Michelin Selects Best Restaurants and Hotels in New York City
Premier edition of the Michelin Guide in North America features 39 star-rated establishments
NEW YORK, Nov. 1 -- Michelin announced today the contents of its first restaurant and hotel guide in North America, the Michelin Guide New York City 2006, which arrives in stores Friday, Nov. 4. Over the last eight months, suspense has been building over which restaurants and hotels would garner listings in the guide, which has existed for more than a century throughout Europe. Today, Michelin produces 13 (hotel and restaurant) guides annually, covering 21 countries; 15 Must See Guides (designed to highlight the best of a destination for a quick trip in North America), 60 Green Guides (geared toward longer trips around the world, outlining the history, culture, art and architecture of a location), and one wine guide, "The Wine Regions of France."
"Travelers from across the globe have long considered New York to be one of the world's most exciting travel and culinary destinations," said Jim Micali, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Inc. "The arrival of the Michelin Guide will enable visitors, as well as New Yorkers, to enjoy this wonderful city to the fullest."
According to Jean-Luc Naret, director of publications for the Michelin Guide, Michelin decided to publish its first North American guide in New York because of the city's reputation as one of the world's leading fine-dining and lodging centers, on par with international destinations such as London, Madrid or Paris.
"New York City's cultural diversity makes it one of the most interesting cities in the world, and restaurateurs have shown great determination and hard work in developing high standards of gastronomy and service," commented Naret. "They also have to sustain creativity and progressive thinking in a market that is so abundant, so fast-changing and therefore unique. We felt it was important to expand the Michelin Guide beyond Europe to acknowledge the achievements and the talent of these people who are making New York City an undisputed leader in fine restaurants and hotels."
Four restaurants, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Alain Ducasse, and Jean-Georges, received a three-star rating for providing "an exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." Four restaurants received a two-star rating providing "excellent cooking, worth a detour," 31 received a one-star rating for being "a very good restaurant in its category" and 468 additional restaurants were selected in the guide as they provide a quality experience that Michelin recommends trying. All five boroughs were considered for the guide: 25 establishments were ultimately included in Brooklyn (2 of these Brooklyn restaurants received stars), 13 establishments were selected in Queens, 4 in Staten Island, 2 in the Bronx, and 463 in Manhattan (37 of these Manhattan restaurants have received stars).
The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 offers a selection of 507 restaurants and 50 hotels in every category of cuisine and comfort at prices to suit all budgets. One, two or three Michelin stars identify restaurants that deserve recognition for the particularly fine quality of their cuisine. Just being included among the 507 selected restaurants (out of the 23,000 in New York City's five boroughs) is, however, a distinction in itself. To evaluate the culinary and service aspect of each restaurant and hotel, highly trained Michelin inspectors anonymously visited each establishment and provided objective evaluations. Stars are awarded by the Michelin inspectors to restaurants offering the finest cooking, regardless of the style of cuisine and the level of comfort. Stars are awarded according to five criteria, the quality of products, the mastering of flavors and cooking, the "personality" of the cuisine, the value for money and the consistency.
Cuisine categories offered in the Michelin Guide New York City 2006 are:
* American
* Asian
* Austrian
* Belgian
* Brazilian
* Chinese
* Contemporary
* Contemporary Asian
* Contemporary French
* Contemporary Japanese
* Contemporary Mexican
* Contemporary Thai
* Cuban
* Deli
* Egyptian
* European
* French
* Fusion
* Gastro Pub
* Greek
* Hawaiian
* Indian
* Italian
* Japanese
* Korean
* Latin American
* Malaysian
* Mediterranean
* Mexican
* Middle Eastern
* Moroccan
* Persian
* Russian
* Scandinavian
* Seafood
* Southern
* Southwestern
* Spanish
* Steakhouse
* Thai
* Turkish
* Vegetarian
* Venezuelan
* Vietnamese
The star ratings are as follows:
* A general listing in the guide indicates "a quality restaurant that
stands out from others" in the same category of comfort, definitely
worth trying.
* One star indicates "a very good restaurant in its category," a place
offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard.
* Two stars denote "excellent cuisine, worth a detour," skillfully and
carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality.
* Three stars reward "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." One
always eats extremely well here, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are
precisely executed, using superlative ingredients.
The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 features a reader-friendly format, created specifically for a North American audience. All starred restaurants (whether one, two or three) will feature a two-page spread in the guide with images of the establishment, a comprehensive description, and a recipe. Hotels that garner a pavilion rating will receive a full-page entry in the guide with a photo and ample description. This new format will be a model for future Michelin guides.
