What Does the 2010 Michelin Guide Think of NYC Hotel Restaurants?

We don’t own a car, and we definitely don’t spend much time thinking about tires.  But as long-time fans of London’s Bibendum restaurant and follower of the red-coated Michelin restaurant guides, the French tire maker and its well-padded mascot have insinuated themselves into our lives.

We loved John Colapinto’s 2009 New Yorker piece “Lunch with M,” which immortalized the author’s waistline defying meal with a proudly anonymous Michelin inspector at Jean Georges, the Trump International Hotel’s stylish restaurant.  Jean Georges landed three stars, the Michelin equivalent of an A + (exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey),  in the 2010 guide, the only restaurant in a hotel to do so last year.

How did hotel restaurants do in the newly released 2011 Michelin New York guide?

Forty-three restaurants scored a single star, which translates to “very good for food in its category.” Four are in hotels:

• Adour Alain Ducasse at the St. Regis
• Breslin at the Ace
• Café Boulud at the Surrey
• L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons

Of the ten restaurants awarded two stars (excellent cuisine, worth a detour), two are at hotels:

• Gilt at the Palace Hotel
• Gordon Ramsay at The London

And once again, Jean Georges merited three stars, the only hotel restaurant of the five dining establishments awarded a triple.

In addition, Asia de Cuba at Morgans and Fatty Crab, which has a branch at On the Ave, netted a Bib Gourmand nod for restaurants offering good value.

The verdict? It’s hard to argue — there’s not a bad choice in the bunch. And the Breslin‘s chic, damn-the-cholesterol gourmet pub choices upset the overarching predictability of the group (or perhaps not — Spotted Pig, a Breslin cousin with no hotel affiliation, also nabbed a star). We’d have awarded the Standard Grill a Bib Gourmand, but hey, the Standard gets plenty of kudos.

Bon Appetit!