Michelin stars are the seal of excellence awarded to restaurants by the most famous and influential culinary guide of the same name since the early 20th century. The maximum rating a restaurant can receive from Michelin is three stars.
History of the guide
In 1900, one of the founders of the famous Michelin tire company, André Michelin, came up with the idea of producing and distributing for free among consumers of their products a kind of guide, which contained a list of places where the traveler could have the car repaired, leave the car in the parking lot, rent a room or have a snack. The Michelin free guide enjoyed a very moderate popularity and even the "reform" of 1920, when the guidebook became not only paid, but also began to publish the first annual rating, did not raise its position. Initially, the Michelin star began to appear in the name of the restaurant with high prices, so this distinctive mark was more warning than complementary. In 1926, Guide Michelin once again "changed course" and awarded a star to restaurants with good food. The guide attracted the interest of gourmets, its sales began to grow, and in 1930 the editors of the guide added two more stars to the rating and announced the policy of their award. Since then, one Michelin star has been awarded to a restaurant if it is simply good for its category, two if the restaurant is so good that it is worth taking a detour to sample its cuisine, and three if the restaurant's cuisine is so good that it is worth planning for it. separate trip.
The Michelin Guide was suspended in 1941 and resumed on May 16, 1945.
Initially, the paid Michelin guide only covered France. In 1956, a separate Michelin Guide for Italy was published, in 1974 for Great Britain, in 2005 the first American Michelin appeared, in 2007 the city of Tokyo was added to the rating, in 2008 - Hong Kong and Macau. By 2014, Guide Michelin began to be published in 14 different editions, covering restaurants in 23 countries around the world, the guide was officially presented for sale in 90 countries around the world.
Michelin stars and more
Michelin stars are awarded solely for the quality of the food. The exact evaluation criteria are known only to Michelin-starred critics, whose visit to the restaurant is always anonymous. Neither the atmosphere, nor the quality of service, nor the wine list, nor the interior influences the number of stars awarded to a restaurant. A restaurant can gain or lose no more than one star per year. The time when the new gourmet yearbook is published is comparable to the anticipation of an Oscar by moviegoers. The media are discussing the contenders for new stars and those who may be deprived of old ones. Such passions are boiling around the stars that once the eminent chef Bernard Loiseau committed suicide only because of rumors that his restaurant could lose one of the three stars.
A restaurant cannot receive more than three stars, but the stars are "summed up" at restaurateurs. So the famous Gordon Ramsay had a total of 18 Michelin stars in one year.
To give the reader the most complete picture of the restaurant, Guide Michelin gradually introduced other designations. So there is a "rising star" awarded to a restaurant with great promise. Since 1955, there has been a Bib Gourmet symbol awarded to restaurants serving quality food at prices below market maximum. The Fork and Spoon icon in the Michelin Guide speaks to the overall level of comfort and service at the restaurant. It starts with one badge awarded to simply cozy restaurants with friendly service and goes up to five, indicating the luxurious interior, serving and service in this institution. The coin next to the name of the restaurant indicates the locations where the average meal bill will be below the country-specific standard. A grapevine, cocktail glass, or a sketch of a sake set indicate restaurants whose wines, cocktails or sake deserve special attention. There is also an icon painted in different colors, which speaks of the view that opens from the windows of the establishment. It can be black if the view is just interesting, or red if the view is great.
