Exclusive: Michelin restaurant guide returning to Sacramento. Will any locals earn stars?
One Sacramento restaurant earned a Michelin star the first time around. How many upped their game amid the pandemic?
The 2021 California Michelin guide will be published sometime in the year’s second half, said Nora Vass, director of food and travel experiences for Michelin North America. It’ll again include reviews of Sacramento restaurants as well as eateries in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Diego and Santa Barbara.
Anonymous Michelin critics visited restaurants at the end of the 2020, Vass said. It’s unclear what stage of reopening restaurants were in during that time — indoor dining shut down in mid-November — or if multiple visits were made as in years past.
“Since the beginning of the global pandemic, inspectors have been sensitive to each market in the U.S. and are in close contact with restaurants to stay informed on openings/closures, new menu changes, etc.,” Vass wrote in an email. “Inspectors gradually returned to visits when it seemed appropriate based on the individual establishment and their circumstances. Our inspection criteria remain unchanged. Michelin inspectors evaluate the quality of the products; harmony of flavors; mastery of the techniques and flavors; personality of the chef in his/her cuisine; and consistency between visits when deciding a restaurant’s distinction.”
Many chefs covet inclusion in the French tire company’s annual guides, which have different measures within. Top-tier restaurants are noted with one to three stars, Bib Gourmands are reserved for bargain deals and Plates recognize a good meal.
Michelin began reviewing restaurants statewide in 2019, spurred by a $600,000 grant from Visit California. While The Kitchen was the only Sacramento restaurant to earn a star, three more (Canon, Frank Fat’s and since-closed Mother) received Bib Gourmands and 10 got Plates.
Reviews had already concluded by the time the 2019 statewide guide was announced, but hope of inclusion in a planned 2020 guide spurred some local chefs to elevate their games, Visit Sacramento CEO Mike Testa said. Then the pandemic hit and the 2020 guide was nixed, though Natomas dim sum restaurant Yue Huang was recognized as an “inspector discovery.”
“Last year was devastating for many industries, with few suffering more than hospitality, and not printing the Guide for 2020 added more disappointment to what was already an impossible year,” Testa wrote in an email. “But news of an updated Guide coming out this fall is beyond welcomed and offers further hope that Sacramento can get back to the food scene that makes our city so special.”
The 2021 guide includes a new award that plays into Sacramento’s farm-to-fork pride. A Green Star will denote environmentally-friendly restaurants that source local, sustainable products, Vass said.
This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 1:24 PM.