By Adrian Spinelli
The Michelin Guide just announced its 2015 stars for the San Francisco Bay Area and two SOMA restaurants, Benu & Saison, have joined The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood in the three-star category. To have an idea of how significant of an accolade this is, you’d have to consider that the last time the Michelin Guide awarded a US restaurant a third star was in 2011.
In brief, the Michelin Guide has been rating European restaurants and hotels for over 100 years and finally started publishing a US guide in 2005, primarily in New York and in 2006, San Francisco was given its own guide. At its core, the Michelin Guide is a roadmap for motorists looking for memorable dining options wherever they may be driving (after all, it is put out by a tire company.) But it’s quickly become the foremost authority in fine dining picks and even releases a yearly Bib Gourmand List of “Good cuisine at a reasonable price.”
A three star rating recognizes “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey” and Chef Corey Lee’s Benu and Saison, led by Chef Joshua Skenes, now bring San Francisco’s three star total up to four (New York boasts six total.) Both restaurants are led by chefs with a background in French cuisine, who incorporate an Asian influence in their menu. Saison famously offers “The Bay Area’s most expensive meal.”
These are the first two three-star restaurants in the city and San Francisco is clearly on the come up here. One-star (“a very good restaurant in it’s category”) newcomers Maruya in the Mission and Kukosabe in the FiDi also became the first two Japanese restaurants in the city to receive a star. Nob Hill’s Acquerello, an “Italian fine dining” establishment fronted by Chef Suzette Gresham is an italian got bumped up to two-stars (“excellent cuisine worth a detour”).
Here’s the full list:
THREE STARS
Benu, San Francisco
French Laundry (The), Yountville
Restaurant at Meadowood (The), St. Helena
Saison, San Francisco
TWO STARS
Acquerello, San Francisco
Atelier Crenn, San Francisco
Baumé, Palo Alto
Coi, San Francisco
Manresa, Los Gatos
Quince, San Francisco
ONE STAR
All Spice, San Mateo
Ame, San Francisco
Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford
Aziza, San Francisco
Bouchon, Yountville
Boulevard, San Francisco
Campton Place, San Francisco
Chez TJ, Mountain View
Commis, Oakland
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant, Forestville
Gary Danko, San Francisco
Keiko à Nob Hill, San Francisco
Kusakabe, San Francisco
La Folie, San Francisco
La Toque, Napa
Luce, San Francisco
Madera, Menlo Park
Madrona Manor, Healdsburg
Maruya, San Francisco
Michael Mina, San Francisco
Plumed Horse, Saratoga
Solbar, Calistoga
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
SPQR, San Francisco
Spruce,San Francisco
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Terra, St. Helena
Terrapin Creek, Bodega Bay
Village Pub (The), Woodside
Wakuriya, San Mateo
Via Eater, Benu photo by Krista
Got a tip for The Bold Italic? Email tips@thebolditalic.com.
