Cooking
Ok, so I've finally gotten a chance to really dive into the Michelin Guide San Francisco: Bay Area and Wine Country 2007 and I now have a bit more of an opinion. While most critics and bloggers are focusing on the issue of "who got how many stars" I think there is a bigger issue at stake.
Having perused the book I can't believe how many restaurants were passed over. And not passed over for stars, passed over for any listing at all. I know they limit themselves to only 356 restaurants but they left out so many great places that we in the Bay Area love--neighborhood places like Kiss, Plouf, Destino, Luna Park, Coco500, Last Supper Club, Antica Trattoria, Kappa, Mama's, Kate's Kitchen, Okoze, Maya, Jai Yun. This is just a short list of places that are conspicuously missing. And to me these are restaurants that reflect the Bay Area.
The criticism that somehow the guide missed the "essence of the Bay Area" I think is fair. We have our own standards for what is great food and those shouldn't be ignored. It's worth taking a look at which restaurants are popular and more importantly, why. Many trends across the country begin here in part because of our location, and because we have fantastic quality ingredients and passionate chefs.
I think when people come here they should step off the beaten track, some of the best food is hidden and takes some effort to find, whether you are an "inspector" or a tourist. I won't go into detail about the restaurants that were included and ought not to have been, but suffice it to say, there were plenty. It's a shame Michelin can't help point people to those buried treasures but instead ends up at the same old haunts. People are bound to discover great places to eat here, but perusing the Michelin is not the best way to do that.
My favorite guides to date are San Francisco Food Lover's Guide by Patricia Unterman and The Slow Food Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area (I am also a fan of the restaurant reviews on Yelp).
UPDATE: Hat's off to Michael Bauer for delving even deeper, and discovering glaring inaccuracies in the actual restaurant descriptions. I noticed a couple but not near as many as he caught. It really does call in to question whether or not the inspectors actually did visit each and every restaurant....
FOOD
- San Francisco Michelin 2016
It’s been ten years since the Michelin guide arrived in San Francisco (and I started writing about it!) so I guess it’s the right time for reflection. Ten years ago the stars seemed to go to very predictable and somewhat French-inspired restaurants....
- Michelin San Francisco And The Bay Area 2007
So here's the big news. Michelin's first West coast guide and the second in the United States will be released in October of this year. The Guide will cover hotels and restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley, as well as...
- Zagat Survey
It's that time again. If you register with Zagat, then rate three or more San Francisco restaurants, you will receive a free copy of their popular guidebook. The survey has been streamlined this year and it's much easier to fill out. This year...
- San Francisco Food Lover's Guide: Review
You might have noticed all my caveats about the Zagat Survey the other day. I have none to report for the fourth edition of Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Guide. As the last edition did, this one shall sit right next to the Zagat...
- Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Guide:book
I remember reading "The Food Lovers Guide to Paris" by Patricia Wells back in the early 1980's. It was a revelation to me. Someone who knew and loved food so well took the time to catalog all the best places in Paris for eating and shopping for food....
Cooking
Michelin Missed the Mark
Ok, so I've finally gotten a chance to really dive into the Michelin Guide San Francisco: Bay Area and Wine Country 2007 and I now have a bit more of an opinion. While most critics and bloggers are focusing on the issue of "who got how many stars" I think there is a bigger issue at stake.
Having perused the book I can't believe how many restaurants were passed over. And not passed over for stars, passed over for any listing at all. I know they limit themselves to only 356 restaurants but they left out so many great places that we in the Bay Area love--neighborhood places like Kiss, Plouf, Destino, Luna Park, Coco500, Last Supper Club, Antica Trattoria, Kappa, Mama's, Kate's Kitchen, Okoze, Maya, Jai Yun. This is just a short list of places that are conspicuously missing. And to me these are restaurants that reflect the Bay Area.
The criticism that somehow the guide missed the "essence of the Bay Area" I think is fair. We have our own standards for what is great food and those shouldn't be ignored. It's worth taking a look at which restaurants are popular and more importantly, why. Many trends across the country begin here in part because of our location, and because we have fantastic quality ingredients and passionate chefs.
I think when people come here they should step off the beaten track, some of the best food is hidden and takes some effort to find, whether you are an "inspector" or a tourist. I won't go into detail about the restaurants that were included and ought not to have been, but suffice it to say, there were plenty. It's a shame Michelin can't help point people to those buried treasures but instead ends up at the same old haunts. People are bound to discover great places to eat here, but perusing the Michelin is not the best way to do that.
My favorite guides to date are San Francisco Food Lover's Guide by Patricia Unterman and The Slow Food Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area (I am also a fan of the restaurant reviews on Yelp).
UPDATE: Hat's off to Michael Bauer for delving even deeper, and discovering glaring inaccuracies in the actual restaurant descriptions. I noticed a couple but not near as many as he caught. It really does call in to question whether or not the inspectors actually did visit each and every restaurant....
FOOD
- San Francisco Michelin 2016
It’s been ten years since the Michelin guide arrived in San Francisco (and I started writing about it!) so I guess it’s the right time for reflection. Ten years ago the stars seemed to go to very predictable and somewhat French-inspired restaurants....
- Michelin San Francisco And The Bay Area 2007
So here's the big news. Michelin's first West coast guide and the second in the United States will be released in October of this year. The Guide will cover hotels and restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley, as well as...
- Zagat Survey
It's that time again. If you register with Zagat, then rate three or more San Francisco restaurants, you will receive a free copy of their popular guidebook. The survey has been streamlined this year and it's much easier to fill out. This year...
- San Francisco Food Lover's Guide: Review
You might have noticed all my caveats about the Zagat Survey the other day. I have none to report for the fourth edition of Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Guide. As the last edition did, this one shall sit right next to the Zagat...
- Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Guide:book
I remember reading "The Food Lovers Guide to Paris" by Patricia Wells back in the early 1980's. It was a revelation to me. Someone who knew and loved food so well took the time to catalog all the best places in Paris for eating and shopping for food....