Not sure if it’s neccesarily better but bib is more restrictive in value.
i believe this is how it goes:
3 stars, 2 stars,1 star, Plate (runner up)
“$40 and under” - Bib Gourmand
I think Bib Gourmand means something more than “Plate that is $40 and under.” See Mayura, for example (clearly cheaper than many Bib Gourmand restaurants but not Bib Gourmand).
I’d love to see the complete list of restaurants they “inspected.” I guess that’s not available anywhere.
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Plus, Longo Seafood and Sea Harbour.
OC Plate Restaurants (not included in LA above):
Bluefin
El Mercado Modern Cuisine
Ikko
Irenia
Javier’s
Marche Moderne
Ohshima
Otoro
The Ranch
Summit House
Vaca
Shunka
J. Zhou
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Kiriko but no Aburiya Raku? 
It showed up on the Bib
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They were on the Bib
So pleased for the good folks at The Ranch, Ohshima, and Marché. But seriously?!? Javier’s? What a joke! How do you get recognition for sub-par food when all you got going for you is patio drinks?
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raku is on the bib
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Javier’s hahaha.
They missed out on a lot of good places in the OC.
Mix Mix
Fuoco
Playgrouund
Eight Korean BBQ
Kang Ho Dang
Ramen Kitikata
Burritos La Palma
and too many other places to list
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Okay, thanks. The world is right again. But from what I hear Kiriko kinda’ yucks these days. Raku should have gone higher. But I guess it’s good that they noted you can get out of there for $40 & under. I always tell my friends who think it’s strictly pricey and high-end that it’s still a place you can stop by and have kushiyaki (skewers) and a beer without breaking the bank. I can’t seem to manage that (gotta’ have sashimi), but I’m sure someone can. 
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Seems like Playground 2.0 didn’t make it either?
Service? He’s been known to send people over the edge.
Don’t underestimate Kiriko -They may not be at the same level as Mori or Shunji but Ken san does get very good fish varying texture/flavor with his choices & knife work. He def uses sauces/garnishes more than you might like but I do think you should check our Kiriko before downgrading it. Personally I think he also has one of the strongest staff of Itamae around -it shows in how consistently busy they are.
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So many good comments on this thread! I’ll probably use up all my likes.
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Okay, I will check it out. I actually tried a while back and something happened that turned me off. I called for a resy twice and was told they weren’t accepting new resys at the time. Okay, fine. Some suspected a new chef was in training. No biggie, I’ll check back later. But then I’m reading on FTC that others had called on and around the same date and got resys. Very odd. What am I? Chopped liver? It probably colors my opinion of the place. Plus, I think a couple of FTCers had bad experiences recently.
P.S. I meant Aburiya Raku should have gone higher in general, not necessarily higher than a specific place. But, that’s just because I 
it… and it’s all about me. 
Thanks @PorkyBelly. On the one hand, I’m glad there are so many legit neighborhood spots and/or places that our FTC’ers have vetted and enjoyed listed.
But on the other hand, are we supposed to see all of these restaurants as on the same “tier” (i.e., they are all “The Plate” awarded restaurants)? Because this shows exactly the problem @J_L and others have pointed out with Michelin:
- Kiriko in the same group as Osawa (Pasadena)?! (There is no possible way this should be the case.)
- Park’s BBQ in the same group as Quarters BBQ?
- Animal, Chi Spacca, Spago and Republique in the same group as 189 by Dominique Ansel and Parkway Grill?! Uh no.
I like Golden Deli’s Cha Gio (Eggrolls), but it’s also in this same group, and Fishwives (utterly mediocre New England Seafood wanna-be that would make @TheCookie cry) in the same group as Connie & Ted’s (L.A.'s best New England-style Seafood restaurant)?!
Oh well.
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Lol hard at Javiers being lumped in with those places wtf
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