Latest news with #MichelinGuides
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
For first time in South Florida history, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach restaurants earn Michelin stars
In a culinary coup for Broward and Palm Beach county dining, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach are officially gleaming in its first Michelin stars. The Florida Michelin Guide announced Thursday night that a pair of chef-tasting experiences, the Chef's Counter at MAASS in Fort Lauderdale and Konro in West Palm Beach, have earned one Michelin star apiece. Both restaurants picked up their accolades during a ceremony at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort. The news comes after the Michelin Guide in February said it would expand its esteemed guide to three new regions — Greater Fort Lauderdale, the Palm Beaches and St. Pete/Clearwater — making South Florida eateries from Hallandale Beach to Jupiter eligible to be saluted. And boy, did South Florida eateries turn up for the occasion: All told, five Fort Lauderdale restaurants picked up Michelin accolades, while Palm Beach County spots earned nine awards. The international director of the Michelin Guides, Gwendal Poullennec, for one, is bullish about the Sunshine State's restaurant supremacy. 'Florida has proven to be an international culinary destination with the expansion to three new cities,' he said in a statement. 'Our anonymous inspectors continued to be delighted by Florida's culinary community, and we congratulate all of the chefs and restaurants being honored in this year's selection.' The French tire company's guide first rolled into Miami, Orlando and Tampa in 2022 after the state's tourism arm, Visit Florida, paid $1.5 million to rate eateries in those regions for a printed guide. Michelin's expansion in South Florida came after Broward and Palm Beach's tourism groups, Visit Lauderdale and Discover the Palm Beaches, chipped in an extra $90,000 each to be part of the guide. The intimate, 14-seat Chef's Counter at MAASS at the Four Seasons Hotel And Residences Fort Lauderdale is chef Ryan Ratino's ode to American cuisine accented with French techniques. Guide 'inspectors' — Michelin's moniker for the diners who visit and critique each eatery anonymously — praised the tasting menu handled by chef David Brito, especially its 'single-seared diver scallop over a truffle puree.' 'Designed as an upmarket riff on chicken noodle soup, it's finished with a velvety broth,' the guide wrote. 'A delicate bowl of koshihikari rice cooked in a donabe with maitake mushroom and a Comté foam is excellent from start to finish. Finally, kakigori with candied nuts and fresh raspberries is a delightful conclusion.' At Konro, led by chef Jacob Bickelhaupt and sommelier Nadia Bickelhaupt, their 10-seat chef's counter presents a ballet of Japanese A5 Wagyu, dry-ice smoke, delicate bouquets of microgreens and other surprising morsels paired with wines. They serve drumstick-sized cones of crackling chicken skin, stuffed with foie gras and cloudberry jam, which the guide dubbed a 'highlight.' 'The chef's creativity is displayed in dishes like barley risotto with enoki mushrooms, caramelized crispy fried onions, and black truffle shavings, served in a golden egg,' the guide continued. In another first for Fort Lauderdale's Heritage, an Italian-American restaurant in Flagler Village fronted by (literal) rockstar chef Rino Cerbone, picked up the region's first Bib Gourmand, Michelin lingo for eateries that feature 'great food at a great value.' Not to be outdone, West Palm Beach restaurants Aioli, chef Michael Hackman's celebrated bakery-cafe, and Palm Beach Meats, owner Eric and Meghan San Pedro's fast-casual butcher-retailer-restaurant, also picked up Bib Gourmands. Statewide, 31 Florida restaurants currently have Michelin stars, with Miami leading the state with 15, followed by nine in Orlando, five in Tampa and two Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. No restaurants lost a star this year. Below, find the full lineup of South Florida Michelin winners broken down by county. Michelin stars: Chef's Counter at MAASS, Fort Lauderdale, 1 star Bib Gourmand: Heritage Fort Lauderdale Recommended: Daniel's, A Florida Steakhouse, Fort Lauderdale Larb Thai-Isan, Fort Lauderdale Evelyn's, Fort Lauderdale Michelin stars: Konro, 1 star Bib Gourmands: Aioli, West Palm Beach Palm Beach Meats, West Palm Beach Recommended: Buccan, Palm Beach Moody Tongue Sushi, West Palm Beach Nicholson Muir Distinguished Meats, Boynton Beach Stage Kitchen & Bar, Palm Beach Gardens The Butcher's Club, Palm Beach Gardens Coolinary and The Parched Pig, Palm Beach Gardens For the full list of Michelin winners statewide, go to Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@ or X @philvalys.
