The Michelin Guide, the world’s most prestigious source of culinary recognition, returned to Las Vegas on Wednesday evening after 17 years. At a ceremony at Fontainebleau, Michelin announced restaurant honorees for its inaugural Michelin Guide Southwest covering Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Michelin last had an official presence in Vegas when it released its 2008-09 edition for the city. The Michelin Guide, founded in 1900 by the famed French tire company of the same name, afterward canceled its Vegas listings because of the global economic downturn.
“It’s a new start, the beginning of a new journey,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, adding that some of the goals of the new Southwest edition are to help fuel the growth in the quality of restaurants by giving them a benchmark, as well as to attract talent to the region.
“When you place a destination on the world culinary map with a recognition, especially with the stars, you attract the local clients and the international clients to travel to the destination. Vegas is gettng the recognition it deserves on the world culinary map — a place that you can eat great food.”
Vegas winners
On Wednesday, Restaurant de Joël Robuchon (led by chef Eleazar Villanueva) received two stars, reserved for restaurants “where the team’s personalities and talents shine through in expertly crafted dishes, with food that is both refined and inspired.”
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (chef David Lee), Restaurant Guy Savoy (chef Nicolas Costagliola) and é by José Andrés (chef Anthony Taormina) each received one star, denoting “restaurants that use top-quality ingredients and prepare dishes with distinct flavors to a consistently high standard.”
No restaurants received received three stars, the highest Michelin rating.
China Poblano, Esther’s Kitchen and Yen Viet Kitchen were designated Bib Gourmand restaurants. The award “highlights simple yet skillful cooking at an accessible price.”
Also recognized was Sean Christopher from Joël Robuchon with a Michelin service award.
The Michelin Guide website and app also list recommended places in the Southwest, including Anima by EDO, Bouchon, Cote Las Vegas, Estiatorio Milos, Gymkhana, Kabuto, Kame Omakase, Lamaii, Michael Mina, Mott 32, Partage, Pho Ga Bac Bac, Ping Pang Pong, SoulBelly BBQ, Sparrow + Wolf, Stubborn Seed and Wing Lei. These restaurants serve high-quality, skillfully prepared food but have not been recognized with a star or Bib Gourmand.
Rising culinary reputation
The return of the Michelin Guide to Vegas marks the latest chapter in the city’s growing reputation, in just the past two years alone, as a leading culinary destination.
Witness the awards ceremonies here for World’s 50 Best Restaurants and North America’s 50 Best Restaurants; a record-breaking 14 semifinalists for the James Beard Awards this year, including the first winner from Vegas in 15 years; national media attention for everything from Hawaiian food to steakhouses; and the recent debut on the Strip of a Caribbean steakhouse from Kwame Onwuachi, one of the most lauded young chefs of his generation.
How restaurant inspections work
Although Michelin inspectors did not have a formal role in Vegas following the 2008-09 edition, the inspectors never entirely left, either, Poullennec said.
“We always have inspectors following what is happening,” he said. “We always have inspectors testing some restaurants, scouting some restaurants. It’s a monitoring exercise.”
Formal inspections for the Southwest Guide began in the past two years, Poullennec said, with the team consisting of a mix of local, national and international inspectors. Multiple inspectors visited a given restaurant, although no inspector visited more than once, to ensure assessment consistency and fairness.
‘It’s a closed book’
Michelin inspectors are famously anonymous, their identifies never revealed (unlike, say, James Beard Award voters, whose names are published after each awards cycle). Inspectors are full-time Michelin employees, all their expenses are paid by the company, and when Michelin presents ceremonies in partnership with a destination marketing organization (DMO), as it is doing with the LVCVA in Vegas, the destination has no influence over awards, Poullennec said.
“The DMOs have no idea of the selections that we will make,” he said. “It’s the same everywhere in the world, even when we have a partnership at the government level. It’s a closed book. This is the only way for Michelin to ensure its full independence.”
Poullennec predicted that the impact of the Michelin Guide’s return to Vegas would “play out over several years.”
“The situation today is not what it was 15 years ago,” he added. “There is a lot we can do to push the Vegas culinary scene to the next level. Vegas has not yet reached its full potential. We want to ignite the dynamic, plant the seeds, recognize the quality where it is.”
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at [email protected]. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.