Michelin Guide Debuts in Texas Amid Surprises and Controversy

Last spring, when Michelin announced it would produce a Guide for Texas, chefs, restaurateurs and foodies alike were giddy to have the exclusive culinary group audit our tastebuds.

Generally, the perception is that the Michelin tide will raise the culinary scene as a whole across the state, as Monarch's chef Danny Grant spoke about in an interview with the Observer. Georgie chef RJ Yoakum, who previously worked at Michelin-starred French Laundry, predicts that just having the Guide in Texas will lure culinary talent to the state, further sweetening the scene.

All the while, some rumbled in hushed tones around dinner tables that it was unlikely any local restaurants would get two or three stars. Even Dallas chef John Tesar, whose restaurant Knife and Spoon in Florida earned a star, said his Dallas restaurant was not worthy — "now." We love a proper "yet."

There are five levels of Michelin recognition: one-, two- and three-stars, the latter being the best and worth using airline miles for, or at least Marriot points. Then there's Bib Gourmand, which recognizes exceptional food at a good value. Finally, there are recommended places, which means the restaurant is simply listed in the Guide, certainly worthy of a visit but with no distinctions. The Guide started in the late 20th century as a way for Michelin, the tire company, to get people to use their tires. Fun fact: people who work on the Guide share office space with people who work on the tire side of business in corporate offices in North Carolina.
 
Find the full list of Texas restaurants that received stars here.

Here are our key takeaways from the evening and, as it stands now, the Michelin Guide of Texas.

The Lone Star of Dallas

The omakase Tatsu was the only restaurant in Dallas to receive a star. Chef Tatsuya “Tatsu” Sekiguchi and wife Hiroko were lovely ambassadors for the Dallas culinary scene on Monday at the Michelin ceremony. The Japanese-born chef moved here from New York several years ago after training under Michelin-starred chef Sushi Yasuda. At the ceremony, Tatsu wore a large tan cowboy hat with a brim about as wide as his brilliant smile.

Last May, Observer restaurant critic Chris Wolfgang reviewed the 10-seat, 14-course omakase in an article aptly titled The Art of Omakase. The traditional edomae-style sushi served here uses soy and vinegar to prepare cured fish, a style Tatsu learned at his father's restaurant in Hasuda, Japan. In May, Tatsu told Wolfgang that he believed that Dallas would soon have a food scene comparable to Los Angeles and New York, adding "I'm happy to be a part of that growth."

Likewise.

"I believe Dallas is growing, and I'm so proud of being a part of it," Tatsu said just after the ceremony Monday. "I want to be a role model for young chefs."

Paying to Play

No restaurants in Texas were awarded more than one star.

For context, there are 33 two-star Michelin restaurants in the U.S.: 13 each in California and New York City, three each in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and one in Miami.

There are currently only 13 restaurants with the elusive three stars. Did we expect Texas to get that highest anointment? Nope. But perhaps a two-star? It would have been nice to see at least one place. Why else would the Guide come to Texas if not for an exceptional scene worthy of burning rubber to get to?

Or maybe it was the $900,000 five Texas cities (Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin) and the state's travel office pay annually for the Guide to cover the state.

In Dallas, these public funds ($90,000 a year) came from the nonprofit marketing agency, Visit Dallas, which contracts with the City of Dallas. Visit Fort Worth similarly pulled from its marketing and public relations budget, which is about 31.5% of the total budget, according to the Fort Worth Report.

This method of cities (and countries in some cases) paying to bring the Michelin Guide to a state certainly has its critics: The Guide, known for its fiercely independent and covert inspectors, is essentially assigning stars for dollars, and simultaneously, critics say, compromising the integrity of the program. But there was always a double mission here: the Guide was originally created to get diners to burn rubber across France, upping the demand for the namesake tires.

Fort Worth was one of the five cities to pay $270,000 (over three years) to bring the Guide to the state. Goldee's, recognized as the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly, earned a Bib Gourmand, along with three other restaurants that were acknowledged in the Guide. However, no Fort Worth restaurant received a star, making it the only city among the five that paid to bring the Guide to Texas that did not earn at least one star. Only one restaurant in Dallas and in San Antonio received a star; Austin got seven and Houston six.

Other cities that didn't invest, however, did receive recognition, including a star for CorkScrew BBQ in Spring. Barb's in Lockhart, Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin and several restaurants in Houston suburbs were recommended. We're not condoning this; if anything, it may lend authenticity to the process.

Barbecue Goes Big

When the Guide announced it was coming to Texas, one of our first questions was about the local barbecue scene. With a cuisine so unique to our state, how can it be properly compared to restaurants across the world? We asked Gwendal Poullennec this exact question when he was in Austin awarding Michelin Keys for hotels in North America. Here was part of his response:

When we come to Texas, for example, we say "What's good?" What matches the criteria for quality of products and mastery of cooking techniques? And, for example, for barbecue, you can focus on the quality of the product they're using, craftsmanship, mastery of open fire, everything. And then after you have the balance of flavor, consistency and personality, is it truly unique and authentic, not just something universal or globalized?

We have the people who will help us to understand the culture, they will compare all the places where you can eat Texas barbecue and recognize the best of them. And I would say what makes a difference when in the field is to be truly open-minded, like a blank canvas.

It was a big blank canvas, it turns out: 24 barbecue restaurants made the Texas Guide.

Four received one-star: La Barbecue, InterStellar BBQ, LeRoy and Lewis, all in Austin, plus CorkScrew BBQ in Spring.

Locally, Cattleack in Dallas and Goldee's in Fort Worth received Bib Gourmands; Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth and Smoke 'N Ash BBQ in Arlington were recommended.

Dallas Culinary Trail

Mile-for-mile, no area in Texas has more Michelin mentions than Travis Street to Lower Greenville (but please don't audit our map math on that).

You've got Mister Charles, Knox Bistro and Georgie, all pretty much on one block, each recommended. Gemma, down the road, received a Bib Gourmand. A mile away, Quarter Acre and Rye were also recommended, and Ngon received a Bib Gourmand. Half a mile due east, Mot Hai Ba also received a Bib Gourmand.

All The Charleses

No French-held soiree is without une petite controversy. During the ceremony, it was announced that The Charles was recommended, but the subsequent description was clearly about sister restaurant Mister Charles. The Guide issued a correction on Tuesday, blaming geo-location and clarifying that it intended to honor Mister Charles, not The Charles.

Another restaurant owned by the same group, El Carlos Elegant, was also recommended.