Michelin is a group of people employed by Michelin. I simply opine that the Michelin system is a poor fit for L.A. And absolutely, everyone can share their thoughts.
It’s inevitable that the Michelin ratings are coming to LA, no matter whether lil’ ol’ me likes it or not. And hey, many decent chefs in this town may get some needed business (either from locals or tourists) by “Michelin-izing” their eateries. It’s not all bad, I suppose.
Heck, I might even show up at the Michelin star revelation ceremony to celebrate the triumphal entry of the conquering army, lol. Gonna take the high road for the remainder of this thread. Carry on…
My bet is discussion will die down somewhat once we can no longer speculate on the guide’s contents.
I didn’t spend six months in France learning how to spend three hours documenting my meals, when I write about them I don’t have a boss in France who gets the last word, and I think ranking restaurants is nitwittery.
If you don’t want Michelin to succeed in LA, I suggest perhaps not commenting on this thread and not talking about it social media. I see so many people critiquing Michelin picks on social media, not realizing that they are generating so much publicity and helping Michelin through that. If no one talks about the Michelin selection, they won’t have any credibility, and then that’s the end of them.
Would it help to point out to sffood that robert is also from the Bay Area? Perhaps that would lessen the “someone from L.A.” vs. “someone from San Francisco” bickering that is sadly common?
I think we’re venturing down that road again where it deteriorates into someone giving and taking offense. Let’s just treat it like when we text our parents. More “~” and “!” so that they don’t take it the wrong way. I want my baby back baby back baby back~
Dead horse beating: I don’t depend on the Michelin guide, but I do rely on it pretty heavily when travelling out of the country/city and can only stop by one or two places. It’s an invaluable tool regardless of how you feel about its practices. Maybe not Angelinos (enos?) in LA, but definitely so for people visiting~
Part of its popularity is definitely the drama behind the guide and the mystique of its archaic practices~
I think the conversation will shift to who did and did not deserve the stars. I also think we will have a different chasm of people rallying behind their own favorite restaurants in support.
I bet there are people who will turn and hate the guide because they don’t get a star, or a restaurant that currently isn’t a fan but will love the guide after they get starred. Fickle bunch humans are~
Those who need someone else to validate their dining choices, preferably with a source of international renown, hashtag friendly (#michelin#michelinguide#michelinstar#3stars). I mean what’s the point of spending beaucoup $ if no one has ever heard of it???
Some that don’t need the guide. Its a helpful source where available but not the end all & be all. Preferring to just wing it or obtain recommendations from trusted locals.
No doubt recognition from the guide helps a business, city, personal humble brags. I suppose it just depends on the motivations behind why you dine out.
Even in France I prefer the Patricia Wells’s books and lefooding.com to Michelin. Before those I preferred Gault Millau though I had the red book as well.
In the mid-80s we were outside of Les Baux and thought we’d try a Michelin one-star for the hell of it. Walking from the parking lot to the door we looked through the window into the dining room and saw some ancient bald dude in white tie with a monocle. Turned around and went to some casual place in town.
Can it be a combination of both? If I’m gonna spend a boatload of $$ on one meal, I would prefer to know that it’s recognizable by some combination of blogger, critics, Michelin to maximize my QPR. After all, I’m not made of money and that’s why we read reviews right? That’s the reason why I don’t wing it often…my wealth is of very limited means.
It’s also the same reason why we follow chefs of a certain pedigree since we sorta know what to expect from them. If there are two new restaurants with chef A & B running each one serving the same cuisine with both charging $100 for a tasting menu (for simplicity sake). Let’s say we don’t know anything about either chefs other than the fact that chef A’s resume consists of Apple Bees and Cheesecake Factory and chef B was CDC at Providence, I will choose to spend my money with chef B since it’s more likely that my money is better spent there.
That’s why I went to try Auburn and Inn Ann since they have pedigree…same reason why many people trust Michelin.
I would read other guides and food experts and things online to try to inform myself. Like with Michelin not as a the bible but definitely to give me a good picture of the landscape. I would then see what locals are eating too.
I can totally understand why someone doesn’t want to follow the Michelin guide, but I can’t understand why some people have problems giving other people the chance to do so.
Personally for me, I like to do a lot of research before eating at places, buying techy stuff, or choosing a spouse.
I do love the serendipitous nature of running into a random hole in the wall that blows my mind, or a local recommendation following through with expectations. But I don’t use the guide because I worry that the food is going to be bad with non Michelin, unrated, unsigned hype places. I just really enjoy the culture behind Michelin establishments and their drive to reach three stars along with the common goals that it instills for a kitchen~. The guide is an easy way for me to navigate the vast world of dining. I don’t personally use it as a bible either, but it’s still something I respect~
I’m not sure I’ve ever spent big bucks on a meal at a place I haven’t been to before without a strong recommendation from one or more friends or one of the few critics whose taste I trust.
I’ll avoid a place based on online reviews, often positive ones that make it clear a place is not to my taste.
Monday - at a resort in Huntington Beach of all places…regardless of what one feels about it’s relevance to the LA market it certainly has every high-end restaurant in town on the edge of their seats.
I know. Why don’t we all eat what we like and use our own guidelines in choosing places. Basically all lists and ratings are lame and subjective, so what we do here is better. Discover, expose stuff, hopefully without a rating system or overly ambitious (BEST BURGER IN LA OMG) descriptors, bounce them off each other and test. Some will agree some won’t.