Michelin New York 2011 Guide

Yesterday, the guide for 2011’s Michelin starred restaurants came out (to see the full list, visit here). The three stars remained the same (Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, per se, and Masa), but the two-starred and one-starred restaurants mixed things up a bit.

Changes to the two-star category:

– Addition of Chef Table at Brooklyn Fare, Kajitsu, Marea, and Soto

Changes to the one-star category:

– Addition of Aldea, A Voce Madison, The Breslin, Danny Brown Wine Bar & Kitchen, Dovetail, and Laut
– Removal of Perry St

I’m super happy that Marea jumped to the two star category because I think their food is absolutely phenomenal and they’re absolutely deserving of their two stars. I was actually waiting to read about the two stars because I haven’t visited many even though the year is almost over and was kind of secretly hoping that one or two would drop off so I wouldn’t have to visit them (specifically, I’ve heard many quality issues at both Gordon Ramsay at the London, Gilt, and Picholine). I purchased a gift certificate for Picholine, so I will definitely be visiting, and I suppose that will be the next two-star restaurant I visit.

I’m also very excited to visit the new two stars that were bumped up from the previous year (Kajitsu and Soto) because I’m sure their food will be absolutely wonderful if they jumped to two Michelin stars so quickly (they were both new to the Michelin list in 2010).

Out of the new one star restaurants, I’m most excited to visit Brooklyn Fare because I’ve only heard wonderful things about the chef and restaurant(although seriously, going out to Brooklyn on a weeknight is not going to happen and public transportation on the weekends is absolutely ridiculous). I was very sad to read that Perry St lost their star because I was just at the restaurant on Tuesday night and I briefly spoke with Cedric about his new fall menu. I don’t think they’ll have trouble getting back their star next year because the restaurant really is wonderful, the service is fantastic, and it’s one of the best values out of all of the Michelin-starred restaurants in New York.

For 2011, I’m going to visit all of the new Michelin-starred restaurants that I haven’t visited yet (my plan is to finish this year’s list by December 31, 2010). I’d had some wonderful experiences meeting great dining partners and would love to meet more of my readers next year!

What do you think of the 2011 list? Any surprises that delighted you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!