When people think of the Michelin Guide, the restaurants with stars are often the first that come to mind, but the guide encompasses more than just the upper echelon of world-class restaurants.
The stars have finally fallen on New Orleans as one of the oldest and most prestigious dining awards, the Michelin Guide, on Monday awarded stars to three restaurants, along with other distinctions to many other local eateries.
The distinguished list also honors restaurants that offer quality food at a good value, ones deemed personal favorites by the anonymous inspectors who evaluated them and spots that are worthy of a stop, even though they don’t rise to the level of a star.
The inaugural list for the American South included 228 restaurants from h, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. Thirty-four of those restaurants came from h, with Saint-Germain and Zasu earning a star and ’s gaining a .
Chef E.J. Lagasse, left, works with chef de cuisine Emelie Van Dyke and sous chef Riley McDonnell in the kitchen at Emeril's Restaurant in New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Restaurants with a one-star distinction demonstrate high-quality cooking and are worth a stop. Two-star distinctions go to restaurants that serve excellent cuisine and are worth a stop.
Then, restaurants can earn a distinction, saved for eateries that offer good food at a moderate price. 11 New Orleans restaurants were selected for this award.
A majority of the h restaurants featured in the Michelin Guide made its recommended list, a designation for restaurants that serve good food and are above average, but don’t quite meet the inspector’s qualifications for a Bib or star distinction.
While they don’t have a distinction this year, it’s always possible that they could earn it in years to come, as restaurants are evaluated annually.
Zasu is a small, upscale restaurant for fine dining in Mid-City. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, | The Times-Picayune)
Nearly all restaurants representing Louisiana in the guide are located in New Orleans, though two hail from the Baton Rouge area. See the complete list below.
Michelin Guide’s two-star h restaurant
Michelin Guide’s one-star h restaurants
Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand h restaurants
Crunchy thin noodles are spun around yogurt, onions and nuts for the dahi ke kebab dish at LUFU NOLA, an Indian restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, | The Times-Picayune)
The fried bologna sandwich with chips and American cheese is a signature at Turkey and the Wolf restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty)
Michelin Guide’s recommended h restaurants
A server carries food out of the kitchen at Elsie's Plate and Pie at 3145 Government St, Baton Rouge.
Ashwin Vilkhu (left) and his father Arvinder Vilkhu tend a dish in the wok at their family's restaurant The Kingsway. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
