In addition to the three stars awarded to the French Laundry,
other wine country restaurants also did quite well in the Michelin
ratings. Cyrus in Healdsburg received two stars—and was one
of only four restaurants in the entire Bay area that received that
rating. Michelin also awarded 23 San Francisco Bay area restaurants
one star, a third of which were in wine country. Napa Valley has
four, one-star restaurants: Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon, La Touqe and
Terra. In Sonoma Valley, three restaurants were awarded one star:
Dry Creek Kitchen, Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant and K&L Bistro.
Not surprisingly, the release of the Michelin Guide touched off a wave of controversy.
Some felt that Michelin slighted the Bay Area since it awarded stars to only
28 restaurants. However, others noted that the Michelin’s New York City
Guide only awarded stars to 39 restaurants, and that New York has a far greater
number of restaurants than San Francisco. Some complained about errors in the
description of the restaurants, which no doubt will be cleared up in the next
edition of the guide.
At this point the jury is still out on the impact that Michelin will have on San Francisco and Wine Country dining. Bay Area residents are extremely passionate about food and love their favorite restaurants. Moreover, hometown restaurant critics are extremely influential, and it is likely that a reviewer such as Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle will have a far greater impact on Bay Area dining habits than the anonymous inspectors that awarded the Michelin stars. Additionally, the Zagat guide to Bay Area restaurants is also quite popular in San Francisco, and like Michelin, relies on a rating system to rank restaurants. Zagat’s ratings are a compilation of the tastes of actual diners (not professional critics) who contribute to the guide, and ultimately may be more reflective of popular taste and preference.
However, if you are serious about food, you should at least consult the Michelin Red Guide in making your dining decisions. This is not to say the Guide is infallible or that its judgments are superior to those of other critics or to your own taste. However, what the Michelin guide does is establish a standard of excellence in dining that is extremely difficult to attain. Some may complain that that standard has too much of French accent and does not reflect the diversity in Bay Area dining, but by giving chefs a reason to reach for the stars, the Michelin Guide can only contribute to higher levels of dining in the San Francisco Bay Area.
For a Complete List of Wine Country Michelin Restaurants with Phone Numbers, click here