The Asimov Chronicles

Here is a handy list of all the “starred” reviews Eric Asimov has written for The New York Times, both in his first tour (June 19–December 4, 2002) and his second tour (October 26, 2011–present).

Both tours were as an interim critic, the first time while William Grimes was on leave; the second as a fill-in between the tenures of Sam Sifton and Pete Wells.

Date	Restaurant	Rating	Comments
FIRST TOUR
06/19/2002	Blue Smoke	*	Still open
06/26/2002	Butter	*	Still open
07/03/2002	Compass	**	Closed
07/10/2002	Patroon	*	Still open
07/17/2002	Molyvos	**	Still open
07/24/2002	Teodora	*	Closed
07/31/2002	MarkJoseph Steakhouse	*	Still open
08/07/2002	The Basil	*	Closed
08/14/2002	Fresh	**	Closed
08/21/2002	ROUGE	ZERO	Closed
08/28/2002	Il Gattopardo	**	Still open
09/04/2002	Django	*	Closed
09/11/2002	Zócalo	*	Closed
09/18/2002	La Caravelle	***	Closed
09/25/2002	Noche	*	Closed
10/02/2002	F.illi Ponte	ZERO	Still open
10/09/2002	Pazo	**	Closed
10/16/2002	industry(food)	*	Closed
10/23/2002	Alfama	*	Moved to East Midtown
10/30/2002	Diwan	**	Closed
11/06/2002	RM	***	Closed
11/13/2002	Le Madri	**	Closed
11/20/2002	Dos Caminos	*	Still open
11/27/2002	Sushi Seki	**	Still open
12/04/2002	L’Impero	***	Closed
SECOND TOUR
10/26/2011	Salinas	**
11/02/2011	Saxon + Parole	*
11/09/2011	Rouge et Blanc	**
11/16/2011	Sushi Yasuda	***
11/23/2011	Isa	*
11/30/2011	Fatty ’Cue	**
12/07/2011	Monkey Bar	**
12/14/2011	Seäsonal	**
12/21/2011	Lupa	*
12/28/2011	Mas (la grillade)	**

Michelin New York 2012 Ratings

The Michelin New York 2012 ratings were announced this afternoon. As always, we’re back with our tabular listing of the stars from 2006 (the first year) to the present. To summarize:

Promotions:

• Brooklyn Fare was promoted from two stars to three
• Eleven Madison Park was promoted from one star to three
• L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and SHO Shaun Hergatt were promoted from one star to two

I have no argument with any of these: they are all excellent restaurants. We can only hope that the next New York Times restaurant critic won’t be as clueless about Hergatt as the current one.

Demotions:

• Picholine was demoted from two stars to one
• Shalezeh was demoted from one star to none

Shalezeh never deserved a star in the first place, and I have certainly heard reports of a decline at Picholine. I’ve no argument here either.

Starred in First Eligible Year:

• Ai Fiori, Brushstroke, Danji, Junoon, Heartbreak, Tamarind Tribeca, Tulsi

All seven of these received good reviews, though Sifton skipped Heartbreak, sending an underling to write an enthusiastic Dining Brief. It is certainly odd that five of the seven are Indo/Asian, including three Indian.

Older Restaurants Starred for the First Time:

• Rosanjin, Tori Shin

I have no idea what changed at these restaurants to suddenly make them star-worthy. Both have been open since around 2006–07. Rosanjin got an enthusiastic deuce from Bruni in 2007; I gave it three in 2008. Tori Shin was never reviewed in the Times, and I had never heard of it until today. In total, seven of the nine new one-star restaurants are Indian or Asian, a peculiar statistic.

The full list is below. See the end of the post for the color key.

