When the San Francisco Michelin Guide dropped last week, it was cause to celebrate the ascension of another American restaurant to the rarefied air of three Michelin stars. For New York’s unveiling today, it was the opposite. Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s flagship fine dining restaurant, Jean-Georges, was demoted from three stars to two. This drops the total three-star restaurants in New York City to five, now two below San Francisco.
“It was a difficult decision for us to make,” Michelin guide director Michael Ellis told Eater New York about the demotion. “Unfortunately, we saw a slow glide downward. It started off with small things… and it didn’t get any better. It was kind of on cruise control.”
Michelin inspectors visited the restaurant inside Trump Tower up to 10 times over the past 18 months, but Jean-Georges ultimately failed to hold its three-star standard.
The major mover on the list was Sushi Ginza earning an upgrade from one star to two. In addition, six new restaurants appeared on the list, including the Korean steakhouse Cote.
Somewhat surprisingly, neither of Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s showy takeovers of the old Four Seasons space—The Grill and The Pool—earned a star. Those two restaurants have been among the most high-profile openings of the year, with The Grill receiving rave reviews. But Ellis told the New York Times that the restaurants “were not quite ready.” However, two other jewels in the Major Food Group crown—Carbone and ZZ’s Clam Bar—retained their single stars.
Another mild surprise—along with Le Coucou being passed over for a star again—is that Wildair, the restaurant led by Jeremiah Stone and Fabian Von Hauske, did not receive a star. While more informal than Von Hauske and Stone’s tasting-menu restaurant Contra, which retained its star, Wildair is consistently delicious and lively, with an exceptional wine selection. It’s a place multiple chefs have cited to me in the last year, without prompting, about being one of their favorite places to eat. The decision by Michelin is a good example of its bias toward the tasting menu.
Three Stars
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Eleven Madison Park
Le Bernardin
Masa
Per Se
Two Stars
Aquavit
Aska
Atera
Blanca
Daniel
Jean-Georges
Jungsik
Ko
Marea
The Modern
Sushi Ginza Onodera (New)
One Star
Agern
Ai Fiori
Aldea
Aureole
Babbo
Bar Uchū (New)
Bâtard
Blue Hill
The Breslin
Café Boulud
Café China
Carbone
Casa Enríque
Casa Mono
Caviar Russe
The Clocktower (New)
Contra
Cote (New)
Del Posto
Delaware and Hudson
Dovetail
Faro
The Finch
Gabriel Kreuther
Gotham Bar and Grill
Gramercy Tavern
Günter Seeger NY
Hirohisa
Jewel Bako
Junoon
Kajitsu
Kanoyama
Kyo Ya
L’Appart
La Sirena
La Vara
Meadowsweet
Minetta Tavern
The Musket Room
Nix
NoMad
Peter Luger
Rebelle
The River Café
Rouge Tomate (New)
Satsuki (New)
Sushi Amane (New)
Sushi Inoue
Sushi Yasuda
Sushi Zo
Tempura Matsui
Tori Shin
Uncle Boons
Ushiwakamaru
Wallsé
ZZ’s Clam Bar
