The restaurant with the most Michelin stars. Michelin Guide: everything you need to know about the world's "star" restaurants and why they are not in Russia
Listen! After all, if the stars are lit, it means that someone needs it? So - someone wants them to be?
Rumors have been around for a long time around Michelin stars. Who are these "astrologers"? How do they do it? Michelin car tires and Michelin Red Guide from the same company? And there are many other questions that may arise immediately. Let's try to put everything on the shelves and answer each question. So…
Rating criteria
From the point of view of the guide, the atmosphere, service, interior and price niche are all secondary to the food served. The guide does not cover "trendy" establishments and restaurants without signature cuisine (that is, without a chef).
It is known that often stars are awarded to chefs, not restaurants, so the chef can leave and "take" his star to another restaurant.
How Michelin stars are awarded
The company first observes and investigates. Michelin has been studying regions, countries or cities for many years, how they change, what is new, what is fashionable. The company also analyzes places - restaurants that may not be on the list of popular or visited places, but it may decide that these places are worthy of being included in the guide.
Observation consists of detailed research. For the most part, blogs provide a wealth of information. It comes from both ordinary visitors and well-known critics. The company's specialists review culinary publications on the Internet and daily browse newspapers in large cities in various regions. All of this helps you stay on top of restaurant news, gastronomic trends, key restaurants, and fresh critical views.
The company also receives letters from the most readers of the guides. All, without exception, readers - the first and main customers, can express their opinion - they also listen to it.
How it goes
Michelin anonymous inspectors usually come to the restaurant without notice, usually during lunch or dinner, when the attendance is highest. This makes it possible to evaluate the work of the staff and the dish itself: starting from serving, serving size, taste, etc.
Critics pay attention to everything, even the musical accompaniment, and also take into account the visual assessment of the satisfaction of other restaurant customers. But the first and most important thing is the dishes from the chef of the investigated restaurant.
Cuisine is key here: the quality of ingredients, high-tech cooking, the very compilation of the restaurant menu and the drinks list.
Anonymity is essential. Usually the inspector reserves a table under a pseudonym. Nobody knows about his appearance in order to get the clearest honest impressions from the kitchen in this way.
At the end of the lunch, the Michelin inspector, like all visitors, pays for lunch: no bonuses, no identity disclosure, and so on.
A detailed report is prepared after each trip. In in It contains detailed reflections on the quality of products, cooking time, aesthetic appearance of the dish, taste sensations, as well as the general atmosphere of the establishment.
The full report consists of a table of classifications, with an explanation of all items: food, food, comfort and other characteristics, based on international standards. All factual data are also checked, such as: address, exact stop of public transport / metro, or other specific amenities and even parking.
From the history
The Michelin Red Le Guide Rouge, sometimes also referred to as the "Red Guide", is the most famous and influential of restaurant ratings at the moment. The guide has been published since 1900. The first guide was published by André Michelin, one of the founders of Michelin.
The guide was originally a list of various places that a traveler might find useful: hotels, repair shops, eateries, or paid and free parking lots.
Initially, the "red guide" was distributed free of charge and had a very moderate demand. In 1920, the guide began to be sold for a moderate fee, and at the same time, a rating of restaurants was added to it - according to their prices. Thus, restaurants with high prices were marked with one star - like a flower. In 1926, the rating criteria changed, and since then the star next to the restaurant's name began to mean excellent cuisine.
If a restaurant has one MICHELIN star, this is a very serious award.
Two stars - the restaurant's dishes can already be regarded as works of art.
MICHELIN STARS
- a very good restaurant in its category (meaning the type of cuisine).
The guide is issued for the following European countries: France, Austria, Benelux (one guide), Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal (one guide), Switzerland, Great Britain and Ireland (one guide).
There are separate guides for New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka (one guide), Hong Kong and Macau (one guide), Paris (however, the same restaurants as in the French guide), London and the main cities of Europe (Main Cities of Europe).
The Tokyo Guide, which began publishing in 2008, immediately ranked the Japanese capital as the first Michelin-starred gourmet city. Tokyo took this title from Paris, ahead of the latter in the number of total stars by 93 (191 against 98).
