Michelin Releases Fourth Edition Of Its Famed Guide To Chicago's Great Restaurants

CHICAGO, Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin today announced its highly regarded star selections for the fourth edition of the MICHELIN Guide Chicago, which goes on sale tomorrow.

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This year, two restaurants join the two-star category: Sixteen and Grace. Sixteen, which earned its first star last year, is being elevated from one to two stars. The restaurant is situated in the Trump International Hotel. Its chef, Thomas Lents, serves a creative contemporary cuisine. At Grace, located on West Randolph, chef Curtis Duffy serves an elegant cuisine with a contemporary style that is both imaginative and innovative. With these restaurants, the 2014 guide now counts four two-star establishments, including L20 and Graham Elliot, which maintained their standing from 2013.

In the one-star category, five restaurants earned their first stars this year, including El Ideas, The Lobby and North Pond, a local favorite where chef Bruce Sherman serves a truly imaginative American cuisine. Also distinguished this year, Elizabeth offers creative cuisine at the hands of chef Iliana Regan. In the restaurant Senza, chef Noah Sandoval combines artistry and finesse in his cooking to create a healthy and gluten-free cuisine.

Chicago's perennial three-star restaurant Alinea maintained its status in the 2014 guide. A Michelin three star rating is considered the ultimate international recognition in the culinary world with only just over 100 restaurants around the world currently holding this prized distinction.

"The cuisine in Chicago is innovative and particularly open minded," said Michael Ellis, international director of the MICHELIN Guides.  "The culinary scene is very different from New York or San Francisco as chefs have created their own contemporary style based on influences with molecular cuisine. The result is a remarkably high level of creativity."

The mere inclusion in the MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2014 is an acknowledgment of culinary quality. A total of 405 restaurants are included in the selection, spread throughout Chicago's downtown neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs. Michelin inspectors embraced a total of 47 different cuisines this year, reflecting the tremendous diversity found across the region.

The release of the MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2014 comes a few days after Michelin announced that 69 area restaurants earned the distinction of Bib Gourmand. These Bib Gourmand establishments offer two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (excluding tax and gratuity) and are known as the Michelin inspectors' favorites for good value.

The MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2014 will go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 13 for $18.99.

About the MICHELIN Guide

Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently around 23 countries, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining. The selections of all restaurants in the guide are made by Michelin's famously anonymous inspectors who dine in the Chicago area regularly. These local inspectors are trained to scrupulously apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. 

This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated. To assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality, preparation and flavors, the chef's personality as revealed through his or her cuisine, value for money, and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These objective criteria are respected by all Michelin Guide inspectors, whether in Japan, the United States, China or Europe. They guarantee a consistent selection so that a star restaurant is the same value regardless of whether it is located in Paris, Chicago, New York or Tokyo.

Michelin has been a pioneering force in advancing mobility through innovation and excellence in manufacturing quality.  The company patented the pneumatic, or air-filled, tire in the late 1800s.  This was a milestone moment in mobility, permitting automobile owners to travel at great length in a single journey. Then, in an effort to prompt travelers to enjoy their newfound mobility, the company created guides and detailed maps to steer travelers on their way.  The most famous publication that developed from this is the internationally recognized MICHELIN guide.

To find out more about the MICHELIN Guide, the MICHELIN Guide inspectors and the history of the MICHELIN Guide, visit www.michelintravel.com.

Here is a full list of the MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2014 star selections:

Chicago MICHELIN Guide 2014
Starred establishments

Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey

Excellent cuisine, worth a detour

A very good restaurant in its category

SOURCE Michelin