The Michelin ranking 2017 tops the list | Chicago Magazine

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The 2020 Michelin stars have just come out, which means that the "reputed anonymous" inspectors of the Guide have dined in Chicagoland and made a judgment on our restaurant scene.

Last year, many people (including me) complained that Michelin looked a little stagnant and that little had changed from the 2018 list to the 2019 list. No one will say it this year because There have been several important changes, including five new restaurants with stars and two restaurants that have lost their rankings.

First, the obvious news from the top of the list – the glittering two- and three-star restaurants that make up the best-touted of the city's best restaurants. Well … nothing has changed. Alinea is still the only 3-star restaurant in Chicago, and Acadia, Oriole and Smyth have retained two-star status. I can not say that I am particularly worried about this because there are no obvious candidates to join this part of the list and none of these four restaurants seem to have lost in quality.

Chicago got more stars than ever before and the anonymous inspector with whom I spoke was impressed by the scene: "Overall, the city has been really exciting this year. There has been a lot of evolution; it's a good place to dine in town. "

As always, the real drama (especially for non-money-making customers) is on the list of one-star establishments, the exceptional places where normal people can get reservations and dine without cashing in their 401ks. First, the losers: Dusek's and Roister have both lost their stars this year. This is not entirely surprising; Although I love Dusek, this has not been the same since the departure of Chef Jared Wentworth, and Roister is struggling to make himself understood after the departure of Chief Andrew Brochu at the end of the year. 39, last year.

The overwhelming trend of the new Michelin stars: the Japanese omakase. Of the five new starred restaurants, three are new omakase restaurants, a restaurant style that is popping up everywhere. Mako, Chef B.K. Park's Omakase Joint and Omakase Yume, Chef Sangtae Park's eight-seat West Loop restaurant, both had stars. Kikk tooō, the omakase component of Kumiko, acclaimed nationally. "The only thing I would like to perfect on [this year] is the representation of Asian cuisine, especially Japanese cuisine, "says the inspector.

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Of all evidence absent? KyōTen, the other chic omakase in town. This particularly irritates chef Otto Phan, who confidently confided on Instagram earlier a few days ago that he was "going to have a Michelin star by the end of the week." Unfortunately, "after repeated visits[Ky[Ky[Ky[KyōTen]We did not watch the meal and we said it met the criteria very well, "says the inspector.

These are not the only surprise additions to the list. After being ignored for many years, Next has appeared on the Michelin list. The previous complaint from a litany of inspectors and Michelin officials was that Next was too "incoherent" to get a star, which is not entirely surprising given that its operating principle is, to a certain extent measure, an inconsistency (or at least a constant change). The Inspector confirmed that this was a problem in the past, but insisted that "the problem of consistency is not a concern".

In addition, Yūgen, a Japanese chef chef Mari Katsumura, got a star. That's the big shock, because Yugen did not have very good reviews (our own Jeff Ruby only gave him two and a half stars) and the rumor says that Yugen is practically empty most of the time. Maybe the new star will help turn the fortune of the restaurant.

So, what restaurants did not make the list that should have (aside from my constant take about With)? I'm a little surprised that Jeong did not manage to get a star because she already seems to be loved. The word is too new, even if I watch them for next year. I am totally mystified by the fact that Fat Rice and Passerotto have no stars, especially because of the apparent obsession of inspectors for Asian cuisine in Chicago. In addition, Michelin continues to completely ignore Monteverde and S.K.Y., who have neither Bib Gourmands nor stars. Well, that does not stop us from loving them anyway.

As always, we must not forget that this is only a particular vision of Chicago cuisine – it is certainly useful, given its rigorous standards and its anonymity in a world where it is increasingly rarer among critics. And it's comforting to know that after last year, Michelin seemed to have forgotten Chicago, the list is still updated rigorously.

The complete list of stars is below.