Miami Herald
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach restaurants earn Michelin stars for the first time
For the first time, restaurants in Broward and Palm Beach counties have earned Michelin stars. The Michelin Guide, which reviews and rates restaurants from around the world, announced in February that it was adding three more Florida cities to its guide this year: Fort Lauderdale, the Palm Beaches and St. Petersburg-Clearwater. It appears Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches were ready for it. Chef's Counter at MAASS in Fort Lauderdale and Konro in West Palm Beach were announced as additions to the 2025 Michelin Guide at a ceremony Thursday at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort. Both restaurants serve contemporary cuisine. Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, praised the growth of Florida's restaurant industry. 'Florida has proven to be an international culinary destination, with the expansion to three new cities and five restaurants being welcomed into the Michelin star family in this year's selection,' he said in a statement. 'Our anonymous inspectors continued to be delighted by Florida's culinary community.' MAASS, which is located in the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, offers 'a distinctive dining experience,' according to the internationally famous guide. 'Chef Ryan Ratino's tasting menu, in the hands of Chef David Brito, is a beautiful tribute to contemporary cooking with French techniques, Japanese ingredients and a few Florida highlights. Ingredients take center stage in courses like the single seared diver scallop over a truffle puree.' The guide went on to praise the restaurant's 'upmarket' riff on chicken noodle soup and koshihikari rice cooked in a Japanese clay pot with maitake mushroom and topped with Comte foam. Konro, helmed by Chef Jacob Bickelhaupt and his wife and sommelier Nadia Bickelhaupt, also makes use of the counter concept. 'Bold cooking takes center stage here, where an affinity for rich, umami-packed dishes surprises diners,' according to the guide. 'Meals begin with snacks; the foie gras mousse in a chicken-skin cone is a highlight. The chef's creativity is displayed in dishes like barley risotto with enoki mushrooms, caramelized crispy fried onions and black truffle shavings, served with a golden egg.' The guide also praises Konro's Binchotan grilled wagyu. Other newly starred restaurants in Florida No restaurants from the other newcomer to the guide, Clearwater/St Petersburg, earned stars this year, and neither did Tampa. But another South Florida spot did: Itamae Ao, a Nikkei-style Peruvian-Japanese spot in Miami, earned its first Michelin star. Chef Nando Chang is also a nominee for a 2025 James Beard Award in the Best Chef: South category. Two Orlando restaurants earned stars, too. Sorekara Japanese restaurant became Florida's second spot to earn two stars (the first is L'Atelier du Joël Robuchon, which got its stars in 2022). Ryan Ratino of MAASS, who earned two stars for his restaurant Jônt in Washington, D.C., also earned a star for Ômo by Jônt in Winter Park. Talk about a good year. In the 2025 Michelin guide, 31 Florida restaurants have stars. Miami leads the state with 15, while Orlando has nine. Tampa has earned five, and Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach have one apiece. No restaurants in the state lost a star. Other Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach honors Fort Lauderdale also gained its first ever Bib Gourmand, a designation for restaurants that serve great food at a great value: Heritage, from chef/owner Rino Cerbone. The restaurant is known for pizza and pastas. There were a couple of Palm Beach restaurants added to the Bib Gourmand list, too: aioli and Palm Beach Meats, both from West Palm Beach. Four Orlando restaurants were added, too: Banh Mi Boy, Coro, Smokemade Meats + Eats and UniGirl. Florida has 36 Bib Gourmand-designated restaurants. The two newly added areas also saw several local restaurants added to Michelin's Recommended lists. The Fort Lauderdale Recommended restaurants are Daniel's, A Florida Steakhouse; the Mediterranean spot Evelyn's at the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences; and Larb Thai-Isan. In Palm Beach County, the following were added to the list of Recommended spots: Nicholson Muir Distinguished Meats in Boynton Beach; Buccan, known for American cuisine in Palm Beach; The Butcher's Club at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens and Coolinary and the Parched Pig, also in Palm Beach Gardens; and Moody Tongue Sushi and Stage Kitchen & Bar in West Palm Beach.
Miami Herald
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Which South Florida restaurants will earn Michelin stars this week? Here are our picks
Michelin stars are coming to South Florida this week — and this time, it's not just Miami restaurants that might benefit. The internationally famous Michelin Guide will be announcing its 2025 annual star additions in Florida on April 17, but this year it's not only highlighting the best restaurants in Miami, Orlando and Tampa as it has for the past three years. Restaurants in those cities will be considered, but this year, restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, the Palm Beaches and Clearwater/St. Petersburg will also be in the mix. Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said the booming South Florida restaurant scene deserved a closer look. 'Florida continues to raise the bar with its emerging culinary talent, international influences and the palpable passion of its local restaurant communities,' he said in a statement last year. 