Decanter World Wine AwardsYountville 'highest Michelin star concentration in world'
- Friday 5 November 2010
French Laundry: three stars for fifth year running
Overall, the Napa Valley has cemented its reputation as a culinary hotspot with the award of a third Michelin star to The Restaurant at Meadowood resort in St Helena.
The Yountville haul includes three stars for the French Laundry for the fifth successive year, plus single stars for Bouchon, Redd and Etoile at Domaine Chandon.
Bottega restaurant and Bistro Jeanty, also in Yountville, are two new winners in the Bib Gourmand category – also known as ‘Inspectors’ Favourites for Good Value’.
Describing the area as ‘one of the world’s most diverse culinary regions’, the new guide names 519 restaurants, awarding three stars to French Laundry and Meadowood, and two each to Coi, Cyrus and Manresa.
A total of 39 restaurants win single stars, 11 of them for the first time, but one high-profile venue, Alice Walters’ Chez Panisse, has lost its star.
‘San Francisco is famed for its diversity – its people, its politics, its scenery and of course its food,’ said Jean-Luc Naret, Michelin Guides director.
‘The Bay Area is also a particularly fertile farming region. There is so much to choose from – we spend a full year studying this region to produce our guide and the effort is immensely satisfying.
‘This is quite simply one of the finest culinary regions in the world.’
Publication of the guide follows the launch of The Michelin Guide New York 2011 on 6 October. Michelin’s first ever guide to Chicago will be published on 17 November.
Have your say!
Michael Cuddy
September 02 18:04
I have been trying constantly to book a table, without success, in Harrods for 6 No. people on Saturday 1st October 2011 when you will reconstruct the Napa Valley restaurant. Is there another way of booking.
Sarah
November 10 15:23
San Sebastien in Spain has a fair few too.
Tom Pavlovic
November 09 23:51
Fat Duck, of course, incredible, in each of our 4 visits. Waterside Inn a comfortable second choice, though not similary worth a journey. Having been multiple times to all those just far mentioned, French Laundry the only near rival, and Chez Panisse long overdue to drop the star.
I would rather have multiple nights at The Fat Duck, or in Lyon, than in Yountville.
Philip Hicks
November 09 04:19
How about,"I don't give a Fat *uck! I have a feeling that the whiners, and there will be many from both sides of the pond, will continue to complain. We all have great places to enjoy wonderful food without stars.