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Do You Care About Michelin Stars?

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:15:19 -0700

This past week, the Michelin Guide announced its 2009 starred restaurants for New York and San Francisco. The Michelin Guide, Europe's best-known restaurant guide, is released annually in the form of a series of books organized by city. The red books award restaurants zero, one, two, or three stars, and the stars are arguably the most well-regarded rankings in the global restaurant industry, with three being an extraordinary honor.

Every year since the Michelin Guide debuted stateside in 2006, there have been shakeups over restaurants that gain stars and others that are stripped of stars. For instance, Tom Colicchio's restaurant Craft was stripped of its sole star in a big upset last year; this time, the big surprise was David Chang's new restaurant Momofuku Ko receiving the honor of two stars. Do these designations affect your dining selections in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Las Vegas?

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Yummy Links: From Caramel Apples to Wine Glass Charms

partysugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:45:27 -0700

Get excited for Halloween by making tricked-out caramel apples. - Chow
If caramel apples aren't your thing, why not make chocolate pumpkin pie bars instead? - Baking Bites
Ditch communal snacking and eat healthier. - FitSugar
The Michelin Guide has announced the 2009 stars for restaurants in New York City. - Epi-Log
Would you wear a bacon tiara? - Serious Eats
Leftovers are the key to budget cooking. - Simply Stated
Which sandwich bread is the best for you? - The Kitchn
Learn how to make your own stylish wine stem charms. - Hostess with the Mostess

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Ramsay's Seeing Stars; Tom, Not So Much

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:27:11 -0700

I don't know if there's ever been a rivalry between "Hell's Kitchen" bad boy Gordon Ramsay and "Top Chef" judge Tom Colicchio, but there might be reason for one now.

The just published 2008 New York Michelin Guide struck a star off of Colicchio's Craft restaurant - bringing it to one star - and gave Ramsay's The London - his first U.S. venture - two stars.

Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret recently told Reuters about the ratings. Here's more:

On The London: "Gordon Ramsay deserved two stars, not because of his name and TV fame, but because of the consistency of the multiple visits by inspectors throughout the year."
On Craft: "It doesn't mean that the chef has less talent. It's just that the consistency was not there."
About the star ratings:One star means "a very good restaurant in its category." Two stars signify "excellent cuisine, worth a detour" and three stars tout "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."

So there you have it. Ramsay's The London, despite lukewarm reviews from critics, is worthy of a detour, while Colicchio's Craft is just "very good."

What do you guys think? Do you even care about star ratings? Which restaurant would you go to?

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Woman Chef Wins Illustrious Three Star Ranking

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:11:47 -0800

For the first time in more than 55 years, a woman has won the coveted Michelin Guide three star ranking.

Anne-Sophie Pic, the fourth French woman to achieve three stars since the ranking system began in 1926, runs The Maison Pic in Valence, France. Although three stars is a huge accomplishment (for any chef, male or female), one can say that Pic was destined to obtain the high ranking, after all it's in her blood. Both her father Jacques and grandfather Andre received the same high ranking (in 1973 and 1934 respectively). Yet, it was difficult living up to her fine family pedigree, it turns out being a woman chef was actually an even more difficult feat.

"The last few years, my battle and my desire to win this third star were motivated by my father, by the feelings I had for him, and for the fact that I am reviving the memory of him and my grandfather," she told French radio.

She said the main difficulty she had encountered was "the fact she was a woman rather than being the 'daughter of'" and said she wished that "there would be more and more women chefs".

I also wish there were more recognized women chefs. It's really interesting to me that cooking is thought of as a "woman's job" whereas being a chef is a "man's job."

The last females to win the distinguished award were Marguerite Bise in 1951 and Marie Bourgeois and Eugenie Brazier in 1933.

Source: BBC News
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What's Cooking at Slashfood

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:44 -0700

We love Slashfood so much that every Thursday we round up their most delicious stories. Here are this week's finds:

The Swiss attempt to define what constitutes authentic fondue.
Snapshots from a Prohibition-esque party, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.
Michelin releases its New York City Restaurants 2010 guide.
McDonald's is opening an outpost at the Louvre.
Custom ice cream vending machines and no-fry fryers: the wave of the future?
American chestnuts are the target of a new restoration project.

Source: Flickr User scaredy_kat

All the News That's Fit to Eat - Nov. 21

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:43:33 -0800

This unconventional step makes carving a bird easier. Plus is Sam Mason's new restaurant Tailor living up to the hype? - The New York Times
Who says you have to have pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving? Why not celebrate with other sweet tastes of autumn? - Chicago Tribune
Looking for some last-minute Thanksgiving ideas that are simple and elegant? Plus, are frozen apple pies worth it? - San Francisco Chronicle
Some people love Thanksgiving dinner, while others love Thanksgiving leftovers. - Boston Globe
Learn how to order wine at a restaurant. - Seattle Times
Michelin just launched their Los Angeles guide book, but is it really accurate? - Los Angeles Times
If your Thanksgiving falls apart, don't worry you're not alone. Here are some great stories of Thanksgivings gone awry. - Houston Chronicle