The first restaurant to achieve three stars in the UK was Gordon Ramsay, owned and chefed by Scottish-born Gordon Ramsay.
In 2003, the book “L’inspecteur se met à table” was published by Remy Pascal, who worked for many years as a Michelin inspector, in which he opened the veil of secrecy and told how, for example, stars are awarded and how they are taken away. Remy admitted that he would advise gourmets to eat in restaurants with one or two stars, and not in three-star, as "true talent is revealed in the struggle." The book sparked outrage from the company, and Pascal was immediately fired.
The mere fact of mentioning a restaurant in the Red Guide, even without being awarded a star, is a recognition of the chef's skill and can serve as a powerful impetus to commercial success.
At the same time, restaurants do not have the right to indicate or somehow mention the number of Michelin stars awarded to them.
The company's policy is that the client can find out about the number of stars only from the guide himself; in case of disregard of this rule, the company reserves the right to exclude the restaurant from the rating.
The incident with the French chef Bernard Loiseau, who committed suicide amid rumors of a possible decrease in the rating of his restaurant from three to two stars, received special publicity in society. After the fact, it turned out that Michelin did not plan to change the restaurant's rating, as well as the fact that Loiseau suffered from manic-depressive psychosis.
Michelin Green Guide
There is also a Michelin Green Guide, which is a return to the original version of the 1900 guide. In these Michelin guides, you can find many sights of cities, plan your vacation correctly so as not to miss a single cultural, and most importantly, gastronomic value.
In the world of haute cuisine, a lot revolves around such symbolic, but such pragmatically important stars - stars that are periodically awarded to restaurants by the Michelin Red Guide.
Restaurateurs and restaurant critics often refer to this guide's ratings as illusion, "amorphous grading" and "naked subjectivity, but for over 110 years, establishments with at least one Michelin star have enjoyed incredible commercial success.
The famous Gordon Ramsay has been fighting for this success for years (his restaurant in Scotland has 3 stars), the hero of the series "Kitchen" - the chef Barinov is trying with all his might to "get" the first cherished star for his establishment, and the character of Louis de Funes Chaschel parodies the entire rating system in the film "Wing or Leg".
Michelin is a great brand, it's hard to argue.
"Star advantage"
Of course, in the 2000s, a certain “Michelin accessibility” became apparent. Despite the fact that the criteria for the distribution of stars are still unknown, “marked” establishments appear in different countries of the world, professional recipes from Michelin-starred chefs differ in cookbooks and Internet sites, and the total number of people who have touched such haute cuisine , begins to number in the millions.
But Michelin has its own trump card. One and two stars are good and great restaurants worthy of a visit and a mention, but high-end gastronomy fans do not cross the oceans for them, but for the “ingenious” and “outstanding” dishes that only restaurants with a maximum three Michelin star rating can offer!
There are only 11 countries in the world where there are such restaurants; and France, of course, is unrivaled - as of 2013, there were 26 three-star restaurants. Almost the same as in all other countries combined.
And these establishments are completely different from each other. It is believed that for the highest rating a restaurant must have an "absorbing" authentic flavor and unforgettable cuisine.
For decades, restaurateurs have been struggling with the mystery of awarding three Michelin stars, and we tried to figure out what “in general” are interesting for these unique establishments in different countries of the world.
Belgium
There is only one three-star restaurant in this country. But what a! The Hof van Cleve restaurant is a real farm estate, where literally everything is saturated with the aromas of haute European cuisine.
The guide points out that the Belgian establishment amazes with the combination of simplicity of recipes with an amazing depth of understanding of the structure of the dish. And, of course, with an incredibly bright and memorable presentation.
France
This country is the queen of Michelin. And Paris is her main favorite. The capital of the world's culinary arts has 11 three-star restaurants, another 14 in the provinces and one in Monaco.
Each institution is unique to the point of genius. And world-renowned chefs work in them - they not only turn cooking into art, but, as they often say, begin to create even at the stage of relationship with the product.
There is no point in talking about such a cuisine - you have to try, study, analyze it. This sometimes takes decades.
Germany
In the "center" of the European Union, the "Red Guide" most often marks either restaurants of local cuisine or highly adapted establishments of international cuisine.
