Guess the Michelin LA List

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
#1

I love the Michelin Guide and am happy it’s coming back to LA, though LA isn’t a great fine-dining city. Here would be my list if I were a Michelin inspector.

Three Stars (***)

Somni (Only eaten here once; could be **)

Two Stars (**)

Providence
Hayato
Urasawa (Could be ***, but is it even still open?)
Vespertine (The hardest to judge because the food tastes like alien food but is the most ambitious on this entire list–could be *** or *)

One Star (*)

Republique
Spago
Officine Brera
Drago Centro
Bavel
Simone
Rossoblu
Mori (Is it still open and high-quality?)
Q Sushi
Sushi Zo
N/Naka
Shunji
Osteria Mozza
Orsa & Winston
The Bazaar
Melisse (But is this even still open?)
Trois Mec
Here’s Looking at You

Fell a bit short:

71 Above (But very close – only went here once)
Lucques
Gjelina
Tempura Endo
Factory Kitchen
Felix (But only been here once)
Bestia
Majordomo
Chi Spacca
Pizzeria Mozza
Cut (But only been here once)
Redbird
Plant Food + Wine Venice
Sonoratown
Spice Affair??? (Haven’t been in person, but delivery shows Michelin-star potential)
Tsujita Sushi
Michael’s
Otium
Gwen

Restaurants that others may think merit consideration and I think not:

AOC
Tasting Kitchen
Angelini Osteria
Rosaline
Alimento
Rustic Canyon
Shibumi
Broken Spanish
Lukshon
Cassia
Animal
Kismet
Manuela
Guerrilla Tacos
Anything else Mexican
Anything Thai
Anything Chinese in the SGV except maybe Sea Harbour and Bistro Na’s
WP24
Vincenti
Le Comptoir
Jar

Restaurants I haven’t tried but probably merit consideration

Sushi Ginza Onodera (the branch in NYC has ** and well deserves it. But I’ve heard nothing about the branch in LA.)
Shiki
Dialogue
Maude
Taco Maria

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#2

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#3

Do we know when the list is being released? What about the WP Test Kitchen - seems like it would be right up the Tire Co’s alley

#4

Sometime in June.

#5

we’re talking about the Michelin Guide and not Oprah right?

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#6

Disagree with 90 percent of that statement.

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#7

In terms of tasting menu tweezer food, I think LA has never been a “fine-dining” kind-of-a-place. The lack of Michelin is why LA’s food scene is so remarkable. But I don’t think the way we dine here is compatible with Michelin. I don’t think our comfort level of jeans and t-shirt culture jive well with them.

But I’ll play the game at the 3 star category:

It’ll be one restaurant. (the places I don’t feel comfortable wearing jeans).

Either Somni, Dialogue, is Urasawa still around?, n/naka, Vespertine. And I agree that the weirdness of Vespertine could leave it off the guide completely.

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#8

No way n/Naka is a 3* restaurant because they lack the finesse of Hayato.

Also I know for sure Simone won’t be getting a star since there isn’t even faith it will stay open til the end of the year.

I’m going to Somni next month to catch them before Michelin Madness but I think its getting a star regardless.

#9

I love how nobody has ever heard of Kali lol

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#10

I’ve had their chef’s menu twice and it’s infinitely more likely for them to earn a star, IMO, than Drago Centro.

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#11

If the inspectors display the same prejudices they have in the Bay Area:

  • no restaurant with an a la carte menu (even if it also has a tasting menu) will get more than one star
  • no Italian restaurant without French influence will get a star
  • no restaurant serving traditional Chinese food will get a star
  • most of my favorite restaurants will get The Plate or Bib Gourmand
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#12

They sound like really pretentious assholes.

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#13

Actually, if you look at the whole SF Bay Area guide, they’re very well informed.

It’s hard to reconcile the narrow range of restaurants that get stars to the broad and deep knowledge of the area displayed by the guide as a whole.

#14

I agree it probs won’t be three stars, but n/naka has more finesse, I’d argue, than Single Thread which has three.

There are good three stars and bad three stars and average three stars

#15

Wow, not having been to Single Thread, I am still shocked to hear that.

#16

I’m not going to sing the praises of Drago Centro. But I’m pretty sure it had a star back in the year when Michelin was in LA. Drago Centro is a classic low-end Michelin one-star restaurant. The food is consistently skillfully prepared (albeit boring).

Compare it to a classic Jonathan Gold (God rest his soul) favorite restaurant, Guerilla Tacos. The Food is consistently sloppily prepared (albeit bold and flavorful).

I see merit to both kinds of restaurants.

#17

Nope. Osteria Mozza had one though. Think about the gulf between the two places!

Also, Drago Centro is pretty hit and miss in terms of execution especially when it comes to their entree.

#18

I’m not going to sing the praises of Simone either. BUT – the way they prepared their sturgeon is absolutely Michelin star quality. So perfect. And I haven’t ever eaten a dish there that wasn’t skillfully put together. For me, Simone is easily a one-star restaurant.

#19

Okay. I’m not going to fight for Drago Centro! It’s not worth fighting for.

Here is the original list: https://www.quora.com/What-Michelin-star-restaurants-are-in-LA

I forgot about Water Grill. I say no (way).

Patina? I haven’t been in so long. Snore-through fine dining. But borderline Michelin *.

#20

They’re very serious. They don’t have an agenda. They review restaurants for a living and do it objectively. I hope they don’t take on a “pop food culture” mentality for profit motive and start giving stars to food trucks. When they give a star to a ramen place in Tokyo, it’s a serious place with serious refinement, not someone in a truck getting breathless reviews for combining uni and halloumi with Thai green curry sauce into one taco–oh my!!!

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