Restaurant	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Adour				**	*	*	*
Ai Fiori							*
Alain Ducasse	***
Aldea						*	*
Allen & Delancey				*
Alto				*	**	**
Annisa	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Anthos			*	*	*	*
Aureole	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
A Voce Columbus						*	*
A Voce Madison		*	*		*	*	*
Babbo	*	*	*
BLT Fish	*
Blue Hill			*	*	*	*	*
Bouley	**	**	**		*	*	*
Breslin, The						*	*
Brooklyn Fare						**	***
Brushstroke							*
Café Boulud	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Café Gray	*	*	*
Casa Mono					*	*	*
Convivio					*	*
Corton					**	**	**
Country		*	*
Craft	*	*
Cru	*	*	*	*
Daniel	**	**	**	**	***	***	***
Danji							*
Danny Brown						*	*
Danube	**	*	*
Del Posto		**	**	**	*	*	*
Dévi		*	*
Dovetail						*	*
Dressler			*	*	*	*	*
Eighty One				*	*
Eleven Madison Park					*	*	***
Etats-Unis	*	*	*	*	*
Fiamma (Osteria)	*	*		*
Fleur de Sel	*	*	*	*
Gilt			*	**	**	**	**
Gotham Bar & Grill	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Gordon Ramsay			**	**	**	**	**
Gramercy Tavern	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Heartbreak							*
Insieme				*	*
Jean Georges	***	***	***	***	***	***	***
Jewel Bako	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
JoJo	*		*	*
Junoon							*
Kajitsu					*	**	**
Kyo Ya				*	*	*	*
Kurumazushi		*	*
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon			*	*	*	*	**
La Goulue	*	*
Le Bernardin	***	***	***	***	***	***	***
Laut						*	*
Lever House	*	*
Lo Scalco	*
Marc Forgione					*	*	*
March	*
Marea					*	**	**
Masa	**	**	**	***	***	***	***
Minetta Tavern					*	*	*
Modern, The	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Momofuku Ko				**	**	**	**
Nobu	*
Oceana	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Perry St.		*	*	*	*
Per Se	***	***	***	***	***	***	***
Peter Luger	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Picholine	*	*	**	**	**	**	*
Public				*	*	*	*
Rhong-Tiam					*
River Café					*	*	*
Rosanjin							*
Rouge Tomate					*	*	*
Saul	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Scalini Fedeli	*
Seäsonal					*	*	*
Shalizar/Shalezeh					*	*
SHO Shaun Hergatt					*	*	**
Soto					*	**	**
Spotted Pig	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Sushi Azabu					*	*	*
Sushi of Gari		*	*	*	*	*	*
Tamarind Tribeca							*
Tori Shin							*
Tulsi							*
Veritas	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Vong	*	*	*
Wallsé	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
WD~50	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Color Key:

Green: Restaurant promoted, or starred in first year of eligibility
Yellow: Restaurant demoted, but still has at least one star
Red: Restaurant demoted, and now unstarred
Gray: Restaurant closed, moved, or opened too late in year to be rated

The Sifton Scorecard

Last Update: October 12, 2011

Sam Sifton was New York Times restaurant critic for two years. How did his ratings stack up?

The table below shows every restaurant review that Sifton filed, Sifton’s rating, and what New York Journal considers to be the “correct” rating. Those Sifton over-rated are highlighted in red; those he under-rated are highlighted in green.

The correct rating, although clearly not scientific, was determined via a consensus of sources I trust. In a number of cases, it is different than the rating I myself gave the restaurant when I visited. Where there isn’t much critical opinion, I generally gave Sifton the benefit of the doubt. If you disagree, I am happy to refund your money. Oops! I forgot; you didn’t pay to read this. Forget the refund, then. But feel free, to weigh in (with civility) in the comments.

Sifton filed a number of reviews for no apparent reason — that is, where there was no news story or precedent that suggested the restaurant needed to be reviewed (or re-reviewed). Those are labeled “WTF?” in the right-most column. Note that this is a quite different issue than whether he rated the restaurant correctly. (N.B. I am not saying that none of the restaurants labeled “WTF?” should have been reviewed, which is a more nuanced question. I am merely pointing out that these are the ones he didn’t have to review.)

