Michelin unveils 2017 Bib Gourmand restaurants
The Michelin Guide has unveiled its 2017 Bib Gourmand list for the Bay Area.
The list — a collection of moderately priced restaurants — is a precursor to Michelin’s main event: the annual announcement of the stars, which takes place in the Bay Area on Tuesday.
Restaurants that receive Bib Gourmand status are not eligible for stars, and vice versa.
For the Bib Gourmand selections, Michelin’s anonymous inspectors consider restaurants where diners can enjoy two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or
“After winning the award we saw an increase in tourists, people who aren’t locals.” You You Xue of Wonderful, a Hunan restaurant in Millbrae
less, before tax and tip. Staying under that price tag may be challenging at several places on the list, such as Kokkari, A16 and Bistro Jeanty, where a single main course often surpasses $30. At Sir and Star, Rich Table and 1601 Bar and Kitchen, tasting menus cost $85, $93 and $95, respectively — though each of those restaurants also offers less expensive a la carte options.
“After winning the award we saw an increase in tourists, people who aren’t locals,” says You You Xue of Wonderful, a Hunan restaurant in Millbrae. “We saw a more diverse customer base, more non-Chinese people who usually wouldn’t try this cuisine. It just helped our legitimacy.” The City Council, in fact, is issuing Wonderful a commendation for improving Millbrae’s restaurant scene.
Sylvan Brackett, chef-owner
of Rintaro in San Francisco, says that other press recognition has given his restaurant a bigger boost in terms of reservations, but the impact of Bib Gourmand is not just in numbers. Having the Michelin sticker on the window, Brackett says, gives potential customers some idea of the quality of his food and the ingredients he uses. “It has made me feel a little more comfortable selling a dish that costs $8 at other Japanese restaurants for $12,” he says.
Of the 75 restaurants selected this year — one more than last year’s list — a dozen are new inductees. In San Francisco, newcomers include Hawaiian restaurant ’Aina; the brick-andmortar location of mobile pizzeria Del Popolo; Chinatown dim sum restaurant Lai Hong Lounge; Nopa’s Mexican spin-off Nopalito; SoMa’s Okane; and Hayes Valley’s Tsubasa Sushi.
The North Bay and Wine Country got some love this year, with two Healdsburg spots (Bravas Tapas Bar and Shed Cafe), one Napa Valley restaurant (Douglas Keane and Sang Yoon’s Two Birds/One Stone at St. Helena’s Freemark Abbey Winery), and one in Marin (Fairfax’s Village Sake). Rounding out the group are Berkeley taqueria Tacos Sinaloa and Los Gatos’ Bywater, the New Orleans spot by David Kinch, who has a perfect three Michelin stars for his nearby Manresa.
Dropping off the Bib Gourmand list are several restaurants that closed this past year — Brick & Bottle, Chevalier, Chino and the Farmer and the Fox — along with some familiar faces: Contigo, Fringale, Gather, La Perla, Marinitas, Rivoli and Sazon.