The Michelin Guide Is Eating Its Way Through Texas for the First Time Ever
The state’s first Michelin-starred restaurant will be revealed later this year.
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They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this week there’s very big news for restaurant diners in the cities like Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and beyond. The Michelin Guide is bringing its storied star system to the Lone Star State.
In conjunction with Travel Texas, which promotes tourism in the state, the prestigious culinary guide announced on July 16 that Texas would become the 11th North American location to have its eateries officially evaluated by its anonymous inspectors. Having introduced its first North American Guide in New York in 2005, Michelin now considers the restaurant scene in Washington D.C., Illinois (Chicago), California, Florida (Miami/Orlando/Tampa), Colorado and Georgia (Atlanta) as well as in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver and in Mexico.
In its announcement, Michelin said its team looked forward to sampling and sharing its responses to the “award-winning barbecue, locally sourced seafood and steaks, and savory Tex-Mex” for which the state is famous and promised that it would reveal its first Texas selection later this year.
“The Texas culinary scene has proven to be an exhilarating one, with multicultural influences, homegrown ingredients, and talent that is rich in ambition,” Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec says in a statement. “Foodies and travel enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy, 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.”
Tim Fennell, the director of Travel Texas, said the launch of the Michelin Guide Texas would “illustrate to global travelers the culinary journey that’s waiting to be discovered in our state, featuring restaurants that embody our heritage and introducing innovative chefs and local artisans who are redefining our food scene.”
“The introduction of the Guide will be a tremendous asset for Texas, promoting our rich and diverse food culture and elevating the restaurant scene to an international stage,” Fennell added.
The Michelin Guide said that, even now, its inspectors are secretly dining at Texas restaurants — anonymously reserving tables and paying for their meals to avoid being recognized and getting special treatment. They will visit each restaurant on several occasions over the course of a year and evaluate it based on five factors: “1) quality products; 2) the harmony of flavors; 3) the mastery of cooking techniques; 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu.”
If a restaurant receives a one-star review, that means its cooking is high quality. Two stars mean it is worth going out of your way for, and three stars means the restaurant is worth a special trip on its own. Michelin Bib Gourmand designations, meanwhile, mean the food is top quality but affordable to those on a budget.
The same criteria has been used by Michelin to evaluate restaurants since the travel guide’s first publication, in France, at the outset of the 20th century. And yes, the guide Michelin is the same as the tire Michelin. Originally, the guide was intended “to encourage tire sales by giving practical advice to French motorists.”
As time has rolled on, of course, the Michelin Guide has gone way beyond those humble (yet useful) rubber-hits-the-road origins.
Its move into Texas was hailed by the Dallas Morning News as “one of the biggest things to happen to Texas restaurants in decades.”
Speaking to Austin news site KXAN, Visit Austin Director of Communications Wesley Lucas called it “just such a great opportunity.”
And restaurateur Felipe Riccio told the Houston Chronicle that the city’s new designation as a Michelin-rated destination would bring exposure and prestige that would benefit the city’s culinary scene. “Ideally,” he said, Michelin’s arrival “pushes everyone to be better.”
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