Michelin: Reviewing the reviews of the reviews

Let's get wicked "meta." What sayeth the critics about the Michelin critics?

Thomas Keller:

We had coffee.

Bauer:

Giving [Chez Panisse] one star, in my mind, shows that the inspectors don't get the Bay Area food scene .... the list lacks many of the places that go to the heart of Bay Area dining

... hard to make sense of ... I wonder if our restaurants are being handicapped because [French Laundry] is much better than any of the other restaurants here

... I don't know if it's a wake-up call or we're just going to become even more provincial and say, 'Screw 'em!'

Danko:

Michelin is predisposed to rating French-styled and -setup restaurants ... If Michelin wants to embrace the world, it needs to look at cultural differences

... [The star demotion] fits into the whole Michelin modus operandi, to show that they are in charge.

Waters:

I know that it's absolutely about the complexity of the wine list, and a certain kind of service, and the way the restaurant is set up. At Chez Panisse, I've never wanted it to conform in that way.

Roland Passot:

I'm disappointed by not getting two stars ... it will become a bible.

Hubert Keller:

Maybe I should just open a bistro.

Charles Phan:

I don't kiss up to the French.

Anonymous at Ferry Building party (via Cooking with Amy):

"I'm not putting Michelin tires on MY car..."

Danny Scherotter:

The reason Angelenos come to San Francisco to eat is because our food is more about ingredient-driven, organic, free-range, sustainable, fresh-right-from-the-backyard, seasonal food than it is about some chef's ego and how high he can pile [it].

Sources:

• Chronicle
• Bauer blog
• LA Times article
• AP article
• Wine Spectator
• Cooking with Amy
  
• Business Times