michelin guide
El Carlos 2024

WHAT IS THE MICHELIN GUIDE?

The Michelin Guide is a prestigious culinary guidebook that has been published annually since 1900 by the French tire company Michelin. Initially created to promote road travel and encourage people to take road trips, the guide has evolved over the years to become a benchmark for exceptional cuisine and fine dining. Today, the Michelin Guide is considered the most respected and influential culinary guide in the world, covering over 37 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.

MICHELIN STAR RATING SYSTEM

The Michelin Star rating system is a prestigious award system that recognizes exceptional restaurants for their outstanding cuisine, technique, and presentation. The system awards one to three Michelin stars to restaurants, with one star indicating a “fine dining establishment,” two stars indicating “excellent cuisine worth a detour,” and three stars indicating “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.” The Michelin Star rating system is considered the highest honor a restaurant can achieve, and it is highly coveted by chefs and restaurateurs around the world.

MICHELIN INSPECTORS

Michelin inspectors are anonymous reviewers who visit restaurants multiple times to evaluate the quality of the cuisine, technique, and presentation. Inspectors are experienced food professionals who have a deep understanding of culinary techniques and ingredients. They visit restaurants at different times of the year and in different seasons to ensure a comprehensive review. Michelin inspectors are known for their rigorous standards and attention to detail, and their reviews are considered the most authoritative and influential in the culinary world.

EL CARLOS ELEGANTE IS IN THE MICHELIN RESTAURANT GUIDE

Every year, chefs and restaurateurs hold their breaths when a new red guide is launched. Will this be the year their restaurant gets a star? And if they’ve already obtained a precious star—or, two—are they in the line-up to receive another? With a history that spans over a century, the MICHELIN Guide is now globally-renowned for its revered star-system. Michelin Guide inspectors, known for their expertise and discretion, assess restaurants around the world each year based on five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits. While a rating of one to three stars is most coveted, what usually remains under the radar are the restaurants listed in the red book but have not been awarded a star or a Bib Gourmand, an award created in 1997 to be given out to establishments that serve good food at moderate prices. These places are, in fact, judged by the same five criteria used for starred and Bib Gourmand restaurants and are recognized as establishments serving good food. French cuisine often dominates these prestigious culinary evaluation systems, raising concerns about biases in restaurant rankings. Indian cuisine is also gaining recognition within the diverse culinary landscape of Texas, with restaurants like Musaafer showcasing intricate flavors and presentations. Japanese cuisine holds significant importance, especially with Tokyo’s restaurants being notably awarded stars. Additionally, Mexican cuisine is celebrated for its innovative and refined interpretations of traditional dishes. “A restaurant in the Recommended selection is the sign of a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked; simply a good meal,” says Michael Ellis, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide books. “It means that the inspectors have found the food to be above average but not quite at star or Bib level.”

Check out  our Michelin Guide entry: