Brooklyn, Queens Hot In Latest Michelin Restaurant Guide
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Michelin Guide's latest roster of top New York City restaurants said Brooklyn and Queens are hot, but restaurateur Daniel Boulud has lost a little sizzle.
For the past three years, the same seven restaurants have held a virtual lock on the organization's coveted three-star rating: Daniel, Per Se, Masa, Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, and Jean Georges -- all in Manhattan – and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare in Brooklyn. But this year, only six maintained the honor for the guide's 10th edition, which goes on sale Wednesday.
Daniel, Boulud's flagship restaurant at 60 E. 65th St. on the Upper East Side, was bumped down to two stars.
``We obviously prefer to give stars than to take them away. Unfortunately, over numerous meals this year at Daniel he just wasn't firing on all cylinders to maintain a third star,'' Michael Ellis, director of the Michelin guides, said by telephone Tuesday. ``There's not one thing that I could point out. There was just not that consistency over the meals.''
Michelin guides, which cover 24 countries, are considered among the premier ratings of the restaurant world. Based on the experiences of anonymous inspectors, the guides award ratings of one, two or three stars using criteria including quality of ingredients, mastery of technique, how the chef's personality is expressed in the food, and consistency.
A total of 874 restaurants spanning 60 cuisines are included in the 2015 edition of the New York City guide; 73 of them got star ratings.
``We are, of course, disappointed to not receive three stars from Michelin, but two stars is still an honor,'' Boulud said via email. ``Our team at Restaurant Daniel is committed to excellence, and we look forward to seeing Michelin again in 2015!''
Ellis said some of the most exciting cooking in New York is happening outside Manhattan. Twenty of the restaurants included in the guide added stars (including some that earned their first star). Of those, 11 were outside Manhattan, including eight in Brooklyn. ``This shows the exciting, vibrant cooking scene that is in the outer boroughs,'' he said.
Brooklyn has a total of 10 starred restaurants, including several new additions: California American-inspired Delaware and Hudson in Williamsburg; Polo Dobkin's Meadowsweet, also in Williamsburg; Andy Ricker's Pok Pok Ny on the waterfront in Cobble Hill; Take Root in Cobble Hill; La Vera, also in Cobble Hill; and Luksus at Torst in Greenpoint.
Queens has four: Casa Enrique in Long Island City, Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen in Forest Hills, M. Wells Steakhouse in Long Island City and Zabb Elee in Woodside.
In addition to Daniel, the city has eight other two-star restaurants: Matthew Lightner's seasonally focused Atera in TriBeCa; Soto, Sotohiro Kosugi's sushi bar in Greenwich Village; David Chang's tasting menu-driven Momofuku Ko in the East Village; Marea, Michael White's ode to high-end Italian seafood near Columbus Circle; Jungsik in TriBeCa, which features contemporary Korean cuisine by Jungsik Yim; Carlos Mirachi's Blanca in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Emma Bengtsson's Nordic-inspired Aquavit in Midtown East; and Eiji Ichimura's sushi at Ichimura, also in TriBeCa.
New York is one of three American cities that have Michelin guides to their restaurants. The others are Chicago and San Francisco.
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