The Michelin Stars have fallen on New Orleans. These are the most prestigious dining awards in the world, and for many years New Orleans foodies have made a sport of guessing which local restaurants could possibly obtain them. Now that Michelin is here, officially grading New Orleans restaurants, we get to second guess them.
But first, the upside. Michelin attention is a big deal. It can spur more gastro tourism from people who will travel to dine (not just dine while they travel), and for restaurants in the winners’ circle, a Michelin nod can be a gamechanger.
New Orleans now has three restaurants with Michelin stars: Emeril’s, now an ultra upscale tasting menu restaurant, with two stars; Saint-Germain, a much more casual tasting menu restaurant in the Bywater, with one star; and Zasu, an excellent Mid-City bistro and a real sleeper hit, now with one star.
More than two dozen other New Orleans restaurants have some kind of Michelin recognition now too, at levels lower than stars, plus just two Baton Rouge-area restaurants to round out the entire state of Louisiana.
So, what did Michelin miss? Well, I think Michelin looks at New Orleans dining a bit differently than New Orleans itself does.
Michelin says it judges restaurants solely on quality of the food. Great food is a must for me, of course, but what I love most about our restaurants is not hemmed by technical mastery nor artistic expression. It also must include the way restaurants make us feel, whether that’s luxurious, adventurous or part of a local hospitality culture with its own grand and gregarious character.
After all, what makes New Orleans a great dining town is not that we have many excellent restaurants (which we do). It’s the fact that New Orleans has such a rich culinary tradition of its own, a culture maintained and evolved by restaurants across the spectrum of style and price.
Michelin draws global attention anywhere, but the last word on restaurants lies with the people who keep returning to the places they value, the places that make them feel good.
That’s the ultimate validation for any restaurant. Those who can achieve this and contribute to the New Orleans food story are the stars in my book.
