HR is a more demographically appealing choice. Checks the street cred box while remains appealing to the target audience.
If there is a âstreet credâ addition, it should have been Guerrilla tacos instead, a place with a lot of impressive technique to make something so deceptively simple. I doubt Howlin Rayâs is as technique-based that Michelin would rank it over GT.
And since GT is out of contention for a *âŚ
Given that Jon & Vinnyâs, Kismet, Son of a Gun, and Petit Trois all got Bibs, I think itâs a safe bet that Animal will get a star and Trois Mec maybe two.
Also probably every place on this list thatâs still open except Grand Harbor (points off for being Chinese):
And what is this suppose to mean?
Or maybe Grand Harbor just isnt that good and the quality of ingredients is meh. Have you even been there?
I have no opinion about Grand Harbor, but the SF Michelin guide has never given a star to a Chinese restaurant without French influence, even though by all other restaurant rankings some of the ones that have Bibs are as good as some of the ones with one star.
Which ones? Iâm honestly curious. Thanks!
If I may input my opinion on Tim Ho Wanâs original michelin star was credited to the now closed Mong Kok location which was the first one. At the time the chef was actually working there I believe and it was run not as a corporate chain but as a singular restaurant. So to say they received a star just to be inclusive may not have some merit but I do believe it was a top notch dining destination back in the day because there were lines even before michelin bestowed the star to it. That said the current starred location goes to the Sham Shui Po location which looks alot classier than the other more fast casual locations.
There is a possibility that some of the Hong Kong locations have nothing to do with the international or even more modern locations within Hong Kong in terms of daily operations or there may be differences in staff skill levels and experience that could possibly make differences . To get back to the point, I donât think it was a pity star back in the day but today they might allow them to keep it since its a good story and is good for their brand.
Are there any Chinese restaurants in America that we truly think deserve stars? I have been to China and eaten at places like Eight in macau, Yuâs Kitchen in Chengdu, Made in China in beijing, LKH in Hong Kong. And I think the answer is a definite no. (Though I may be wrongâI also hated Tang Court in HK which got three stars). Right now there are nominally twoâCafe China in New York and Mister Jiuâs in San Francisco, though the latter is more New American. I have eaten at both and found neither to be very good at all. Cafe China is decently authentic but itâs really run of the mill stuff. I found some of flavors that Mister Jiuâs tried to pass of as Chinese to be absolutely repulsive. Not being authentic is fine but the flavors just didnât work. Tuome in NYC is sometimes classified as Chinese also, but I have no idea how anyone came to that conclusion other than the fact that the chef is Chinese.
I have some favorites across the Bay Area: Koi Palace is reliably good, Pingâs Bistro and Yumâs Bistro in Fremont. I also really like Bistro Naâs in LA, which I actually think might get a star. But I donât think any of these restaurants are even remotely close to reaching the level of ingredient quality, precision, etc. for a star. The ones I think are closer to star level are Hakkasan and Eight Tables, which I actually personally like less but acknowledge they have higher ingredient quality, precision, refinement, etc. Itâs not like it is not possibleâCorey lee, who isnât Chinese, puts out some absolutely incredible Chinese dishes at benu. But I just donât such a Chinese restaurant exists in America.
Qi-House of Sichuan in Hong Kong had a star in 2016 (may still do). Yes, itâs a more attractive and formal restaurant than Sichuan Impression and certainly Chengdu Taste but the food at those SGV stalwarts is far superior.
But yes, if Lei Garden only has one star no dim sum restaurant in North America should have one.
In the 2019 SF guide, the only Chinese restaurant with one star is Mr. Jiuâs. Chinese restaurants with Bibs include Great China, Royal Feast, and Yank Sing.
On a side note, Yumâs Bistro is not the same anymore. The original chef owner sold the business and retired thus his food and the preorder dishes he was known for, no longer exists, and the current owners of Yumâs Bistro donât put their heart into the food anymoreâŚthe owner is nice, but the food has gone downhill (and high priced), so you can walk in very easily, and as the regulars no longer go there since the original chef retired.
I had dinner very recently with someone in the F&B press who actually took the Benu team to Yumâs Bistro about 4 ish years ago (they were at the table directly behind me at the time as well) and I told him about seeing them there. The interesting thing is that within a year or so later after that Yumâs dinner, Corey did a squab dish at Benu that had a very similar flavor profile to the one at Yumâs, although done completely in a different way and much higher level. So what you say is true about his ability to iterate on Cantonese/Chinese related inspirations and incorporate them into the tasting menu is amazing. I remember a crab based dish that had such a wonderful Canto/Chinese profile that it screamed for a pairing with aged shaoxing wineâŚbut Yoon Ha couldnât source that and instead located a Madeira to achieve a remotely similar effect (and it worked).
These would be my 3 stars and 2 stars in LA:
3 stars
Somni
Urasawa
2 stars
Providence
Sushi Ginza Onodera
Hayato
Vespertine
Thatâs unfortunate. I used to live nearby, though I have since moved across the Bay. They donât do the preorder dishes anymore?
Coreyâs dishes have a lot of Chinese influence, frankly I think itâs more Chinese than Mister Jiuâs based on flavor alone (Mister Jiuâs dishes sound Chinese, but donât deliver on real flavor. Hakkasan is miles more authentic). His dried abalone (not on the menu anymore, and costs more than the entire rest of the menu)âfull of umami and funky flavorsâis a Cantonese classic done right and might be my favorite dish of all time, better than any abalone I have had in Hong Kong. Right now I think heâs doing a chrysanthemum tofu soup which is a Cantonese classic though I thought it was a little too subtle in flavor. Obviously the faux shark fin soup, lobster coral XLB, salt cod fried rice and chili oil caviar (though this didnât taste like a Chinese chili oil), thousand year old egg, inverted pork belly, and many other dishes are Chinese or Chinese inspired inspired dishes. While I wouldnât say these dishes are authentic Chinese by any means, and a lot them also veer Korean and/or Japanese in flavor, they are authentic in the flavor and essence they capture. Iâm Chinese and Chinese food is my probably my favorite cuisine to eat on a frequent basis, and I often complain restaurants are not âauthenticâ enough. Benu is not authentic and is my favorite restaurant Iâve ever been to.
Does Dragon Beaux have a chance at a star?
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The results will be announced tomorrow at 5:30 pm! A live stream is available. Good luck to all the chefs and their teams. I already see several Bay Area chefs are in LA in preparation for the revelation (wonât spoil anything though!). Do California proud!
I think itâs absolutely hilarious that people actually care about this. Whatever.