Date	Restaurant	Sifton Rating	Correct Rating	Comments
10/14/2009	DBGB	**	**
10/21/2009	Marea	***	***
10/28/2009	Imperial Palace	*	*	WTF?
11/4/2009	Le Relais de Venise	*	ZERO	WTF?
11/11/2009	Aureole	*	**
11/18/2009	Oceana	**	**
11/25/2009	A Voce Columbus	**	**
12/2/2009	SD26	*	*
12/9/2009	Madangsui	*	*	WTF?
12/16/2009	Tanuki Tavern	*	*
12/16/2009	Ed’s Chowder House	ZERO	*
12/23/2009	La Grenouille	***	***
12/30/2009	Purple Yam	*	*	WTF?
1/6/2010	Casa Lever	**	*
1/13/2010	The Breslin	*	**
1/20/2010	Maialino	**	**
1/27/2010	Le Caprice	ZERO	ZERO
2/3/2010	(no review)
2/10/2010	Novitá	**	*	WTF?
2/17/2010	Motorino	*	*
2/24/2010	Tanoreen	*	*	WTF?
3/3/2010	Choptank	ZERO	*
3/10/2010	Strip House	**	**	WTF?
3/17/2010	Colicchio & Sons	***	**
3/24/2010	Chin Chin	*	*	WTF?
3/31/2010	Recette	**	**
4/7/2010	Faustina	*	**
4/14/2010	Nello	ZERO	ZERO	WTF?
4/21/2010	SHO Shaun Hergatt	**	***
4/28/2010	The Mark	**	*
5/4/2010	Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria	*	*
5/12/2010	Fatty ’Cue	*	*
5/19/2010	Mia Dona	ZERO	ZERO
5/26/2010	Prime Meats	**	**
6/2/2010	ABC Kitchen	**	**
6/9/2010	Torrisi Italian Specialties	**	*
6/16/2010	Takashi	*	*
6/23/2010	Annisa	**	***
6/30/2010	Balaboosta	*	*
7/7 2010	Kenmare	ZERO	ZERO
7/14/2010	Má Pêche	**	**
7/21/2010	Aquavit	**	**
7/28/2010	The Lion	*	ZERO
8/4/2010	Tamarind Tribeca	**	**
8/11/2010	(no review)
8/18/2010	Toloache	*	*
8/25/2010	Plein Sud	ZERO	ZERO
8/25/2010	Wall & Water	*	*	WTF?
9/1/2010	Il Matto	**	*
9/8/2010	Fornino	*	*	WTF?
9/15/2010	Nuela	*	*
9/22/2010	Vandaag	**	*
9/29/2010	Del Posto	****	***
10/6/2010	Marc Forgione	**	**
10/13/2010	Xiao Ye	ZERO	ZERO	WTF?
10/20/2010	Manzo	N.R.	**
10/27/2010	The Lambs Club	*	*
11/3/2010	Peels	*	*
11/10/2010	Lavo	ZERO	ZERO	WTF?
11/17/2010	Hurricane Club	*	*
11/24/2010	Lincoln	**	**
12/1/2010	Osteria Morini	*	**
12/8/2010	Riverpark	**	**
12/15/2010	Kin Shop	**	**
12/22/2010	Anella	*	*	WTF?
1/5/2011	Millesime	**	**
1/12/2011	Ciano	**	**
1/19/2011	Lyon	*	*
1/26/2011	John Dory Oyster Bar	**	*
2/2/2011	The Fat Radish	*	*
2/9/2011	Hunan Kitchen of Grand Sichuan	*	*	WTF?
2/16/2011	Bar Basque	*	*
2/23/2011	Ai Fiori	***	***
3/2/2011	Fish Tag	ZERO	**
3/9/2011	Red Rooster Harlem	**	**
3/16/2011	Veritas	***	**
3/23/2011	La Petite Maison	*	*
3/30/2011	Junoon	**	**
3/30/2011	Tulsi	*	**
4/6/2011	M. Wells	**	**
4/13/2011	Niko	*	ZERO
4/20/2011	Graffit	*	*
4/27/2011	Brooklyn Fare	***	***
5/4/2011	Colonie	*	*	WTF?
5/11/2011	The National	*	*
5/18/2011	Gotham Bar & Grill	***	***
5/25/2011	(no review)
6/1/2011	Tenpenny	*	*
6/8/2011	Imperial No. Nine	ZERO	ZERO
6/15/2011	Masa	***	****
6/22/2011	Desmond’s	*	*
6/29/2011	Empellón	*	*
7/6/2011	The Dutch	**	**
7/13/2011	Brushstroke	**	***
7/20/2011	(no review)
7/27/2011	Palm and Palm Too	*	ZERO	WTF?
8/10/2011	Boulud Sud	**	**
8/17/2011	Danji	*	*
8/24/2011	Roberta’s	**	*
8/31/2011	456 Shanghai Cuisine	*	*	WTF?
9/7/2011	Craft	***	***
9/14/2011	Hospoda	*	*
9/21/2011	St. Anselm	*	*	WTF?
9/28/2011	Coppelia	*	*
9/28/2011	Miss Lily’s Favourite Cakes	ZERO	ZERO	WTF?
10/5/2011	Tertulia	**	**
10/12/2011	Per Se	****	****

Should the Star Ratings Take Price Into Account?

At the bottom of every New York Times restaurant review is this blurb, essentially unchanged for many years:

Ratings range from zero to four stars and reflect the reviewer’s reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.

The paper never explains exactly how price is “taken into consideration.” Presumably, it means that a restaurant could receive a bonus star for being an exceptionally good value, or be docked a star for being too expensive.

I’d like to challenge that. Should the rating be price-sensitive? I can state at least four good reasons why not.

