Michelin stars

[WiscoNole]

Kind of a weird question, I know...but if you open a Michelin guide, what do the stars look like? 5 points? 7? Do they look more like asterisks? Or are there no actual images of stars, just "3 Stars", "2 Stars", or "1 Star"?

I ask because if they have an actual image I'd like to use it for a school project.

Edited June 4, 2008 by WiscoNole (log)

[mkayahara]

Assuming that what's on the website actually reflects the contents of the printed guide, they look more like snowflakes than stars to me!

[WiscoNole]

I suppose I could've checked the official website...lol

[Daniel Rogov]

As might be said "in the beginning" (that is to say for the first twenty years after the guide was published) those were referred to as "rosettes". The term stars came into use only after the Americans started to buy the book in large quantities.

[WiscoNole]

Interesting, thank you.

[markk]

I'd be willing to bet that most people don't actually know what the "stars" represent, though they are explained on that page.

The implications are quite serious, in practical terms.

Many of the 3-star restaurants are in places so remote that you must devote one day to get to them and one day to get back (to anyplace on the "main" circuit); this is why most of them also have luxury hotel rooms that can accommodate the number of people that the restaurant holds.

[WiscoNole]

I'd be willing to bet that most people don't actually know what the "stars" represent, though they are explained on that page.

The implications are quite serious, in practical terms.

Many of the 3-star restaurants are in places so remote that you must devote one day to get to them and one day to get back (to anyplace on the "main" circuit); this is why most of them also have luxury hotel rooms that can accommodate the number of people that the restaurant holds.

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Must be more of a European thing.

[Special K]

Many of the 3-star restaurants are in places so remote that you must devote one day to get to them and one day to get back (

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. . . never forgetting that this means you will, presumably, be traveling by car, on Michelin tires!!

[Daniel Rogov]

Should anyone be interested in an article on the history of such restaurant guides (and a criticism of those guides), see my little piece at http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/mini_guide_rest.html

[mkayahara]

Rudolph Chelminsky's book The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine also has some great background on the Guide, its history and its significance.

[MSRadell]

After having lived in France for several years I can assure you that even a restaurant receiving 1 Michelin star is a wonderful place to dine. Having 2 or 3 makes a restaurant truly remarkable. I had an opportunity to dine at several 3 star restaurants and each one was a truly memorable experience. I just wish I could figure out how to get the job sampling all the restaurants!

The pride restaurant owners take in having Michelin star(s) is also remarkable. They are extremely proud to receive them and truly think it's a death sentence to their business if they ever lose them.

I haven't had the opportunity to visit any of the American Restaurants that have obtained stars after Michelin published their reviews but looking at some that I visited before the Michelin books were published I feel confident that the North American rankings also are well founded.

[markk]

After having lived in France for several years I can assure you that even a restaurant receiving 1 Michelin star is a wonderful place to dine.  Having 2 or 3 makes a restaurant truly remarkable.  I had an opportunity to dine at several 3 star restaurants and each one was a truly memorable experience.  I just wish I could figure out how to get the job sampling all the restaurants!

The pride restaurant owners take in having Michelin star(s) is also remarkable.  They are extremely proud to receive them and truly think it's a death sentence to their business if they ever lose them.

I haven't had the opportunity to visit any of the American Restaurants that have obtained stars after Michelin published their reviews but looking at some that I visited before the Michelin books were published I feel confident that the North American rankings also are well founded.

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Indeed - One-star restaurants typically offer conversation-stopping food.

I haven't been as lucky at 3-star places as you have, in the past. I've found a lot which ride on their laurels; I also find that you can get ferociously exciting meals at 2-star restaurants, which presumably are trying to earn their third star.

But indeed, you dine fabulously at one-star places. In fact, you dine fabulously at places with the Bib-Gourmand, which I have finally decided are the places that they must be considering for the first star.

On this page of food photos, all of the restaurants except "Ami Schutz" (which has no Michelin distinction) and "Le Cerf" (which at the time of the photos had 2-stars, all of the restaurants were holders of the "Bib Gourmand" when the photos were taken:

Mostly "Bib-Gourmand" restaurants in France meals

[Timh]

When I was doing my apprenticeship in Paris in the early 90's, I remember the sous chef remarking that, generally speaking, the food at 1 and 2 star restaurants was usually more exciting as they were pushing the envelope for their 2nd and 3rd star, the ones with 3 were just trying to maintain them.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Timh (log)

[chefmatt]

When I was doing my apprenticeship in Paris in the early 90's, I remember the sous chef remarking that, generally speaking, the food at 1 and 2 star restaurants was usually more exciting as they were pushing the envelope for their 2nd and 3rd star, the ones with 3 were just trying to maintain them.

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i have found that to be generally true but don't neccessarily read exciting as better often the two star places are trying lots of things to get the third star but not really making anything better.

in france the stars are called Macarons but they look nothing like biscuits! definitely more like snowflakes. but what a star really looks like is bloody long days, bad skin, sweat and tears!