Time, place, and locality are not to be discounted. I think a lot of cuisines are elevated by the produce California makes available. At the same time there are also a lot of revered franchises that make it over here and the conversation is many times “What’s the fuss?” compared to what we already have? Tim Ho Wan for example.
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Would Petit Trois be anything special in France? Hell no. But it’s very special in California.
Not odd at all. Their system is based on French cuisine and they judge every other cuisine by the same standards, which is just stupid, except maybe for narrow-minded French people. Anyplace with French influence gets extra points. At least in the SF guide, the only Italian and Chinese restaurants that have gotten stars are the ones with heavy French influence. Is SPQR is better than La Ciccia? Not by Italian standards.
It’s not really a ‘like’ and a ‘not like. It’s an analysis . You’re eating it and you’re looking for the quality of the products. At this level, they have to be top quality. You’re looking at “Was every single element prepared exactly perfectly, technically correct?”
Except for people who get their ideas from Instagram or Yelp or whatever, or run around the globe trying all the restaurants that have Michelin stars or are on the Pellegrino list while ignoring the food the locals eat.
Forgot about that piece.
Sound familiar?
" publication of the guide each year sparks the kind of media excitement attendant on the Academy Awards. The days and weeks leading up to publication day are given over to endless debate, speculation, and rumor on TV and in newspapers over who might lose, and who might gain, a star. The results, revealed in early March, provide either a very public triumph or a very public humiliation for the chefs concerned, and a corresponding rise or drop in revenues for their restaurants."
I feel like that’s another problem in and of itself. Who are these locals? 99% of the locals don’t give a shit about food. If I do a survey of “best” Chinese restaurants in Alhambra, I’m positive that one of the HK cafes would come out on top. Most locals only want to dine at neighborhood restaurants and know nothing about their own food.
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Well said. Just look at the lines for Cheesecake Factory on the weekends and it’s more popular and busy than many of the places food lovers appreciate.
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That’s why I think the notion of “only locals can judge” their own cusine is bullshit. If that’s what you ding Michelin with, then what makes anyone qualify to write anything? Should I not be able to judge anything outside of Cantonese cuisine? But heck, I don’t even know much about that myself? What’s next? Should critiques and ratings be limited to chefs of their particular cuisine specialty? To take it even further, not all chefs are equal, should we further limit it to only the ones that are well respected?
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no wait on Fairfax. want to try Okiboru too
There are Chinese food groups that only rate Chinese restaurants, and Chinese immigrants who will only go to Chinese restaurants, and Indian immigrants that will only go to vegetarian Indian restaurants. That’s even more narrow-minded than Michelin–are their perspectives invalid too? And yeah, who the hell are “locals”? At the end of the day, the “locals” favorite restaurant, by majority vote, is probably going to end up being Mcdonalds or P.F. Changs or something along those lines. It’s certainly not invalid to follow Michelin or Pellegrino while ignoring the lines at P.F. Changs, though if the latter is what you prefer that’s fine too.
I think the irony here is that a lot of people here are criticizing Michelin for being elitist in its ratings when they don’t realize that their own ratings and rankings are pretty elitist as well. If you really say your perspective is the “locals” favorite you should be eating at McDonalds (not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
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I thought you’re going to Northern Thai Food?! You should’ve told me that you wanted to try Okiboru and we could’ve met up earlier.
Ribs
Tender, juicy, smoky, and the flavor is almost like a marinated Galbi
Buta Paitan w/ Gyokai - Rich pork & seafood broth served with chashu & egg
Richly porky, fishy, and smoky in a very pleasant way but a touch too salty…especially those pork chunks. I do wish that the broth is served at a hotter temp though.
Tons of bounce and chew on the housemade noodle. Chashu is meltingly tender and very moist.
Spot on egg, but a touch too cold.
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dtla is too far for lunch… we have iki and tsujita nearby. didnt go thai 
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More like the opposite in many other countries.
Who said otherwise? Though don’t ask an Italian where to get good coffee in France, or a French person where to get a good hamburger.
I guess Szechuan Impression changed their English spelling to Sichuan Impression?
This board is an absurd place to argue that locals aren’t the best source of information about what to eat where. Does every local know a lot about food? Of course not. Who cares?
Sure, but who cares? Unlike Michelin they have little or no influence on the restaurant business outside of their communities.
In the parts of the US where there are few if any good restaurants and most people don’t care, maybe, but not in Los Angeles:
You. You’re implying that because they’re French, their views are inconsequential since they’re going by their French standard and have no place in judging other cuisines. What does that make any of us? Should we only be commenting on burgers and hot dogs for those of us who are Americans?
You don’t like Michelin and that’s fine, but casting them as an ignorant bunch when they literally eat out almost everyday of their life while trying different cuisines across the country is disingenuous. In a way, they probably know more about what they’re eating than most of us ever will.
I’m curious whether they use Chinese inspectors when investigating Chinese cities, or Japanese inspectors in Japan. Does anyone know?
For the HK guide, they switched to locals since 2013 I believe.
Here are some more interesting but potentially contradictory tidbits I found:
"Initially, restaurants were flagged with a red “R” symbol to indicate to readers that they were destinations that served “good cuisine at reasonable prices”. Namely, a three-course meal with starter, main course and dessert, within a fixed price range (which today stands at €36 in most European cities, US$40 in American cities, HK300 in Hong Kong and Y5,000 in Tokyo).
In 1997, the Bib Gourmand symbol - the image of the Michelin Man licking his lips - was debuted in the MICHELIN Guide for the first time. Since then, Bibendum has become a well-loved beacon for value-seeking diners looking out for good deals.
Thanks to Bibendum and the Bib Gourmand, Michelin inspectors have noted the increase in the number of restaurateurs dedicated to providing authentic dining experiences by way of quality cuisine at affordable prices in approachable and friendly establishments."
“…The Plate symbol was launched to recognize restaurants that ‘simply serve good food’.”
It’s not Michelin’s fault that so many people take their predictions so seriously. They are a French company and they have made that well known to everyone, just like a Chinese best restaurant award lists only Chinese restaurants, a French company will have a certain slant. You don’t have to follow it at all. Again, if you don’t want to support Michelin I would suggest you to not fuel the conversation because that just generates credibility for them.
Then why did you link Yelp then? The majority of Americans do not use yelp. A food forum or food review site inherently is not representative of the ideas of the population as a whole…we have to be cognizant of the fact that most Americans do not have the privledge of critiquing their food and travelling to eat. If I took a poll of all California residents what their favorite restaurant was, I am absolutely sure McDonalds would win by a landslide. Is SPQR better than La Ciccia? No, but to many, SPQR is not better than McDonalds either. The fact that in your eyes the former is not acceptable to say while the latter is okay is hypocritical. While Michelin may be out of touch, so is “foodie culture” in general. There’s nothing wrong with that, you just have to understand nothing is black and white and all perspectives, whether it is Michelin, Indian grandmas, local foodies, or a fast food diet, are valid.
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Lots of people get tired at the mere thought of a 3 hour meal.
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And even a greater amount of people think that spending more than $30 on a meal is ludicrous. What’s the point? 
We’re just a crazy bunch!
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