It’s been 305 days since I first wrote about the red guide coming to New York City, and now I have finally the book in hand. In hindsight, the race for the story was much more exhilarating than the actual results.
The contents of the first American book have been sufficiently dissected, assessed and dissed this week by food writers around the world. Amidst the avalanche of coverage, what can I add?
The book purports to be a selection of the best 502 restaurants in all five boroughs. It is not the list I would have compiled, but then I am not a Frenchman trained in the wiles of the inspection process.
You may ask: why did it take Michelin so long to get here? Is Gotham just now reaching the red guide’s standards? Consider Le Bernardin’s uninterrupted, 19-year reign of New York Times four-star excellence. Theoretically, they could have gotten trois macaron back in 1986. My guess is, it’s the corporate mantra of expand or perish, and make new books for new markets. How many diners (and potential tire buyers) are there in America? Add the fact that it’s been widely reported that European chefs have been less and less enthused about the stars (nay some have tried to return them), given the increasing financial impossibilities of achieving and maintaining the top ratings. So let’s ship Bibendum to the new world.
Of course the hot topic is: What relevance does Michelin have here? That will not be determined this week. The impact can only be judged over time. Michelin publishes annually. Will business have increased for those with stars? What are the demotions, promotions, deletions and additions? How many people will go to the party next year? How about 10 years from now?
I happened to see le maître, chef Paul Bocuse, on Wednesday afternoon. Circo, it seems, was the place to lunch before the main event. When asked if he was in town for the Michelin, and he nodded, mais oui. And what did he think of the stars? “Yes it’s very exciting,” but then he looked away with a small frown and said “but we are sad for Daniel.” Then he shrugged, “You know the Michelin, it’s very complicated.” Then he turned and, with a smile, said, “You know, I have had my stars for 41 years.”
Is Michelin relevant? Let’s see whose stars are still standing in the 2047 guide.
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