Michelin awarded its coveted stars to a handful of New York restaurants that feature Chinese, Korean or Japanese inspired dishes in the 2013 edition of its Big Apple guide.
Seven restaurants achieved Michelin’s highest distinction
Masa, the city’s only Asian restaurant with three stars and considered the gold standard of Asian cooking in New York, retained its top ranking.
Michelin again awarded Soto and David Chang’s Momofuku Ko restaurant two stars and gave one star to Cafe China, Hakkasan, Lan Sheng, 15 East and Jungkin this year, along with 11 other Asian restaurants that kept their one-star ratings.
Laut, which serves Southeast Asian cuisine and had one star, was taken off the list.
Asian restaurants in New York – with a population that is 13 per cent Asian – have been given relatively few stars by Michelin. Critics say the rankings tend to favour high-end restaurants that serve European-inspired food.
While there were notable changes at the one- and two-star levels in the latest guide, there were no surprises among the elite three-star restaurants.
Seven restaurants achieved Michelin’s highest distinction, the same number as the 2012 guide. They included Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Masa, Per Se, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare.
Michelin also recognised the growing prominence of Brooklyn as a dining destination, giving one star to Blanca, which features a $180 (€137) tasting menu.
Four other restaurants in the borough received a star and joined nine newcomers among the 52 one-star restaurants in New York.
Atera, which opened earlier this year, made its debut with Michelin’s second highest rating. The restaurant with an open kitchen won raves for its cutting-edge dishes. Head chef Matthew Lightner worked at Noma in Copenhagen, which has been ranked the world’s best restaurant.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and SHO Shaun Hergatt were absent from the list this year. The now closed restaurants received two stars last year.
Michelin dropped Kajitsu, which serves Japanese vegetarian dishes, to one-star status from two-star because of a change of chefs.