November 13, 2012|By Phil Vettel | Tribune critic
Andrew Brochu, the former executive chef at Graham Elliot restaurant.
Is Chicago dining getting worse?
That’s one way to view the results of the 2013 Chicago Michelin Guide, which hits bookstores today. In the eyes of the anonymous Michelin inspectors, Chicago deserved fewer stars than in 2011, when Michelin first began rating Chicago restaurants.
In the 2011 Guide, there were two three-star restaurants, three two-star restaurants and 18 one-star restaurants. In 2012, there was one three-star, two two-stars and 18 one-star restaurants. In the latest guide, Michelin recognized one three-star, two two-star and 16 one-star establishments.
Michelin is by far the most prestigious restaurant-rating operation in the world. Receiving but a single Michelin star increases a restaurant's prestige, and the financial impact can be considerable; foreign visitors in particular are sensitive to Michelin’s mandates.
Conversely, the absence of a Michelin star, or, worse, the loss of a previously earned star, can be devastating to a restaurant’s ego, though the effect on the bottom line is less certain. Local residents continue to be the life’s blood of all but the most rarefied restaurants in town.
Still, when Michelin recognizes 52 one-star restaurants in New York City and 34 one-stars in San Francisco (the only other American cities that Michelin rates), it’s hard to view Chicago’s 16 one-star restaurants — down from 18 in 2011 and 2012 — as anything else but a slap in the face.
One restaurant was certain to be dropped from the one-star list — Seasons, which the Four Seasons hotel closed last year. But Michelin also stripped away its one-star rating of Courtright’s in Willow Springs, and Vie, in Western Springs. Those demotions also eliminated the only suburban restaurants to hold Michelin stars; this year’s list is strictly within the city.
Alinea, as expected, retained its three-star rating, which it has held since the 2011 guide. This isn’t likely to change the restaurant’s fortunes, as it already enjoys a worldwide reputation. But a demotion would have grabbed headlines, and Alinea’s partners are no doubt quietly relieved that no such thing happened.
But for the second straight year, there was no recognition of Alinea’s sister restaurant, Next.
The big winners are chef/owner Graham Elliot and his eponymous restaurant, and chef Matthew Kirkley of L2O, both of whom received two Michelin stars. Both restaurants were on the one-star list last year, but the jump to two stars from one is a move very few restaurants are able to manage.
“I’m so very proud of the team,” Elliot said via e-mail from Europe. “I took a risk taking the restaurant in a more refined direction, and we’ve had some bumps along the way.”
Bumps, indeed. In October, Elliot dismissed his executive chef, said goodbye to his executive pastry chef and resumed day-to-day control of Graham Elliot’s kitchen, a move that might have cost him his star, given Michelin’s emphasis on consistency.
But the turnover didn’t hurt the restaurant, according to Michelin’s anonymous editor. “We try to look at the history and evolution of a restaurant overall, and not just which chef might be coming and going at any given moment,” she said. “Graham Elliot is still at Graham Elliot.”
The jump to two stars completed a rare trifecta for L2O. Under original chef Laurent Gras (for whom the L stands), L2O received three stars in 2011, only to sink to a single star after Gras’ departure. Kirkley, who took over for Gras (along with Francis Brennan in an unusual and brief two-chef arrangement), raised L2O’s game to the extent that a return to a third star next year isn’t out of the question.
“They called and said I was awarded two,” said Kirkley, “and the first thing I asked was what didn’t you like, what can we do to improve, which at the end of the day is what I’m after. This is something to celebrate, but we’re going back to work tomorrow. If anything, I’m grateful that more attention brings more customers and more people to cook for.”
Another big winner was Mexique, a Mexican-French hybrid in West Town. Mexique received a Bib Gourmand (designating a restaurant that offers good value) last year, but earned a one-star rating this year, a significant honor considering the 2012 Bib Gourmands (Frontera Grill, Girl & the Goat, GT Fish & Oyster) that didn’t make the leap.
Michelin is notoriously secretive about its evaluation process, and never releases the names of its inspectors. Even the Michelin editor, who oversees all the North American guides, operates anonymously.
Speaking by phone, the Michelin editor said she was particularly pleased about the Mexique’s ascension.