1. It is Open To Manipulation. In many notable cases, restaurants have raised their prices—sometimes substantially—just after they received a glowing New York Times review. For instance, when Frank Bruni awarded four stars to Eleven Madison Park, the prix fixe was $88; a year later, it is $125. Sam Sifton awarded four stars to Del Posto just a month ago; now, they have dropped their à la carte option, locking customers into a (minimum) $95 prix fixe.

I am not suggesting that either restaurant would lose the fourth star if the critic went back today, but these are hardly isolated examples. Country raised its prix fixe from $85 to $110 after Bruni gave it three stars. Fiamma went from $75 to $95 (later partly rolled back after Bruni called them on it). At Falai, a two-star restaurant, Bruni likewise saw a noticeable price increase (beyond the rate of inflation) when he returned two years later. In a blog post, he surveyed several other examples.

Now, I do realize that anything can change at a restaurant. But a talented chef is probably going to stay talented; an attractive dining room is probably going to remain that way. Prices, on the other hand, are merely the function of what a manager types into a word processor.

2. It Depends on Factors the Critic Can’t See. According to Joe Bastianich (partner with Mario Batali at Del Posto and many other restaurants), food is only 30 percent of the price—the rest being rent, labor, miscellany, and of course profit. The critic can see the food on the plate. He generally has no idea if the restauranteur got a sweet rent deal that enables him to undersell comparable restaurants. The restaurant might be saddled with union labor, which tacks on added costs. Restaurants that are part of larger empires might have the flexibility to run at a loss for a while, an option that independent outfits don’t have. Restaurants in hotels might be subsidized.

Lower rents, of course, are the reason why the dining scene has flourished in neighborhoods not formerly known for fine dining, like the Lower East Side, the East Village, and Brooklyn. (The same was true twenty-five years ago in Tribeca, but it clearly isn’t now.) But those chefs don’t deserve bonus stars, just because they choose to locate in a low-rent district. Critics review restaurants, not rent deals.

3. It Makes Comparisons Much More Difficult. It is already hard enough to discern whether a pair of two-star restaurants are really comparable, when one four-tiered system needs to accommodate every genre and cuisine. But it only adds to the confusion when there is a mysterious price element in the mix. Is the two-star Torrisi Italian Specialties really punching at the same weight as fellow Italian two-stars Maialino and A Voce Columbus? Or is Torrisi getting a bonus for serving a bounty of pretty good food for just $50? It’s quite a bit less than you would pay at the other two places, but is it actually as good in the absolute sense?

4. Critics Should Evaluate Quality, Full Stop. Think about the other disciplines in which The Times employs critics: music, dance, film, theater, books, fashion, architecture. In no other, does the price of the product figure in the review. A critic gives an informed reaction to the product, independent of its economics. The Times doesn’t give better reviews to plays that open in cheaper off-Broadway houses; it reviews the production, not its price.

I am not suggesting that diners don’t, or shouldn’t, care what the meal costs. Of course we do. But value from the customer’s perspective depends on factors the critic can’t easily assess. For all of the above reasons, I think The Times ratings should be based on quality, full stop. The reviews, of course, would still show price ranges (as they do now). Diners can decide for themselves if the restaurant is “worth it.”

Michelin New York 2011 Ratings

The Michelin New York 2011 ratings were announced today. Our full recap of the stars from 2006 to the present is given in the table below (previously: 2009, 2010). Here’s a summary of this year’s changes:

Three-Star Restaurants: The list remains the same as a year ago: Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Masa, Per Se.

Two-Star Restaurants: All of the previous entrants kept their stars. Kajitsu, Marea, and Soto were promoted from one star to two. Brookyn Fare won two in its first year of eligibility(*). There are now 10 two-star restaurants, up from six a year ago.

One-Star Restaurants:

• Recognized after being previously unstarred: Aldea, Danny Brown, Dovetail
• Starred in their first year of eligibility(*): A Voce Columbus, The Breslin, Laut

Demoted Restaurants: Insieme and Perry St. were demoted from one star to none. Insieme lost its chef, so this was not a surprise. At Perry St., Jean-Georges installed his son Cedric as chef, and it seems the Guide is not impressed.

Closed Restaurants: Anthos and Veritas retained their stars, because they closed too late for the guide to be revised. Anthos is closed for good. Veritas is apparently re-opening with a much more casual menu that will probably not be starred.