There are six top-rated restaurants in Germany. For example, the food at Waldhotel Sonnora is an odd yet sophisticated mix of seafood with typical German flavors. One of the most popular dishes is white fish with spicy fennel and vegetables.
Italy
Local three-star restaurants are located in the largest cities of the country - Rome, Milan, Florence. And there it is, as Russian classics wrote, real culinary temples, which cannot be immediately distinguished from a gallery or a museum.
In general, Italian haute cuisine can be called experimental - chefs are looking for an alternative to traditional Mediterranean cuisine. They try to combine seafood with "northern" vegetables, change the basic recipes of sauces, create completely new trends.
Spain
The capital of the Spanish Michelin is the center of the Basque Country, the city of San Sebastian, a real culinary Mecca. There are three restaurants with the highest rating (per 190 thousand population).
Tourists, restaurateurs and show hosts from all over the world come there for crazy eclectic food. There you can taste haute cuisine with Spanish and Basque accents: jamon and melon, fish and hot sauces, vegetable paella, beef steaks and much more.
Switzerland
The flagship of the Swiss restaurant business is the Le Pont de Brent restaurant. This is an appetizer place where you will be served a wide variety of salads, canapes, hot and cold "julienne", as well as chilled seafood dishes.
Another three-star restaurant - "Hotel de ville" is located in the chateau, high in the mountains. This is a real haven for businessmen and oligarchs who order dishes from meat soaked in precious red wine and rare "winter" desserts there.
Great Britain
The country of conservatives has significantly departed from this title in the field of haute cuisine. All three British restaurants are an unusual format for the European-American culinary tradition.
For example, the Fat Duck restaurant is a cozy English "house", where, nevertheless, the main emphasis is on molecular cuisine.
USA
America, on the other hand, has never hidden its passion for innovation. Three restaurants in New York and one in Napa Valley are avant-garde establishments, where chefs are looking for new enchanting combinations of familiar and unusual products every day in classic interiors.
Perhaps, only in the Michelin-starred restaurants in the USA you will be served crab with green peas, and shrimp with violets and pumpkin sauce.
China
This country is just beginning its journey in the world of Michelin haute cuisine. And in mainland China there are no three-star restaurants yet - they are located only in Hong Kong and Macau.
But these establishments are interesting in that they represent cuisine that is unusual for Europeans - Cantonese and East Asian with "Portuguese-British tones".
Rumor has it that by 2030, China can easily overtake Spain and Germany in terms of the number of such establishments.
Japan
A unique culinary country. All nine Japanese three-star restaurants are located in the capital, Tokyo.
The Land of the Rising Sun fell in love with Michelin specialists because of the non-standard and simplicity of their cuisine. In addition, critics appreciated the age-old cooking traditions, as well as the serving of ready-made meals.
Japanese establishments are characterized by maximum external asceticism with an incredible "semantic" content of the dishes. Of course, seafood is especially popular.
There are “pillars of land” in the world: the Eiffel Tower, Red Square, Fujiyama, Taj Mahal. Having visited something like this once, a person remembers what he sees for life.
It's the same story with restaurants that have received three stars from the Michelin Red Guide. It is impossible to forget this. In addition, here you can not only see the "attraction", but also try.
:: You may be interested in other culinary publications.
Our editorial office received more than 1000 requests, with questions on the same topic: are there Michelin restaurants in Moscow and other Russian cities, what establishments and how many stars do they have? Can I get a list or catalog?
Dear Michelinfood Readers
Helene Darroze (Helene Darroz)
In 2012, in Russia, in the city of Moscow, a restaurant with three Michelin stars, the famous French chef Helene Darroz, was opened, the restaurant itself is located on Malaya Nikitinskaya 25. This is Helene's third restaurant, the other two are located in France.
The successful lady is ranked 5th most influential female chef. As the star herself says, in her plans there was never a goal to open a restaurant in Russia, but alas, that was the fate, they made me a tempting offer, an offer from which I could not refuse, which Helen did not specify.
The building of the restaurant looks like an old mansion, and for an establishment of this level and specificity, this is an excellent option.
The banquet hall has a very prestigious atmosphere, carved from expensive wood, warm colors in the interior create a feeling of luxury and home comfort.
