Hunger Games: Michelin Stars Have All of Us (Overly) Excited

Chefs, restauranteurs, gastronomes and food writers across the state were sent into a tizzy on Tuesday morning. No, the McRib isn’t back (yet). Instead, it was the announcement that Michelin stars are finally coming to Dallas restaurants. By mid-morning, digital ink had been spilled by almost every outlet that covers our food scene. The Michelin Guide folks had confirmed that their anonymous inspectors were already in our midst and on the prowl for the next star-worthy restaurant. A preliminary list of recognized establishments is due out by the end of this year.

But just because the food media and industry insiders were so wound up, should you be just as excited? Now that we’ve had a moment to catch our collective breath, let's take a bit of time to expand on the Michelin Star process and what it means for you, the dining public and your favorite restaurants.

Stars For Lone Stars

In the announcement for the upcoming Texas edition of the Michelin Guide, Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, recognizes what we've known for quite some time: there's really good food being made by really talented people in the Lone Star State.

“The Texas culinary scene has proven to be an exhilarating one, with multicultural influences, homegrown ingredients and talent that is rich in ambition," Poullennec says.

For years though, Texas has had to sit idly by while restaurants across the country garnered coveted Michelin recognition. If Texas is so stocked in culinary talent, why was there no love from the Michelin Guide? Like so many things in life, it comes down to money.

In 2021, the Michelin Guide expanded to Florida, not out of the goodness of their food-loving hearts, but because of the generosity of Florida's pocketbooks. Later that year, The Miami Herald estimated that the tourism boards of Orlando, Tampa, Miami, as well as the state of Florida will have paid a combined $1.5 million to the Michelin Guide over three years to expand into the Sunshine State.

Texas likely took note. Today's announcement came from both the Michelin Guide and Travel Texas, which is the tourist-centric face of Texas' Economic Development and Tourism Office. The saying goes you've got to spend money to make money, and Michelin stars draw plenty of foodie tourists, so the state likely anted up to fund the expansion. How much is not yet known, but given the size of Texas, as well as the scope of five cities included in the guide, the dollar figure is likely north of Florida's outlay. The Michelin Guide has previously stated that these kinds of payments help defray the cost of creating the guides, and star ratings aren't guaranteed.

Greatness Recognized

The Michelin Guide's procedure for awarding one of its coveted stars has been widely shared. In short, their staff of full-time reviewers dine across the region and award stars based on five universal criteria: quality of products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency between visits and throughout the menu.

A restaurant with one Michelin Star is already in rarified air, but a second star is awarded "when the personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes; their food is refined and inspired." Just thirteen restaurants in the U.S. achieved three-star status, which Michelin defines as "superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession; their cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics." It's also important to note that restaurants receive the Star, not the chef (although celebrity chefs from Gordon Ramsey to Thomas Keller have built restaurant empires by leading three-star restaurants).

Beyond that, the judging is wildly secretive. Michelin's "inspectors" come from restaurant and hospitality backgrounds, and their identities are closely guarded; a 2009 story in the The New Yorker that claimed to follow around an inspector said many Michelin executives have never met an inspector, and inspectors are discouraged from telling anyone (including their parents) about their line of work. The Michelin Guide also says that restaurants no longer get feedback from inspectors on what they did or didn't do, short of the 120 or so words that appear if the restaurant makes it into the guide. Opacity seems to be the name of the game.

Michelin says the restaurant's decor and service have nothing to do with stars: they're only rating the food on the plate. Nevertheless, Michelin's guide originated in France, so French cuisine, with all of its attendant formality, is heavily represented in the guide. And while it's not explicitly stated, nearly every restaurant with two or three Michelin stars offers some kind of chef's tasting menu where the line between dish and work of art is blurred. But the staggering total at the bottom of the bill certainly isn't.

Why Should I Care?

If the idea of pretentious dinners with astronomical price tags is a turn-off to you, you're likely not alone. But there's no escaping the influence that the Michelin Guide wields in the industry, which in turn drives trends that make their way across the business.

When the Michelin news broke this week, we reached out to chef RJ Yoakum of Georgie for his thoughts. Yoakum's insight is unique; before coming to Dallas, he worked under Keller at The French Laundry, a three-Michelin star restaurant in California, and turned down a similar opportunity at Keller's other three-star restaurant, Per Se in New York City, to come to Dallas.

"I think it's great for the state," Yoakum said of the news. "It brings a higher regard to craftsmanship and hospitality." In Yoakum's view, the spotlight the Michelin Guide shines on restaurants will help all of Texas become a culinary destination – to the benefit of diners and those who work in the business. The fact that Yoakum's sous chef, pastry chef and general manager come from Michelin-caliber restaurants could soon become the norm rather than the exception.

And as much as Michelin's guide skews towards expensive food steeped in classical French technique and presented in a fine dining format, they seem to know what they're getting into in Texas. "With such a broad dining scene spanning farm-to-table dishes, fusion cuisine, upscale dining and the famous Texas-style barbecue, Texas is a perfect fit for the Michelin Guide, based on the experiences of our anonymous Inspectors," Poullennec said in a press release.

Until we see the first list, we remain somewhat skeptical that what we consider Dallas' best fare will impress the Michelin crew. Take a few minutes to browse the Michelin list of 1-star restaurants globally. There are 2,900 of them, so we're not asking you to read every one. Just scan through the photos. How many of these dishes look like something you've eaten recently in Dallas?

(Our guess: very few, unless you own tweezers that you regularly use for cooking.)

We're not alone in wondering what Michelin will enjoy here. In 2022, an essay by D Magazine's Brian Reinhart suggested that much of what Texas does well won't appeal to Michelin judges. "The state would probably receive fewer Michelin stars than most people would like," Reinhart wrote. "[This] isn’t because Texas is a bad place to eat; Texas just has different culinary priorities from the guide’s." Reinhart goes on to suggest that Texas would be lucky to have one restaurant statewide earn two stars, with perhaps 20 others getting one star.

Go back to the photos in the Michelin guide. Now try to imagine a plate full of tacos from Revolver Taco Lounge in the list. Or a bare hand holding a slice of Smokey Joe's splendid brisket. Can you see a bowl of duck-fat fried chicken from Roots Southern Table? These restaurants have won near-unanimous acclaim from Dallas' food media but they don't appear to fit into what much of the Michelin Guide is made of.

That's not to say Dallas will completely strike out, either. At Georgie, Yoakum has brought his classically trained technique to bear with inventive dishes that speak to Texas flavors. Over on Greenville Avenue, Quarter Acre's Toby Archibold turns out artful dishes imbued with a playful sense of whimsy. Local favorites like Lucia or Petra and the Beast could definitely earn Michelin love if the reviewers can get past their more down-to-earth presentations. Dallas institutions like The French Room and The Mansion on Turtle Creek have likely received multiple looks.