Restaurant	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Adour				**	*	*
Alain Ducasse	***
Aldea						*
Allen & Delancey				*
Alto				*	**	**
Annisa	*	*	*	*	*	*
Anthos			*	*	*	*
Aureole	*	*	*	*	*	*
A Voce Columbus						*
A Voce Madison		*	*		*	*
Babbo	*	*	*
BLT Fish	*
Blue Hill			*	*	*	*
Bouley	**	**	**		*	*
Breslin, The						*
Brooklyn Fare						**
Café Boulud	*	*	*	*	*	*
Café Gray	*	*	*
Casa Mono					*	*
Convivio					*	*
Corton					**	**
Country		*	*
Craft	*	*
Cru	*	*	*	*
Daniel	**	**	**	**	***	***
Danny Brown						*
Danube	**	*	*
Del Posto		**	**	**	*	*
Dévi		*	*
Dovetail						*
Dressler			*	*	*	*
Eighty One				*	*
Eleven Madison Park					*	*
Etats-Unis	*	*	*	*	*
Fiamma (Osteria)	*	*		*
Fleur de Sel	*	*	*	*
Gilt			*	**	**	**
Gotham Bar & Grill	*	*	*	*	*	*
Gordon Ramsay			**	**	**	**
Gramercy Tavern	*	*	*	*	*	*
Insieme				*	*
Jean Georges	***	***	***	***	***	***
Jewel Bako	*	*	*	*	*	*
JoJo	*		*	*
Kajitsu					*	**
Kyo Ya				*	*	*
Kurumazushi		*	*
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon			*	*	*	*
La Goulue	*	*
Le Bernardin	***	***	***	***	***	***
Laut						*
Lever House	*	*
Lo Scalco	*
Marc Forgione					*	*
March	*
Marea					*	**
Masa	**	**	**	***	***	***
Minetta Tavern					*	*
Modern, The	*	*	*	*	*	*
Momofuku Ko				**	**	**
Nobu	*
Oceana	*	*	*	*	*	*
Perry St.		*	*	*	*
Per Se	***	***	***	***	***	***
Peter Luger	*	*	*	*	*	*
Picholine	*	*	**	**	**	**
Public				*	*	*
Rhong-Tiam					*
River Café					*	*
Rouge Tomate					*	*
Saul	*	*	*	*	*	*
Scalini Fedeli	*
Seäsonal					*	*
Shalezeh					*	*
SHO Shaun Hergatt					*	*
Soto					*	**
Spotted Pig	*	*	*	*	*	*
Sushi Azabu					*	*
Sushi of Gari		*	*	*	*	*
Veritas	*	*	*	*	*	*
Vong	*	*	*
Wallsé	*	*	*	*	*	*
WD~50	*	*	*	*	*	*

Color Key:

Green: Restaurant promoted, or starred in first year of eligibility(*)
Yellow: Restaurant demoted, but still has at least one star
Red: Restaurant demoted, and now unstarred
Gray: Restaurant closed, moved, or opened too late in year to be rated

(*) Note: The “first year of eligibility” is a judgment call, since Michelin does not say how late in the year a restaurant could open, and still be considered for a star. If a restaurant opened after May 1, I assume it was too late to be starred for the following year’s guide.

The Tire Man at Borders

There was a panel discussion last week at Borders TWC, with Danny Meyer, Lee Schrager, Mimi Sheraton, Jean-Luc Naret (head tire man), Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Kate Krader, with Mike Colameco as moderator.

The occasion was the release of the Michelin 2010 ratings for New York, although a wide variety of subjects was touched upon.

Naret shared an anecdote that is relevant to those who find the ratings baffling. A number of years ago, a restaurant opened outside Paris to scathing reviews. A year later, the tire man gave it a star. People came up to him, and said, “How on earth can you give a star there? It’s terrible?”

Naret replied, “Have you gone lately?” The answer, invariably, was no. Either they hadn’t gone at all, or they had gone a long time a go. Of course, his point was to emphasize the value (as he sees it) of a system where the restaurants are re-visited and judged by what they are doing now, not what they are reputed to have done many months or years or ago.

The panel was asked whether restaurants are reviewed too early nowadays. Every one of them said, in different ways, that once you are charging full price, you are fair game to be reviewed. Danny Meyer, however, said that he thinks good restaurants keep getting better and better over time. But Vongerichten said that a restaurant is at its best in the first two months, and thereafter it is a struggle to keep it that way. That is certainly an accurate description of his own places.

Meyer, in a nice way, pointed out the difference between himself and Vongerichten. Meyer hires chefs who stay full-time, or close to full-time, in their kitchens. Vongerichten launches a restaurant and moves on to the next one. He has been remarkably successful at it; however, he clearly has the problem of ensuring quality in kitchens where he is seldom physically present, whereas Meyer hires chefs who stay put.

They all thought that critic anonymity, though challenging to achieve, is both possible and important. Sheraton said that she once wrote an article for Vanity Fair about all the things a chef or restaurant can change once they know a critic is in the house. She said that after the article was published, a chef acquaintance called her up and said, “You don’t know the half of it.”