Restaurants and hotels selected for inclusion in the Michelin Guide New York City 2006 will be listed by borough and also cross-referenced in the front of the guide by cuisine type. Each New York City borough will be included in the guide, with Manhattan further divided into neighborhoods. Each restaurant listed will have the following information: address, category of cuisine, comfort category, star-rating, subway station(s), phone, fax, e-mail, website address, price range, and hours of operation.
The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 offers a broad selection of more than 500 restaurants and 50 hotels in each price and comfort category, reflecting the unique aspects of the city as well as international standards. This rating is unique, consistent across the 21 countries covered by the Michelin Guide and is using criteria such as amenities, type of services, general upkeep of the establishment, comfort, cuisine, atmosphere, price and value for money.
The rating is expressed in two ways:
* A comfort rating: levels of comfort are rated using one to five forks
and spoons for restaurants and one to five pavilions for hotels. Those
symbols judge the comfort of the establishment. They take into
consideration: the furnishings of the establishment, the service, the
cleanliness and upkeep of the surroundings.
* Special distinctions for certain establishments: these symbols include
stars for the best restaurants, red forks and spoons or red pavilions
for especially pleasant establishments. The star symbols judge only
"what's on the plate," meaning the quality of products, the mastering
of flavors, the mastering of cooking, the "personality" of the cuisine,
the value for money and the consistency of what it offers to its
customers both throughout the menu and the year.
The decision to award a star is a collective one, based on the consensus of all inspectors who have visited a particular establishment. A written description of each establishment and a variety of other symbols will give readers further insight into an establishment's ambience, cuisine type, specialties and wine lists. These descriptions are customized to American tastes and needs.
Michelin is the worldwide leader in the tire industry. The Michelin Group manufactures, sells and promotes products and services dedicated to mobility, such as tires for airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles, the space shuttle, maps, travel guides, atlases and digital services (ViaMichelin.com). Headquartered in France (Clermont-Ferrand), Michelin is present in 170 countries, employs 127,000 and operates 74 production sites in 19 different countries (www.michelin.com).
The MICHELIN Guide New York City 2006
MICHELIN STARS
Listed One star Two stars Three stars
507 31 4 4
DINING: 507 Restaurants
58 Establishments offering a simple menu at less than $25
HOTELS SELECTED
50
HOTELS ESTABLISHMENTS
7 Luxury in the Traditional Style
11 Top Class Comfort
15 Very Comfortable
14 Quite Comfortable
3 Simple Comfort
12 Particularly pleasant establishments
MICHELIN RESTAURANT RATINGS
ONE STAR
ESTABLISHMENT BOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD
Annisa Manhattan West Village
Aureole Manhattan Upper East Side
Babbo Manhattan Greenwich Village
BLT Fish Manhattan Union Square
Cafe Boulud Manhattan Upper East Side
Cafe Gray Manhattan Midtown West
Craft Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
Cru Manhattan Greenwich
Etats-Unis Manhattan Upper East Side
Fiamma Osteria Manhattan SoHo
Fleur de Sel Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
Gotham Bar and Grill Manhattan Greenwich Village
Gramercy Tavern Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
JoJo Manhattan Upper East Side
Jewel Bako Manhattan East Village
La Goulue Manhattan Upper East Side
Lever House Manhattan Midtown East
Lo Scalco Manhattan TriBeCa
March Manhattan Midtown East
Nobu Manhattan TriBeCa
Oceana Manhattan Midtown East
Peter Luger Brooklyn
Picholine Manhattan Upper West Side
Saul Brooklyn
Scalini Fedeli Manhattan TriBeCa
Spotted Pig Manhattan Greenwich Village
The Modern Manhattan Midtown West
Veritas Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
Vong Manhattan Midtown East
Wallse Manhattan West Village
WD-50 Manhattan Lower East Side
TWO STARS
ESTABLISHMENT BOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD
Bouley Manhattan TriBeCa
Daniel Manhattan Upper East Side
Danube Manhattan TriBeCa
Masa Manhattan Midtown West
THREE STARS
ESTABLISHMENT BOROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD
Alain Ducasse Manhattan Midtown West
Jean-Georges Manhattan Upper West Side
Le Bernardin Manhattan Midtown West
Per Se Manhattan Midtown West
NOTE TO EDITORS: Additional press materials can be found at www.michelinmedia.com.