First Michelin California guide awards new stars
Michelin’s first California-wide guide has seen 90 restaurants awarded stars, from Los Angeles to Mendocino County via San Francisco and Napa Valley.
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Six new Los Angeles restaurants made the two-star list in the Michelin California guide for 2019, said the French company.
Michelin said it was the first time it has produced a California-only guide, which also includes updates on its San Francisco 2019 recommendations – only published seven months ago.
San Francisco dominated the new three-star list, as shown below, with Saison the only restaurant in the city demoted from three stars to two in the new guide.
The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood, both in Napa Valley, retained their three-star ratings.
Twenty-seven restaurants across the Golden State got a star for the first time, including 18 in LA and one for Harbor House Inn just off Highway 1 up in Mendocino County.
There was also a first star for Sacramento, thanks to chef Kelly McCown’s The Kitchen.
A total of 657 restaurants across California achieved a Michelin recommendation, including the 90 establishments with stars.
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Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said. ‘California’s trendsetting, laid-back and health-conscious culinary scene continues to boom, and as a result is an amazing showcase for the great local produce.’
The three-star restaurants in the new Michelin California guide are:
- Atelier Crenn
- Benu
- The French Laundry
- Manresa
- Quince
- The Restaurant at Meadowood
- SingleThread
Michelin said that the six new Los Angeles restaurants joining the two-star list were:
- chef Niki Nakayama’s n/naka kaiseki restaurant in Culver City;
- Michael Cimarusti’s seafood-driven Providence in Hollywood;
- Aitor Zabala and José Andrés’s Somni inside the SLS Beverly Hills;
- Sushi Ginza Onodera in West Hollywood;
- Urasawa, which inspectors deem ‘an exemplary sushi temple’ in Beverly Hills;
- and chef Jordan Kahn’s highly-innovative Vespertine in Culver City
See the full list of starred restaurants in California on the Michelin website here.
See also: Beaucastel and Lafaurie-Peyraguey owners see stars in Michelin France guide for 2019
Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.
He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.
Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.
Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.