So, the Eater asked var and sund for an assessment of the impact of Michelin stars on the USA, and Bay Area restaurant critic* delivers the most Bay Area restaurant critic answer ever:
On the whole, I think the Bay Area Michelin Guide has been a force for the good -- for a certain class of restaurants. Otherwise, it's kind of irrelevant.
Both the San Francisco and Los Angeles guides were originally criticized for not getting California's lower-key, informal style of dining. That's still true in SF — the only starred restaurant this year doing simple, classic, California-Mediterranean food is Frances. Others cooking at the same level, like Chez Panisse, Camino, and Range, don't make the cut. People come from all over the world to San Francisco precisely for Cal-Med cuisine. It's what we've been excelling at for 20 years. So I think Michelin demonstrates its irrelevance there.
You read that correctly: "By failing to rate our restaurants highly enough, the Michelin Guide demonstrates its irrelevance."
*Shockingly, not Bauer.
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