Naret, of course, claimed that his system is the best, because nobody knows who his inspectors are. Coincidentally, I received an e-mail last week from someone who has been a sommelier at a two-star Michelin restaurant. She said that they were at least two occasions that they knew an inspector was in the house. So even tire men are recognized sometimes.

Naret was asked about highly dissimilar restaurants having identical star ratings (L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and The Spotted Pig, for instance). He said that the reader can tell from the number of couverts (little crossed knife+fork icons in the guide) that the restaurants are very different styles. This was an understandable answer from a fellow who makes his money by selling books. But to the average consumer the stars are much more recognizable than the humble couverts.

I asked Naret how many visits are required to either confer or take away a star; and after the decision is made, how much time goes by before the restaurant is revisited. His answer wasn’t as specific as I would have liked. He said that most restaurants listed in the guide (that’s over 600 places) were visited only once or twice, but that Daniel (elevated to three stars this year) was visited eight times.

The whole panel was asked whether professional reviews matter any more in the age of food boards and blogs. They all said that, while reviews matter less than they used to, the New York Times review is still the gold standard in New York. It moves the needle the way no other review can. Most also said that chefs consider Michelin stars a higher honor than any media review.

Danny Meyer thought that blogs and food boards definitely matter, because they are seen by more people than if an individual diner just tells a few friends about their meal. Jean-Georges admitted that he looks at online reviews when he is visiting an unfamiliar city, and Krader admitted that she looks at Yelp. But Mimi Sheraton thought that the food board and blog community is insular, and that the reviews in those forums are not much noticed beyond a small community of like-minded people.

Michelin New York 2010 Ratings

The 2010 Michelin restaurant ratings for New York City were announced today. These were the significant shifts:

Promotions: These restaurants had their ratings increased: Daniel (***), Alto (**)

New Restaurants Honored: Corton received two stars. These restaurants received one star: Convivio, Kajitsu, Marc Forgione, Marea, Minetta Tavern, Rhong-Tiam, Rouge Tomate, Seäsonal, Shalizar, SHO Shaun Hergatt, Sushi Azabu.

The tire men were much more prompt about recognizing new restaurants this year. Marea and SHO Shaun Hergatt did not open until the summer of 2009, and managed to get stars. In the past, April was about the latest date a restaurant could open, and be starred the same year.

Stars Regained: A Voce (had one under Carmellini; lost it when he left; got it back)

Overdue Recognition: These restaurants finally earned a star: Casa Mono, Eleven Madison Park, River Café.

Demotions: Adour and Del Posto were knocked down from two to one. Bouley shows up as a new star, but it had two before it moved. Allen & Delancey and Cru lost their chefs, and therefore their stars. JoJo was also demoted to zero, the second time this has happened to them.

Here is the full five-year list. The color codes are explained at the bottom of the page.

Restaurant	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Adour				**	*
Alain Ducasse	***
Allen & Delancey				*
Alto				*	**
Annisa	*	*	*	*	*
Anthos			*	*	*
Aureole	*	*	*	*	*
A Voce		*	*		*
Babbo	*	*	*
BLT Fish	*
Blue Hill			*	*	*
Bouley	**	**	**		*
Café Boulud	*	*	*	*	*
Café Gray	*	*	*
Casa Mono					*
Convivio					*
Corton					**
Country		*	*
Craft	*	*
Cru	*	*	*	*
Daniel	**	**	**	**	***
Danube	**	*	*
Del Posto		**	**	**	*
Dévi		*	*
Dressler			*	*	*
Eighty One				*	*
Eleven Madison Park					*
Etats-Unis	*	*	*	*	*
Fiamma (Osteria)	*	*		*
Fleur de Sel	*	*	*	*
Gilt			*	**	**
Gotham Bar & Grill	*	*	*	*	*
Gordon Ramsay			**	**	**
Gramercy Tavern	*	*	*	*	*
Insieme				*	*
Jean Georges	***	***	***	***	***
Jewel Bako	*	*	*	*	*
JoJo	*		*	*
Kajitsu					*
Kyo Ya				*	*
Kurumazushi		*	*
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon			*	*	*
La Goulue	*	*
Le Bernardin	***	***	***	***	***
Lever House	*	*
Lo Scalco	*
Marc Forgione					*
March	*
Marea					*
Masa	**	**	**	***	***
Minetta Tavern					*
Modern, The	*	*	*	*	*
Momofuku Ko				**	**
Nobu	*
Oceana	*	*	*	*	*
Perry St.		*	*	*	*
Per Se	***	***	***	***	***
Peter Luger	*	*	*	*	*
Picholine	*	*	**	**	**
Public				*	*
Rhong-Tiam					*
River Café					*
Rouge Tomate					*
Saul	*	*	*	*	*
Scalini Fedeli	*
Seäsonal					*
Shalizar					*
SHO Shaun Hergatt					*
Soto					*
Spotted Pig	*	*	*	*	*
Sushi Azabu					*
Sushi of Gari		*	*	*	*
Veritas	*	*	*	*	*
Vong	*	*	*
Wallsé	*	*	*	*	*
WD~50	*	*	*	*	*