Tasting menu 225 euros.
Average bill in a restaurant is 225 euros.
The address:
st. Malaya Nikitinskaya 25, Moscow, Russia.
Working hours:
Restaurant - daily from 12.00 to 00.00.
Phone: +7 495 229 01 09 (reservation), +7 495 726 55 45.
Photo gallery
For the first time, a brochure with useful information for Michelin sales representatives and at the same time for all travelers appeared in 1900 - then it was free and not very useful. The publication started its journey to the most authoritative restaurant guide only in 1920, when the rating of catering establishments was added to it, however, they were ranked exclusively by price.
In 1926, restaurants began to be rated and awarded "stars" according to many criteria, giving the main role, of course, to the quality and taste of food. After a few years, the rating system was improved and two more star levels were added. Since then, the classification has never changed, the formulation of the 30s is still relevant today.
* - just a very good restaurant in its niche (as a rule, it means the type of cuisine)
** - excellent cuisine, for the sake of lunch here it makes sense to adjust the travel route
*** - great work of a chef, the restaurant deserves a separate trip to it
These restaurants, especially European ones, need to register. In some, the queue goes a year in advance, and in the coming months it is impossible to get to dinner.
Michelin guides today
Let's make a reservation right away, we are talking only about Michelin's "Red Guides", only they have a rating of restaurants and detailed reviews. Not to be confused with "Green Guides" - these are ordinary sightseeing guides, no better and no worse than many analogues.
"Red Guides" are not published for all countries and cities. Critics themselves explain this by the fact that it is pointless to look for truly outstanding cuisine where there are no certified organic local and seasonal products, and where there is no local gastronomic school with high standards.
Alas, the "attentive reader" has already guessed which country we are talking about, and where Michelin experts cannot be lured by any Tula gingerbread and Baikal omul.
List of countries with 3-star restaurants
The record-breaking country for the number of "star" restaurants is France, the city is Tokyo.
We advise you to pay attention, in some countries, for example, in Norway, there are few restaurants with a rating or one at all, and those are only in the capitals. Therefore, Michelin annually publishes a single guide "The main cities of Europe" - they are all there, there is no guide for each country.
Product face
And now the most important thing - we have selected 15 restaurants awarded 3 stars, which we found the most interesting in different parts of the world. Nearly all locations offer a 'set meal', if the term applies to restaurants of the level, seasonal produce, that best reveals the skill of the chef and the richness of the local culinary tradition.
De Karmeliet, Bruges, Belgium
The restrained, but not emphasized austere interior, and the green summer veranda are conducive to gastronomic experiments at any time of the year, without distracting guests to unnecessary details. Chefs try not only to prepare national Belgian dishes of high quality, but often invent something completely new, leaving grandmother's recipes far behind.
Tasting menu: 140/195 € (with wine).
Restaurant website: www.dekarmeliet.b e
DeLibrije, Zwolle, Netherlands
The style of this establishment ... is absent, or, as it is now called - "fusion style", that is, mixing everything with everything. This is true both for the interior and for the kitchen - the chef knows how to surprise.
Tasting menu: 110 €
Restaurant website: www.librije.com
Meurice, Paris, France
Such places are usually called pretentious, although luxury here does not seem gaudy. The perfectly executed interior of a classic restaurant from the past with starched tablecloths, carved furniture, crystal and silverware puts a little pressure on the solemn atmosphere, but in such an entourage it is not so pity to pay an impressive bill.
Tasting menu: 380 €
Restaurant website: www.dorchestercollection.com
GuySavoy, Paris, France
Fine haute cuisine in its purest form: unrivaled chef's talent + the best products of the season + a relaxed atmosphere. By the way, this is one of the few world-class restaurants where the menu is dubbed in Russian.
Tasting menu: 390 €
Restaurant website: www.guysavoy.com
PaulBocuse, Lyon, France
Of course, any 3-star restaurant completely depends on the personality of the chef, but here this person is a legend. Actually, this restaurant is named after one of the most famous chefs of the 20th century, Paul Bocuse. Grandpa is under ninety, but he is still the best.