'Over the past three years, we've seen the Florida selection grow and strengthen as our Inspectors shined a spotlight on their discoveries. We look forward to exploring these new destinations and highlighting the excellence of their local restaurant scene.' At this point, Florida has no three-star restaurants and only one two-star restaurant, the glamorous French spot L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Miami's Design District. Miami's single-star restaurants are: Ariete, Boia De, Cote, Elcielo, EntreNos, Hiden, Le Jardinier, Los Felix, Ogawa, Shingo, The Surf Club Restaurant, Stubborn Seed and The Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt. Considering the sheer number of restaurants that have opened in the past year, the Miami area could easily see another spot get a star. Whether Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach restaurants will be recognized is hard to say: In its first year of Michelin consideration, no Tampa restaurant earned a star, though now five restaurants in the city have them (Orlando has seven). There are a few things that make handicapping the winners slightly easier. Michelin added 10 Miami restaurants to its recommended list earlier in the year, and some of those could be rewarded with a star. And though nothing is guaranteed, the guide also seems to have an affinity for omakase-style experiences and tasting menus and look kindly upon chefs whose sister restaurants already have stars. Also on April 17, Michelin will also choose the 2025 Bib Gourmands, restaurants that offer good food at a reasonable price. At the moment, Miami has 18 Bib Gourmands: Bachour, Chug's Diner, Doya, El Turco, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Hometown Barbecue, Jaguar Sun, La Natural, Lucali, Mandolin, Michael's Genuine, Phuc Yea, Rosie's, Sanguich de Miami, Tam Tam, Tinta y Cafe, Zak the Baker and Zitz Sum. Miami Itamae Ao: Is this Chef Nando Chang's year? He's already up for a James Beard Award for Best Chef: South, a year after his sister Val Chang won with her Peruvian restaurant Maty's. This omakase spot is tucked away in the back Maty's in Midtown. Naoe: We are just going to assume Michelin has never been to this hidden sushi counter on Brickell Key (although it makes the Forbes Five-Star list every year). Because why has it been ignored so far? Recoveco: This South Miami restaurant with a small but creative menu from husband-and-wife team Nicolas Martinez and Maria Teresa Gallina made the list of Michelin-recommended restaurants earlier this year. Palma: Chef Juan Camilo Liscano's small restaurant near Little Havana offers an ever-changing tasting menu and, like Recoveco, made the Michelin recommended list earlier this year. Sereira: This elegant Portuguese restaurant from internationally famous chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, who has a two-starred restaurant in Lisbon, was too new for consideration in 2024. Michelin has had time to examine it closely now. Sunny's Steakhouse: In the end, it won't matter if everybody's favorite Miami steakhouse doesn't earn a star, because it's so good it's going to be impossible to get a reservation there anyway. But the hype is real, and Sunny's needs to be in the conversation. Fort Lauderdale Daniel's, a Florida steakhouse: From the team behind Coral Gables' Fiola, this downtown steakhouse works hard to source as much as possible from Florida and brings a sophisticated Miami vibe to the heart of Broward County. The Katherine: Chef Timon Balloo's eclectic restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Broward, and we'd love to see his hard work and creativity rewarded. MAASS: This restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel & Residences comes from chef Ryan Ratino, the force behind the one-starred Bresca and two-starred Jont, both in Washington, D.C., so it's got a pedigree that makes it a possible. Palm Beaches We confess we haven't spent a lot of time eating in Palm Beach County for obvious reasons — we can barely keep up with everything opening in Miami — but here are a few spots to keep an eye on. Buccan: Chef Clay Conley draws raves for his upscale American cuisine in Palm Beach, both here and his restaurant Grato (which could be another contender). Cafe Boulud: Chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant Daniel in New York already boasts a Michelin star, which makes a star at this French spot in Palm Beach a possibility. Moody Tongue: This omakase-style restaurant at the Hilton West Palm Beach has a sister with a star in Chicago, so it could be a contender.
South China Morning Post
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
As latest Michelin guide to France comes out, chefs hold their breaths
Chefs across France are waiting for one of the most exciting and dreaded moments of the year: publication of the new annual guide from Michelin with its highly coveted stars. Advertisement The famous red bible for gastronomes still makes and breaks cooking careers, despite increasing competition from rival food lists – from World's 50 Best Restaurants to La Liste – and the rise of Instagram influencers with their younger, online followers. The 2025 Michelin edition's unveiling on March 31 promises to celebrate kitchens outside Paris, with new talents uncovered 'in all regions in mainland France', Michelin guide boss Gwendal Poullennec said. At stake are not only the reputations of chefs and hundreds of businesses that depend on the guide for visibility but also France's image as a fine food destination. International director of the Michelin Guides, Gwendal Poullennec at the Vaudeville brasserie, in Paris on March 14, 2024. Photo: by AFP 'The level of the world food scene is constantly rising but I must say that France is holding its own and is part of this dynamic with a growing number of starred restaurants each year,' Poullennec added.
South China Morning Post
27-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Mingles awarded a third Michelin star in dining guide's 2025 Seoul and Busan edition
More than a decade after opening, Mingles restaurant in Seoul has been elevated to three-Michelin-star status in the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2025. Advertisement Opened by chef Kang Min-goo in 2014, the fine-dining venue was awarded its first Michelin star in 2017, the year the Seoul edition of the international dining guide was launched. It earned a second star the following year, which it has held until its elevation in the latest guide. In 2019, the restaurant relocated from Cheongdam to its current address in the South Korean capital's moneyed Gangnam district. 'It's still hard to believe that something I've always wished for and imagined is actually happening,' Kang says in an emotional video produced by the Michelin Guide Asia in which the chef is informed his restaurant has earned its third star via a video call with the guide's international director, Gwendal Poullennec. Kang Min-goo of Mingles learns of its third Michelin star in a video call with Michelin Guides international director Gwendal Poullenec. Photo: YouTube/Michelin Guide Asia 'I'll keep working hard, challenging myself, and pushing to make sure this restaurant is one I can be truly proud of,' Kang adds.
