Michelin Awards Coveted Three Stars to Quince in 2017 Edition of Famed San Francisco Restaurant Guide

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin today announced its highly regarded star selections for the 2017 edition of the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country, which goes on sale tomorrow. 

In this 2017 edition, the restaurant Quince is being elevated from two to three stars. Run by the culinary couple of Lindsay and Michael Tusk, Quince offers a sophisticated, perfected, and inspired cuisine that pays homage to classic Italian flavors with a refined contemporary flair.  It now joins Benu and Saison as a three star restaurant in the city of San Francisco.

In the Bay Area's Wine Country, perennial three-star restaurants—The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadwood—maintained their status.

"We have closely watched Chef Michael Tusk for several years now. In his cuisine, every dish, even the simplest, is exceptional," comments Michael Ellis, International Director of the Michelin Guide. "It is his fine, precise techniques, that now makes Quince a unique experience for the customer: an experience that is worth the trip."

A Michelin three-star rating is considered the ultimate international recognition in the culinary world, with just over 100 restaurants currently holding this prized distinction globally.

A new two-star was awarded to chef David Barzelay's Lazy Bear, which had been a one star last year. Located in in the Mission District, Lazy Bear traces its meteoric rise back only a few years when it was an underground supper club. Always creative and multifaceted, Barzelay showcases a sophisticated, often experimental cooking style using supremely high quality ingredients.

Lazy Bear now joins other San Francisco two star-establishments, including Acquerello, Atelier Crenn, Campton Place and Coi, as well as Oakland's Commis and Palo Alto's Baume, all of whom retained this coveted culinary distinction in the 2017 guide.

In the one-star category, first-timer awards go to San Jose's Adega, SoMa's Hashiri, Civic Center's ju-ni, Nob Hill's Mister Jiu's and Civic Center's Mosu. Also joining the one star-list this year are Menlo Park's Madera and Civic Center's The Progress.

This year, 54 restaurants located throughout the city, Bay Area and Wine Country received a Michelin star rating. That is up from last year's total of 50. The 2017 edition also highlights the many excellent eateries that offer fine food at a more reasonable price, which are awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. This year, Michelin inspectors selected 75 Bib Gourmand restaurants. In total, 513 restaurants are listed in the 411 pages of the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country 2017. Seventy-three of the establishments are listed in the guide's "under $25" category.

Reflecting San Francisco's rich diversity of cultures, 54 different cuisine types are represented in the guide this year.

About the MICHELIN guide
Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently around 28 countries, the MICHELIN guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining. This year a guide for Washington D.C. was added. The selections of all restaurants in the guide are made by Michelin's anonymous inspectors, who 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 fully 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 as the same value regardless of whether it is located in Paris, 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.

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SOURCE Michelin