide. However, Kurutz also noted that the restaurant was included in the guide and received positive mention for its ambiance, and that two other restaurants owned by Meyer did receive stars. Kurutz also claimed the guide appeared to favour restaurants that "emphasised formality and presentation" rather than a "casual approach to fine dining", for which the Union Square Cafe is famous. However, he also claimed that over half of the restaurants that received one or two stars "could be considered French".
Further reading
- Trois étoiles au Michelin: Une histoire de la haute gastronomie française et européenne , by Jean-François Mesplède and Alain Ducasse, ISBN 2-7000-2468-0. Follows the 60-odd chefs who have been awarded three stars.
- The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine , by Rudolph Chelminski, ISBN 9780141021935. The story of Bernard Loiseau.
See also
- Category:Michelin Guide starred restaurants and chefs – a category containing articles about Michelin starred restaurants and chefs.
- Zagat Survey
- Gault Millau
References
- ^ Tokyo shines with 227 Michelin stars
- ^ Michelin Gives Stars, but Tokyo Turns Up Nose nytimes.com . Retrieved on February 24, 2008.
- ^ Connolly, Kate (2008-12-17). "German woman appointed as editor of Michelin Guide". The Guardian . http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/17/foodanddrink-germany . Retrieved 2008-12-20 .
- ^ Schofield, Hugh (2008-12-20). "German woman edits Michelin guide". BBC News . http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7792384.stm . Retrieved 2008-12-20 . ...
Michelin Red Guide | Food Guide Brands | Crisis Management ...
Michelin Red Guide - cooked -- Joe Ray ... A Michelin rating is "still a badge of honor for a chef," says Paris-based Patricia Wells ... already has a three-star Michelin restaurant ...
Michelin Guide Food Recipes, - by Provence Beyond
The French edition of the Michelin Red Guide, the most revered and the most feared of the world famous restaurant guides, is ... The 2006 Michelin Guide (for France) comes out on the ...
Michelin Guide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New York City 2006 First Michelin Red Guide ... to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide ... 25,000 and Paris's 13,000. [2]) A guide for ...
Still No Michelin Three Star Restaurant in Los Angeles; Las Vegas ...
The presentation of each hotel and restaurant in the MICHELIN guide Los ... France and the MICHELIN guide Paris. The MICHELIN guide's ... Win Four-Star Award / November 2006.
TripAtlas.com - About Michelin_Guide
... by default to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin ... October 2006 Press Release on Michelin Guide San ...
Michelin guide rates Tokyo chefs high - Yahoo! News
Michelin THE RED GUIDE Paris. Michelin. The presentation of each hotel and restaurant in the Michelin Guide Los Angeles ... Michelin Paris 2006 Guide Results. In "La article on the new ...
Amazon.com: Michelin Red Guide 2008 France: Restaurants & Hotels ...
Amazon.com: Michelin Red Guide 2008 ... recent, 1st trip to Paris, we relied heavily on the Michelin guide ... Michelin is the undisputed king of restaurant and hotel review, especially ...
Amazon.com: Michelin Red Guide 2006 France: Hotels & Restaurants ...
Amazon.com: Michelin Red Guide 2006 ... new -276 Bib Hotel, of which 32 are new -Price: €24, including VAT - The Michelin Guide France 2006 ... Hotels (Michelin Red Guide: Paris) 5.0 ...
San Francisco Restaurants: The Michelin Guide
... has a bigger job than Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide, Europe's venerable red hotel and restaurant ... Q Is a star in San Francisco the same as a star in Paris? A ...