Color Key:

Green: Restaurant promoted, or starred in first eligible year
Yellow: Restaurant demoted, but still has at least one star
Red: Restaurant demoted, and now unstarred
Gray: Restaurant closed, moved, or opened too late in year to be rated

White boxes indicate no change of status from the prior year.

A Chef's Plea for Half-Stars at the Times

Frank Bruni delivered a shock this week — deliberately, I am sure — by awarding three stars to Corton just seven days after awarding three stars to Momofuku Ssäm Bar. Three-star reviews are pretty rare. There have been just 32 of them in Bruni’s 4½ years on the job. So to give out two of them in a row is unusual. He has never done that before.

Now, the Ssäm Bar review was totally discretionary. No particular event compelled him to write it. By doing so when he knew Corton was coming the following Wednesday, he was clearly trying to make a meta-statement about the very different paths to excellence that these two restaurants have followed.

But the Ssäm Bar review upsets many in the industry, not just because David Chang is ridiculously over-exposed, but because it makes nonsense of the rating system. The same chef’s Momofuku Ko, which is clearly more ambitious and accomplished by any measure, also carries three stars from Frank Bruni. What is the point of a rating system, if it fails to distinguish different levels of excellence and accomplishment?

Over at the Feedbag, an anonymous chef suggests that the Times should add half-stars to its system, to better distinguish between different levels:

The grading of restaurants lately does not make sense. How can a restaurant as refined as Eleven Madison Park, Picholine and Corton fit on the same level as restaurants as casual as A Voce, Scarpetta and the very baffling Momofuku Ssam? I am not saying they aren’t all great restaurants in their own right, but they are not equals. By installing a half star, one could differentiate between them. In my opinion, Blue Hill, Scarpetta and Craft should be 3 stars, Corton, Picholine, and Eleven Madison, 3 and a half, and Momofuku Ssam, 2 and a half. By grouping all of these establishments under the same 3 stars, they are misleading patrons. Isn’t that supposed to be the idea of these reviews? By awarding three stars to restaurants so disparate, they’re making the Times review system meaningless, and that hurts everybody.

We agree that half-stars allow the critic to discriminate better between different types of restaurants. That’s why reviews published on this blog use half-stars.

But ultimately, whether your rating system has 4 grading levels or 100, it can be no better than the person assigning them. I have no idea what ratings Bruni would have given out if his system allowed for half-stars. However, it is poor judgment that has created this mess in the first place, and poor judgment is not rectified by adding levels to the system.

Bruni seems to be applying a bizarre “quality divided by price” formula to assign stars. On that line of reasoning, Ko and Ssäm Bar are rated identically, for although Ko is better, it also costs more. In his defense, Bruni can point out that the Times rating system expressly states that prices are “taken into consideration,” though no past critic has done it quite the way he does.

The same perverted logic allows Bruni to justify awarding three stars to the Bar Room at the Modern, when the obviously superior dining room at the same establishment has just two. We strongly suspect that if the Times had half-stars in its rating system, Bruni would nevertheless have made the same error.

Our own view is that ratings should reflect excellence, period. The fact that excellence costs more is utterly irrelevant to the rating. It may be that some diners either cannot afford the best restaurants, or that they prefer to spend their time and money in other ways. But if Momofuku Ssäm Bar is inferior to Momofuku Ko—as it clearly is—the fact that one is cheaper does not make them equal.

Michelin New York 2009 Ratings

Note: Click here for the 2010 Michelin Ratings.

The 2009 Michelin restaurant ratings for New York were announced this morning, with an early sneak peak available from Eater. (See also: press release.)

Obvious winners are Masa (promoted to three stars); Gilt (promoted to two); and both Adour and Momofuku Ko (awarded two right out of the gate). Four restaurants got one star in their first year of consideration: Allen & Delancey, Eighty One, Insieme, and Kyo Ya. The latter restaurant was ignored by most critics, including Frank Bruni, but the Michelin folks found it somehow.

