"michelin" news and stories

Grumpy potato. Photo: banger1977, Flickr

• The Cornell-developed Keuka Gold is the prime potato for Orange County, N.Y.'s seasonal changes, plus an outline of upstate's changing potato ways.
• Pasta gets some historical context and old-world charm with Zanini De Vita and her new "Encyclopedia of Pasta."
• The Minimalist makes Crisp Nori.
• With ballpark menus getting fancier by the day, the classic Cracker Jack remains "a do-not-disturb" item.
• The Temporary Vegetarian makes Sara's Spinach Pie.
• Douro (DOH-roo) is a wine region in Portugal whose vino is equally good whether cheap or expensive.
• The popularity of chicken wings has elevated them to a pricey commodity.
• The British population turned towards pre-processed foods, and no one knew the food crafts, so Alison Parente created the School of Artisan Food.
• Cookbook icon Charlotte Snyder Turgeon passes away at the age of 97.
• Cook's Magazine founder Christopher Kimball writes about the demise of Gourmet.
• A Good Appetite rediscovers calf's liver.
• Jeff Ford's bread in Madison, Wis., makes its mark with "obscure organic grains that he sources locally and grinds himself."
• More love for Jen Yates' "Cake Wrecks."
• Daniel Boulud receives three stars from Michelin.
• Michael Pollan shares the Rules to Eat By.
• Food Stuff finds: strangely flavored cannoli, MIL Kimchi and the best Broadway bites.
• Restaurants: Daniel Boulud's sausage spot, DBGB, dishes "perfectly cooked food," East Village's Luke's Lobster is minimalist, like a "wiener hut" and The Financial District's Cowgirl Seahorse serves up adequate American food and fun.
• New York's openings and closings, calendar and benefits.

Photo: Michelin.

Michelin's "New York City Restaurants 2010" dining guide was released this week, bumping up Daniel Boulud's Daniel restaurant to three stars while stripping Mario Batali's Del Posto of a star.

Daniel is in small company in the three-star category of "exceptional cuisine and worth the journey." Masa, Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin also retained their three-star ratings.

Del Posto dropped from the two-star category ("excellent cooking and worth a detour") to one star ("a very good restaurant in its category").

Other restaurants that saw significant changes include the Italian restaurant Alto, with a bump up to two stars and Corton, which also won a double star.

What do you think of guidebook ratings? Let us know in the comments below.

White tablecloths, outstanding service, and the flakiest croissants that'll ever melt in your mouth. You'd think Paris would be the Best City in the World for food, wouldn't you?

Especially when it's Frenchman Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide, confirming the choice, right?

Nope. The best city for food is half-way around the world, Tokyo, Japan, which won 191 total stars, twice the number awarded to Paris, and more than three times the number awarded to New York.

Additionally, eight restaurants in Tokyo won top honors of three stars, whereas Paris had six. As if stars weren't enough, three of the eight three-star winning restaurants in Tokyo serve French food. Guess you're flying to Asia if you want to do a foodie tour!

[via: Gadling]

Michelin's recent announcement that it would publish its first guide in Japan met with mixed reactions from the country's chefs. Some greeted the news with shoulders colder than a sushi case, while others were a little more open-minded about the arrival of the Michelin Guide Tokyo.

Among the naysayers was Yoshikazu Ono, head chef at Tokyo's Sukiyabashi Jiro who made his point clear: "The French do not understand anything about sushi and are so far behind in handling fresh fish." Other chefs feel that since sushi is so popular all over the world Michelin's review team should know the difference between top-notch sushi and bait.

Incidentally, the news of Michelin's new guide comes on the heels of the Japanese government's move to certify Japanese restaurants abroad as authentic.

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Anne-Sophie Pic now has a very prestigious distinction - she is the only woman in the world who currently holds a Michelin three-star ranking. Though she is the fourth woman to obtain the top award since it's inception in 1926, this is the first time in more than 50 years that it has been given out to a female. Being awarded three stars definitely runs in her family, her father received his in 1973, and her grandfather in 1934.

In addition to Anne-Sophie's restaurant 'Pic', located in the city of Valence, Michelin promoted four others to three stars:

• Barbot's Astrance in western Paris
• Le Meurice, run by Yannick Alleno, in central Paris
• Pre Catelan, in the Bois de Boulogne, west of Paris
• Lameloise, in Chagny, in the Burgundy region

Seven new two-star restaurants made the guide, as well as 50 new one-stars. The 2007 guide goes on sale next week, however the English version will not be available until late March.

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