Michelin Guide to New York est arrivé!

[chefboy24]

The Michelin star status of New York restaurants, now, affects business of these restaurants by hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions of dollars.

You can guarantee that business has improved at restaurants with a michelin star, like BLT fish, anissa, spotted pig, cru, jo jo, oceana, wallse, etc.

real new yorkers buy and read this guide and now think to themselves, "i want to have a nice elegant dinner...let's check the michelin guide.... hey, honey, we haven't been to wallse, let's check it out."

Was that a joke ?.......

Are you kidding me ?

Real new yorkers ?

or

Real Tourists from Japan ?

←

are you serious?

you don't think new yorkers bought the michelin guide, or at least found out who had stars and who didn't?

i have tons of friends in various industries (banking, law, teachers, etc), and while i don't expect them to be as foodie restaurant obsessed as i am, they do like to go out and have a good meal and they were curious about the stars.

like nathan said, i can't think of a single book to recommend to anyone that shows you where to fine dine in new york better then michelin

[Nathan]

I don't think too many NY'ers bought the guide.

Were people curious about the stars? Yes. But they weren't buying the book to find that out. People were circulating e-mail lists and the like.

[oakapple]

I don't think too many NY'ers bought the guide.

Were people curious about the stars? Yes.  But they weren't buying the book to find that out.  People were circulating e-mail lists and the like.

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The first printing sold out in something like 2-3 weeks. In such a short time, it couldn't have been just tourists snapping them up.

eGullet regulars need to remember that we're atypical. The fact that some of us turned up our noses isn't a good indicator of what the general public did.

[Sneakeater]

I don't really know any New Yorker who uses anything other than Zagat's (and the Times's weekly reviews).

I think the Michelin Guide was a remarkably plausible (if debatable) list. But I think that it's been largely irrelevant as far as locals are concerned.

Edited October 4, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Nathan]

oakapple:

we took the guide a heck of a lot more seriously than everyone else.

yeah, people were buying it as novelty gifts. but NY'ers don't actually use it (even though they should)

[docsconz]

I don't think too many NY'ers bought the guide.

Were people curious about the stars? Yes.  But they weren't buying the book to find that out.  People were circulating e-mail lists and the like.

←

The first printing sold out in something like 2-3 weeks. In such a short time, it couldn't have been just tourists snapping them up.

eGullet regulars need to remember that we're atypical. The fact that some of us turned up our noses isn't a good indicator of what the general public did.

←

Even if New Yorkers actually bought the book, that doesn't mean that they are necessarily making dining decisions based on the book, although I don't find anything wrong with it if they did. It is just another piece of information to weigh.

New York does get a lot of European visitors though. I would be quite surprised if they were not using it to a significant extent.

[R Washburn]

I don't really know any New Yorker who uses anything other than Zagat's (and the Times's weekly reviews).

I think the Michelin Guide was a remarkably plausible (if debatable) list.  But I think that it's been largely irrelevant as far as locals are concerned.

←

I use it, and I plan to buy the 2007 edition as well. It is a much more useful guide then Zagat, IMHO, because it uses real reviewers conforming to some sort of standard. Of course, the fact that the Zagat guide is free to all participants, will probably insure that I keep a copy around as well.

[Sneakeater]

I should have made clear that WE don't count.

I meant "normal" New Yorkers.

[oakapple]

Anyone care to make a few predictions? Here are mine:

1) There will be no promotions or demotions at the 3* level

2) There will be no demotions at the 2* level, but at least one promotion.

3) There will be at least one demotion at the 1* level, not counting closed restaurants. Jewel Bako and Spotted Pig are at risk. Both expanded in the last year, and several reviews have suggested that quality may have suffered.

4) At least one restaurant that appeared unstarred in the 2006 guide will be promoted. Union Square Café and Chanterelle are my best guesses.

5) Among new restaurants that might get starred, Perry St and Country are my best guesses.

Edited October 6, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[chefboy24]

i think l'impero will/should definitely get one. country too. and chantrelle.

also---eleven madison park. definitely one star.

and daniel should get 3.

union square cafe? ehh....remember, michelin is about the food, not what the restaurant did for cuisine/new york dining/etc.

[Fat Guy]

The Michelin 2007 results for New York have just been released. I'll start a new topic.