It’s finally happening: The world-famous Michelin Guide is coming to Boston. A Northeast edition, coming this fall, adds Boston and Philadelphia to an East Coast slate that includes New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C..
Prognosticating what restaurants in Greater Boston will make the heralded star list – getting a revered Michelin rating of one to three stars, with three being the most exceptional – has become a food-scene parlor game.
Sarma and Oleana in Somerville and Cambridge and Somaek Korean and Mooncusser Fish House in Boston were on the tongues of several fine-establishment proprietors we spoke to. (Mooncusser is run by Carl Dooley, a partner at The Table at Season to Taste, the haute, popular culinary “special outing” in North Cambridge that had reservations overflowing weeks out until the disruption of the Covid pandemic.)
“The arrival of the Michelin Guide in Boston is more than overdue,” said Erin Miller, the James Beard-nominated chef and owner of Urban Hearth. “It brings long-deserved recognition to a city whose culinary scene has depth, talent and a strong sense of identity.”
Robert Harris, owner and chef of Season to Taste – now in a new form in Neighborhood 9 – agreed: “Boston deserves it. We have a great food scene.”
There are long odds to notching a star. In New York City, only 72 restaurants earned a star rating, and only five were awarded three. In Washington, D.C., the total is in the 20s.
The ratings are based solely on food quality and consistency, Michelin says. The guide’s gastro graders are in the field now noshing, noting and retrying – again and again – anonymously, similar to what food writer Devra First does at The Boston Globe and what we try to do here at the Day. Restaurants that garner a hard-to-score Michelin star are reviewed by more than one inspector.
The Michelin Guide has been a measure of culinary excellence for more than 125 years, created by a French tire company to help encourage driving through the 1900s version of Fomo. You can still get the guide in print, but during the pandemic Michelin pivoted to be online and accessible by app.
The Michelin portal has a fairly exhaustive listing of most all area restaurants that can be sorted and filtered by location and category – a much-needed resource, given the recent gutting of the website Eater. Michelin, though it leans toward fine dining, is not just about top-dollar eateries; there is a “Bib Gourmand” tag to signal where users can find good food at a good price. Michelin also notes sustainability efforts.
Michelin is a pay-to-play venture, and it’s estimated that Boston and Cambridge tourism bureaus and others ponied up $1 million for a three-year deal. The sponsor city has no input into the final Michelin list.
“The recognition that comes with Michelin is not just about stars,” said Candice Beaulieu, interim director of the Cambridge Office for Tourism. “It’s about telling the story of our chefs, our neighborhoods and the unique dining experiences that define this city.”
Miller, of Urban Hearth, added: “The spotlight doesn’t just validate the work, it helps amplify it, drawing new voices, new energy and curious diners from around the world who want to explore what makes this city such a dynamic dining destination.”
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