At the pre-awards party for the inaugural Michelin Southwest ceremony, the feeling of pride was contagious. Arizona chefs and restaurateurs were beaming at the cocktail hour. “Now people don’t have to travel to New York for good food,” said Sam Olguin, the co-owner of Pretty Penny.
Chef Christopher Gross, arguably the most lauded chef in the Valley, said he had been "on pins and needles."
"Surreal," said Courtney Lewandrowski from Kid sister.
It was a sentiment I heard over and over.
It was impossible not to get swept up in the sentiment. Who cared if we had to pay them to come? The point was, Michelin had finally arrived, giving Arizona chefs the chance to strive for the most coveted designation in the culinary world for the very first time.
Michelin went from exciting to confusing in less than an hour
My
anticipation grew as the first name was called — award-winning Arizona chef and social activist, Charleen Badman of FnB won the Mindful Voices Award. Then John Germain, the wine director at Reserve, won Best Sommelier. Before they even announced the winner of the Young Chef Award, I knew it had to be Rene Andrade of Bacanora and Huarachis. "Arriba Arizona!" he shouted as he accepted the honor. The crowd of Arizona chefs and industry pros roared in applause.
With a start like that, it seemed certain that a star was in our future. At least one. Maybe more.
The next category was "recommended restaurants," which would appear in the guide, but not as Bib Gourmand (described as "offering exceptionally good food at a reasonable, budget-friendly price") or as a starred restaurant. That's when the head-scratching began.
Like many, I assumed Christopher’s would get a star. But as the MC speedily read a dozen Arizona restaurant names, Christopher's was among them.
The next category, the Bib Gourmand designations, merely added to my confusion. We had seven restaurants named, all of them good. But in what world would high-end restaurants like FnB, Lom Wong or Valentine be considered "budget-friendly"?
In the entire Southwest — Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona — only five restaurants in two states received stars. In Las Vegas, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Restaurant Guy Savoy and É by José Andrés earned one-star ratings. Joël Robuchon received the only two-star recognition of the night. In South Salt Lake, Monte earned one star.
No stars were awarded to Arizona restaurants.
Really? None?
I felt conflicted about the results, and I still do
Reactions after the ceremony were mixed. Rochelle Daniel was visibly upset. “These are restaurants that have strong backings,” she said of the restaurants that received stars. “How are we supposed to compete with that?”
Chef Nigel Lobo of Indibar was more optimistic. “We were here. That’s all that matters.” Co-owner Jonathan Rodrigues agreed. “It’s only the first year.”
Rene Andrade of Bacanora carried his award with excitement and appeared unfazed.
I am of two minds about it. The part of me that was shaped by immigrant parents who harped on us to keep pushing ourselves because “it is what it is" and that we had to work our way up and put in our time, believes, it’s only the first year. Maybe we do just need to step up our game. But is that really fair? Many of the chefs at the ceremony have been operating at a high level for years; the only reason they weren't considered by Michelin before is that we didn't have a guide. They've put in the time. They've done the work.
I think of Christopher Gross in particular. Before the ceremony, he told me, “I don’t think I’d get it because I have the bistro mixed in.” If having two restaurants in one concept prevents you from getting stars, then Michelin isn't really looking exclusively at the food, as they claim to.
All we need to do is look at the restaurants that did win to see that. They are of a kind. Euro-centric, old-school, tweezer-forward fine dining. In other words, exactly the kinds of places we've all come to associate with Michelin.
However, even if we take this narrow view of what kind of restaurant should qualify for a star, Christopher's still should have been starred.
Michelin got a lot of things wrong, but they also got some things very right
Beyond the star snubbing, the results simply felt off. The restaurants listed as recommended and Bib Gourmand felt haphazard. As noted earlier, several didn't even fit within the category.
And yet, part of me still feels pleased.
Having 19 restaurants recognized in the guide, more than any of the other three states, is worth celebrating. The special awards were spot on. Charleen Badman was the ideal candidate for Mindful Voices, an award for a pioneering individual in sustainable practices. She's been championing local farmers and producers for years. John Germain and his 700-bottle atlas educate and inspire guests at every service at Reserve. Of course, he won the Sommelier Award. And Rene Andrade of Bacanora won The Young Chef award, an award that "celebrates exceptional chefs under 36 working in Michelin-starred or Bib Gourmand restaurants who display a unique culinary identity," according to Michelin's website. Nailed it.
At the end of the day, we wanted Michelin to come to Arizona, and here it is.
There's simply no way the inspectors had time to intimately get to know the restaurants in our state in such a short timeframe (Tucson restaurants were entirely ignored). Las Vegas had a Guide in 2008 and 2009, so perhaps it was the inspectors' familiarity with the dining scene there that helped bolster their results. (Worth noting that three of this year's four starred restaurants also received stars back then: three stars for Joël Robuchon, two stars for Restaurant Guy Savoy and one star for L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.)
Maybe what feels to a local restaurant critic like serious oversights are actually first-year growing pains. Maybe next year both the ceremony (which was not without its own hitches, from mispronunciations to rushed announcements) and the list of restaurants recognized will feel more refined. The fact remains, as long as we have the guide, there's a chance. And for many chefs and restaurateurs in Arizona, and for me too, there remains something irresistibly exciting in that promise.
Reach the restaurant critic at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @baharcreative on Instagram.
Looking for the best restaurants? Sign up for Dining with azcentral.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Michelin Guide Southwest got a lot wrong. And a few things very right