The other promotions to one star were Alto (which got a new chef) and Public. We’ve never been impressed at Public, and we’re not aware of any intervening event that would have justified a re-evaluation. Fiamma re-gained the star it formerly had, which was taken away last year after a chef change.

Restaurants losing their stars include: A Voce (departed chef), Babbo (no obvious reason), Bouley (relocating), Café Gray (closed), Country (closed), Danube (closed), Dévi (no obvious reason), Kurumazushi (no obvious reason) and Vong (long overdue).

Eleven Madison Park remains the most obviously star-worthy restaurant that does not have one. Jewel Bako remains the most obvious candidate for demotion, but the Michelin inspectors seem to like it.

The full four-year history of the NYC Michelin ratings is presented below. Promotions are shown in green, demotions in red, ineligible restaurants (closed or opened too late in the year) in gray. A demoted restaurant that still has a star is shown in yellow (that has only happened once).

Restaurant	2006	2007	2008	2009
Adour				**
Alain Ducasse	***
Allen & Delancey				*
Alto				*
Annisa	*	*	*	*
Anthos			*	*
Aureole	*	*	*	*
A Voce		*	*
Babbo	*	*	*
BLT Fish	*
Blue Hill			*	*
Bouley	**	**	**
Café Boulud	*	*	*	*
Café Gray	*	*	*
Country		*	*
Craft	*	*
Cru	*	*	*	*
Daniel	**	**	**	**
Danube	**	*	*
Del Posto		**	**	**
Dévi		*	*
Dressler			*	*
Eighty One				*
Etats-Unis	*	*	*	*
Fiamma (Osteria)	*	*		*
Fleur de Sel	*	*	*	*
Gilt			*	**
Gotham Bar & Grill	*	*	*	*
Gordon Ramsay			**	**
Gramercy Tavern	*	*	*	*
Insieme				*
Jean Georges	***	***	***	***
Jewel Bako	*	*	*	*
JoJo	*		*	*
Kyo Ya				*
Kurumazushi		*	*
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon			*	*
La Goulue	*	*
Le Bernardin	***	***	***	***
Lever House	*	*
Lo Scalco	*
March	*
Masa	**	**	**	***
Modern, The	*	*	*	*
Momofuku Ko				**
Nobu	*
Oceana	*	*	*	*
Perry St.		*	*	*
Per Se	***	***	***	***
Peter Luger	*	*	*	*
Picholine	*	*	**	**
Public				*
Saul	*	*	*	*
Scalini Fedeli	*
Spotted Pig	*	*	*	*
Sushi of Gari		*	*	*
Veritas	*	*	*	*
Vong	*	*	*
Wallsé	*	*	*	*
WD~50	*	*	*	*

The Michelin New York Annals

The 2009 New York Michelin ratings announcement are a week or two away. Let the speculation commence!

The table below shows the ratings awarded for the last three years. A gray box means the restaurant was not open, or was not open long enough to be rated. A red box means the restaurant was demoted from one star to zero. A green box means the restaurant was promoted or newly starred. A yellow box means the restaurant was demoted, but still retained at least one star.

We’ll update this post with the 2009 ratings as soon as they’re available.

Restaurant	2006	2007	2008	2009
Alain Ducasse	***
Annisa	*	*	*
Anthos			*
Aureole	*	*	*
A Voce		*	*
Babbo	*	*	*
BLT Fish	*
Blue Hill			*
Bouley	**	**	**
Café Boulud	*	*	*
Café Gray	*	*	*
Country		*	*
Craft	*	*
Cru	*	*	*
Daniel	**	**	**
Danube	**	*	*
Del Posto		**	**
Dévi		*	*
Dressler			*
Etats-Unis	*	*	*
Fiamma (Osteria)	*	*
Fleur de Sel	*	*	*
Gilt			*
Gotham Bar & Grill	*	*	*
Gordon Ramsay			**
Gramercy Tavern	*	*	*
Jean Georges	***	***	***
Jewel Bako	*	*	*
Jo-Jo	*		*
Kurumazushi		*	*
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon			*
La Goulue	*	*
Le Bernardin	***	***	***
Lever House	*	*
Lo Scalco	*
March	*
Masa	**	**	**
The Modern	*	*	*
Nobu	*
Oceana	*	*	*
Perry St.		*	*
Per Se	***	***	***
Peter Luger	*	*	*
Picholine	*	*	**
Saul	*	*	*
Scalini Fedeli	*
Spotted Pig	*	*	*
Sushi of Gari		*	*
Veritas	*	*	*
Vong	*	*	*
Wallsé	*	*	*
WD~50	*	*	*