PURE JOY. Chefs jumped, screamed and literally sobbed with joy at the Florida Michelin Guide “Reveal 2022” event last night. Let’s embrace the city-wide elation. Let’s support this international recognition. Are there controversial elements? Of course, as you’ll read below. Let them slide.
Screenshot of Soseki’s chef-owner Michael Collantes, from the Michelin Guide Instagram feed
Here’s the backdrop: Yesterday, the dry, serious Michelin Guide folks announced which Orlando, Miami and Tampa restaurants have received recognition in a brand new guide covering the three Florida cities. The screenshots pictured here are samples of the glowy self-promos culinary team members posted to share their exciting news.
In the Orlando area, if I got this all right—neither the Michelin website nor the press release make tracking easy—four Orlando-area restaurants received an actual star; three stars are the max a restaurant can earn, but that’s for a super-sonic level of excellence. The listings are posted on the Michelin website and are or will be on the Michelin smartphone app. Orlando’s stars:
· Capa
· Kadence
· Knife & Spoon
· Soseki (which I recently featured in Winter Park Magazine)
On the right, Jamilyn Salonga Bailey and Lordfer Lalicon of Kadence. On the left, Sonny Nguyen of Domu and Tori Tori.
Seven Orlando restaurants can pin a Bib Gourmand recognition on their theoretical lapels. That means the restaurant is definitely worth a trip, but not as food-décor-service special as a starred restaurant.
· Bombay Street Kitchen
· Domu
· Papa Llama
· The Ravenous Pig
· The Strand
· Swine & Sons
· Z Asian
Z Asian’s post, using a graphic by the Tastychomps blog
Then another 23 Orlando restaurants are on the Michelin Florida “recommended” list.
· Bacán
· Black Rooster Taqueria
· California Grill
· Citricos
· Four Flamingos
· Hawkers
· Kabooki Sushi
· Kai Asian Street Fare
· Maxine’s on Shine
· Morimoto Asia
· Orlando Meats
· The Pinery
· Pizza Bruno
· The Polite Pig
· Prato
· Primo
· Ravello
· Sear + Sea
· Selam
· Se7en Bites
· Shin Jung
· Sticky Rice
· Tori Tori
From the chef-owner of Pizza Bruno
I see a whole lot of good here. As an international traveler with a food bent, I can tell you that a city truly seems more appealing when it has Michelin-rated restaurants. “Oh, Oslo has 37 Michelin restaurants?” gallivanters like me think. “I’ll eat well.” Even if I don’t dine in those restaurants. The fact that Michelin found its way to Norway’s capital, and discovered restaurants worth its crown (at any level), indicates the destination has restaurants that serve exceptional food, plain or fancy. (I loved my meal at Kontrast.) Naïve? Probably. But that’s how it works.
Now Central Florida has that halo of acceptance too.
That’s controversial for a good reason: Visit Florida and Visit Orlando, two tourism-promoting organizations, paid to bring the Michelin Guide folks here. Tampa and Miami did too. I haven’t covered restaurants in those others markets nonstop for a quarter-century so I’ll keep my comments local.
Would Michelin have found its way to Orlando on its own? Surely not. Are its recs authentic? As in, would an Orlando one-star restaurant merit a Michelin star if it were in Rome? I can’t say. Michelin does insist that its “inspectors” are objective and authentic; we have no choice but to assume that’s true.
There’s a benefit to outsiders ranking our restaurants. They are objective in a way reviewers, critics, feature writers, bloggers and social media influencers who live in town can’t be. Even those of us who keep the most distance, who choose not to be friends with chefs and restaurant owners, who accept no free meals or comped meals only at media events … we still have relationships with some of the people whose establishments we judge. We interview them, at least by phone. We shake their hands at industry events, such as last night’s Michelin to-do. We end up by their sides at parties, follow one another on social media, or maybe ask them to pose for a picture when we visit their dining rooms. Few if any of us are 100 percent free of personal connections. Once you like someone, you are more likely to think kindly of their restaurant—and write about it in a positive way.
At the event, a Michelin spokesperson said that his company’s inspectors work as a team. They each visit a restaurant separately—just once each—though, then pool their thoughts. The room last night was loud so I may have that a bit wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s the method he shared. That system isn’t ideal. One visit per person isn’t so great. Order the wrong item, on the wrong night, and you’ll cross a restaurant off your list; we’re all like that, paid professionals or not. But, since Michelin uses a team of inspectors, each counters the other. Several individuals taste different dishes on other different nights. It must balance out.
Those of us who follow restaurant news in Orlando know that Michelin was lured here with bucketsful of cash. Visitors don’t know that though—neither tourists who seek out the market’s best restaurants, nor event planners choosing destinations for conventions and conferences. Those who care deeply about exceptional food choices will see Orlando as more alluring now that it has Michelin-ranked restaurants. Fact.
Swine & Sons
As for the actual awards, Michelin’s choices are interesting. I’ve been to all but three of the 34 selected. Most of the choices are solid good picks but … well, everyone has different opinions. I see no point in naming names, but to me at least one of the restaurants anointed Michelin-worthy has nothin’-special food. Like, nada. More important, I think a couple of our very best kitchens were overlooked. To me, the gap is so obvious that I wonder how that’s possible without personal grudges.
On the other hand, I do respect the Michelin system overall. I had become wary of it after two experiences. Several years ago in Paris, I visited a handful Bib Gourmand restaurants, and none was special. Two even felt uncomfortably touristy to me. Then, during a 2019 visit to Lyon, I had a super-splurge meal at the three-star Michelin restaurant Auberge du Pont des Colonges … and had serious issues with the place. But! Not long after, Michelin yanked one of the three stars. I respect that.
Sticky Rice
Today, Orlando can declare itself a Michelin destination. That translates, among other benefits, to scores of proud, thrilled, delighted chefs, owners, managers, publicists and staffers. Again. JOY!
Also: dismissal. Surely some recipients who won will insist that Michelin stinks, that awards in general are ridiculous, that none of this matters, etc. etc. etc. That’s their choice.
The glee—unadulterated, inspiring, infectious glee—on honest display lets me know that the Florida Michelin Guide recognitions bring pleasure. The Michelin rankings do matter. They made hard-working restaurant pros happy. Let’s enjoy that.