The Lone Star State will soon have a different kind of stars under its belt: Michelin stars.
The Michelin Guide is expanding to Texas and preparing to award restaurants with one, two, or three stars in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. The guide’s selections will be announced later this year.
In fact, Michelin Guide Inspectors are already perusing eateries all over the state. The anonymous inspectors make dinner reservations in secret, pay for all of their meals to ensure they pick the highest quality food, and rate the restaurants on five criteria:
- Quality products
- Harmony of flavors
- Mastery of cooking techniques
- Reflection of the chef’s voice and personality in the cuisine
- Consistency between each visit and the menu, as inspectors visit multiple times
Inspectors will also choose their Bib Gourmand selections, which highlight restaurants where you can get quality food at more affordable prices.
Texas already has a Michelin Guide to hotels, which includes local stays like The LINE Austin, Hotel Magdalena, the Commodore Perry Estate, and Hotel Ella.
The Michelin Guide was originally started to encourage culinary tourism — thus driving the need for more tires. Once their picks are announced, Texas will join a host of other places with Michelin Guides in place: France (where the first Michelin Guide was published), New York, Chicago, Washington DC, California, Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, and Mexico.
Which Austin restaurants do you think deserve a Michelin star? Let us know.