Tasting menu: 155 - 250 €
Restaurant website: www.bocuse.fr
OlivierRoellinger, Cancale, France
The main ingredient on the menu is seafood and especially local oysters. The northern coast of France is rich in delicacies, but the chef in this restaurant turns them into real works of art, using, as he himself says, "the moon and the wind."
Tasting menu: 139 €
Restaurant website: www.maisons-de-bricourt.com
WaldhotelSonnora, Wittlich, Germany
A restaurant at a country estate in a German province is almost a “friendly” establishment. This place perfectly illustrates the phrase from the guide about "a separate trip": the nature itself, the exquisite old park, the light calm architecture of the hotel make the experience of excellent continental cuisine so valuable.
Tasting menu: 149 - 179 €
Restaurant website: www.hotel-sonnora.de
Schwartzwaldstube, Baiersborn, Germany
You can not even talk about the cuisine and service, 3 Michelin stars are not given just like that, we only note that the menu has a slight emphasis on the traditional German "hunting cuisine". This is understandable, because very close to the famous Black Forest - one of the most beautiful and large-scale natural attractions in Germany.
Tasting menu: none
Restaurant website: www.traube-tonbach.de
EnoteccaPiniciorri, Florence, Italy
The restaurant team skillfully combines the achievements of European continental cuisine and the classics of Tuscany. And the first word in the name speaks for itself - here they will choose wine for any dish that will maximize the dignity of the food.
Tasting menu: 200 €
Restaurant website: www.enotecapinchiorri.it
Dal Pescatore, Milan, Italy
The institution is in many ways unusual: firstly, the restaurant specializes in seafood, although Milan, as you know, is deep on the mainland, and secondly, it is a trattoria, that is, a place that is democratic in style and atmosphere. And thirdly, the whole team of chefs is one big family in the literal sense - several generations of Santini have been working since 1925 to keep the brand up to 3 stars.
Tasting menu: 200 €
Restaurant website: www.dalpescatore.com
CarmeRuscalleda'sSantPau, Sant Pol de Mar, Spain
The cuisine of this restaurant can be described in one word - freshness. This idea is suggested by light Mediterranean snacks, fruits and vegetables from local farmers and the very logic of the organization of the space - an open, not cramped space that turns into a green garden.
Tasting menu: 149 €
Restaurant website: www.ruscalleda.com
Akelare, San Sebastian, Spain
The Basque Country differs from the rest of Spain not only in language but also in its culinary school. At Akelare, you can discover unique and ancient recipes by looking at the waters of the Bay of Biscay from the coastal mountain. Most of the plant products in the restaurant are from their own farm, which was organized back in the 1980s. You can not even mention the highest quality of products from there - this is an obvious fact.
Tasting menu: 155 €
Restaurant website: www.akelarre.net
French Laundry, Napa Valley, United States
To make the restaurant so successful, it was necessary to combine the two main passions of Americans - love for food and love for seemingly small details. Incredibly cozy and even exaggeratedly homey, the French Laundromat restaurant, although in many ways resembles old Europe, still has not done without the scrupulous attitude to customers typical for the USA: the menu is updated every day, and a significant part of it is vegetarian dishes.
Tasting menu: $ 295
Restaurant website: www.frenchlaundry.com
Lung King Heen, Hong Kong
Asian food is exotic and delicious, but at the same time it is often associated with street eateries, where the standards of hygiene and cooking technologies have not even been heard. That is why it is doubly interesting to try it in a completely different quality of performance - the LungKingHeen restaurant is located in a Fourseasons hotel, which means that the quality and service are at their best.
Tasting menu: 1080HKD (135 $)
Restaurant website: www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/lung_king_heen
Hamadaya, Tokyo, Japan
Fortunately, fine Japanese cuisine is not limited to rolls, on the contrary, here it is somewhere in the back of the menu. On the other hand, other traditional dishes, modified by experienced and maniacally neat chefs in everything, do not resemble anything familiar to Europeans at all. Plus, the restaurant's interior is one of the most authentic in Tokyo: stones, dwarf plants and the murmur of water in fountains - everything is as it should be in real Japan, but in a noisy Moscow sushi bar.
Tasting Menu: ¥ 25,000 ($ 240)
Restaurant website: www.hamadaya.info
