MICHELIN Guide San Francisco 2015 Ninth Edition Out Today
Michelin today announced its highly regarded star selections for the ninth edition of the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country.
In this new edition, two restaurants are making the leap from two to three stars: Benu, where chef Corey Lee uses an incredibly precise culinary technique in his cooking. Corey applies a combination of classic French technique along with American, various Asian and noticeable Korean flavors to produce truly unique culinary creations. At Saison, under Chef Joshua Skenes, the kitchen offers seafood of stunning quality with a clear respect for Japanese cuisine, combined with a mastery of the northern California culinary philosophy.
Napa Valley’s perennial three-star restaurants—The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood—maintained their rank in the 2015 edition of the MICHELIN Guide.
Worldwide, there are just over 100 three-star restaurants.
“With two new three-star restaurants recognized, this 2015 edition reflects Northern California’s remarkable gastronomic energy. The San Francisco Bay area is among the most exciting culinary scenes in the world. Californian chefs are mixing their exacting cooking techniques with superb local ingredients and culinary influences from all parts of the globe. The result is a rich, dynamic and unique dining scene,” said Michael ELLIS, international director of the MICHELIN Guides
In the two-star category, the restaurant Acquerello is promoted from one to two stars. Chef Suzette Gresham is well known for her refined and elegant dishes and delivering superb Italian cuisine that has a unique contemporary touch. Chef Gresham becomes the third female chef in the U.S. gaining two stars in the MICHELIN Guide.
Newcomers in the one-star category are two very high-quality San Francisco sushi establishments: Kusakabe and Maruya. After years at Sushi Ran in Sausalito, Chef Kusakabe brings his skills and artistic approach at his namesake restaurant in San Francisco. At Maruya, the traditional Edomae sushi is exquisite and best showcased in the omakase menu at the counter.
The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco Bay Area & Wine country 2015 goes on sale Wednesday, October 22, at a price of $18.99. A total of 474 restaurants are listed in the guide this year. There are 46 different cuisines represented.
San Francisco MICHELIN Guide 2015 – Starred Establishments
Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey – (Restaurant – Area – District – City – Chef)
- Benu – San Francisco – SoMa – Corey Lee
- French Laundry (The) – Wine Country – Napa Valley – Yountville – Thomas Keller
- Restaurant at Meadowood (The) – Wine Country – Napa Valley – St. Helena – Christopher Kostow
- Saison – San Francisco – SoMa – Joshua Skenes
Excellent cuisine, worth a detour – (Restaurant – Area – District or City)
- Acquerello – San Francisco – Nob Hill
- Atelier Crenn – San Francisco – Marina
- Baume – South Bay – Palo Alto
- Coi – San Francisco – North Beach
- Manresa – South Bay – Los Gatos
- Quince – San Francisco – North Beach
A very good restaurant in its category – (Restaurant – Area – District and/or City)
- All Spice – Peninsula – San Mateo
- Ame – San Francisco – SoMa
- Auberge du Soleil – Wine Country – Napa Valley – Rutherford
- Aziza – San Francisco – Richmond & Sunset
- Bouchon – Wine Country – Napa Valley – Yountville
- Boulevard – San Francisco – SoMa
- Campton Place – San Francisco – Financial District
- Chez TJ – South Bay – Mountain View
- Commis – East Bay – Oakland
- Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant – Wine Country – Sonoma County – Forestville
- Gary Danko – San Francisco – North Beach
- Keiko à Nob Hill – San Francisco – Nob Hill
- Kusakabe – San Francisco – Financial District
- La Folie – San Francisco – Nob Hill
- La Toque – Wine Country – Napa Valley – Napa
- Luce – San Francisco – SoMa
- Madera – Peninsula – Menlo Park
- Madrona Manor – Wine Country – Sonoma County – Healdsburg
- Maruya – San Francisco – Mission
- Michael Mina – San Francisco – Financial District
- Plumed Horse – South Bay – Saratoga
- Solbar – Wine Country – Napa Valley – Calistoga
- Sons & Daughters – San Francisco – Nob Hill
- SPQR – San Francisco – Marina
- Spruce – San Francisco – Marina
- State Bird Provisions – San Francisco – Civic Center
- Terra – Wine Country – Napa Valley – St. Helena
- Terrapin Creek – Wine Country – Sonoma County – Bodega Bay
- Village Pub (The) – Peninsula – Woodside
- Wakuriya – Peninsula – San Mateo
About the MICHELIN Guide
Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently around 24 countries, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining. The selections of all restaurants in the guide are made by Michelin’s famously anonymous inspectors who dine in the San Francisco area regularly. These local inspectors are trained to scrupulously apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated. To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality, preparation and flavors, the chef’s personality as revealed through his or her cuisine, value for money, and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These objective criteria are respected by all MICHELIN Guide inspectors, whether in Japan, the United States, China or Europe. They guarantee a consistent selection so that a star restaurant as the same value regardless of whether it is located in Paris, New York or Tokyo.
Michelin has been a pioneering force in advancing mobility through innovation and excellence in manufacturing quality. The company patented the pneumatic, or air-filled, tire in the late 1800s. This was a milestone moment in mobility, permitting automobile owners to travel at great length in a single journey. Then, in an effort to prompt travelers to enjoy their newfound mobility, the company created guides and detailed maps to steer travelers on their way. The most famous publication that developed from this is the internationally recognized MICHELIN Guide.
Learn more about the MICHELIN Guide on their website.