15 November 21 - 27, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Burning Rubber The Michelin Guide hits Texas. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS L ast spring, when Michelin an- nounced it would produce a Guide for Texas, chefs, restaura- teurs and foodies alike were giddy to have the exclusive culi- nary group audit our tastebuds. Generally, the perception is that the Mi- chelin tide will raise the culinary scene as a whole across the state, as Monarch’s chef Danny Grant spoke about in an interview with the Observer. Georgie chef RJ Yoa- kum, who previously worked at Michelin- starred French Laundry, predicts that just having the Guide in Texas will lure culinary talent to the state, further sweetening the scene. All the while, some rumbled in hushed tones around dinner tables that it was un- likely any local restaurants would get two or three stars. Even Dallas chef John Tesar, whose restaurant Knife and Spoon in Flor- ida earned a star, said his Dallas restaurant was not worthy — “now.” We love a proper “yet.” There are five levels of Michelin recog- nition: one-, two- and three-stars, the lat- ter being the best and worth using airline miles for, or at least Marriot points. Then there’s Bib Gourmand, which rec- ognizes ex- ceptional food at a good value. Finally, there are recom- mended places, which means the restaurant is simply listed in the Guide, certainly wor- thy of a visit but with no distinctions. The Guide started in the late 20th century as a way for Michelin, the tire company, to get people to use their tires. Fun fact: people who work on the Guide share office space with people who work on the tire side of business in corporate offices in North Car- olina. Find the full list of Texas restaurants that received stars here. Here are our key takeaways from the Mi- chelin Guide of Texas. The Lone Star of Dallas The omakase Tatsu was the only restaurant in Dallas to receive a star. Chef Tatsuya “Tatsu” Sekiguchi and wife Hiroko were lovely ambassadors for the Dallas culinary scene at the Michelin ceremony. The Japa- nese-born chef moved here from New York several years ago after training under Mi- chelin-starred chef Sushi Yasuda. At the cer- emony, Tatsu wore a large tan cowboy hat with a brim about as wide as his brilliant smile. Last May, Observer restaurant critic Chris Wolfgang reviewed the 10-seat, 14-course omakase in an article aptly titled The Art of Omakase. The traditional edo- mae-style sushi served here uses soy and vinegar to prepare cured fish, a style Tatsu learned at his father’s restaurant in Hasuda, Japan. In May, Tatsu told Wolfgang that he believed that Dallas would soon have a food scene comparable to Los Ange- les and New York, adding “I’m happy to be a part of that growth.” Likewise. “I believe Dallas is growing, and I’m so proud of being a part of it,” Tatsu said just after the ceremony Monday. “I want to be a role model for young chefs.” Paying to Play No restaurants in Texas were awarded more than one star. For context, there are 33 two-star Mi- chelin restaurants in the U.S.: 13 each in Cali- fornia and New York City, three each in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and one in Miami. There are currently only 13 restaurants with the elusive three stars. Did we expect Texas to get that highest anointment? Nope. But perhaps a two-star? It would have been nice to see at least one place. Why else would the Guide come to Texas if not for an exceptional scene worthy of burning rubber to get to? Or maybe it was the $900,000 five Texas cities (Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San An- tonio and Austin) and the state’s travel office pay annually for the Guide to cover the state. In Dallas, these public funds ($90,000 a year) came from the nonprofit marketing agency, Visit Dallas, which contracts with the City of Dallas. Visit Fort Worth similarly pulled from its marketing and public rela- tions budget, which is about 31.5% of the total budget, according to the Fort Worth Report. This method of cities (and countries in some cases) paying to bring the Michelin Guide to a state certainly has its critics: The Guide, known for its fiercely independent and covert inspectors, is essentially assign- ing stars for dollars, and simultaneously, critics say, compromising the integrity of the program. But there was always a double mission here: the Guide was originally cre- ated to get diners to burn rubber across France, upping the demand for the name- sake tires. Fort Worth was one of the five cities to pay $270,000 (over three years) to bring the Guide to the state. Goldee’s, recognized as the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly, earned a Bib Gourmand, along with three other restaurants that were ac- knowledged in the Guide. However, no Fort Worth restaurant received a star, making it the only city among the five that paid to bring the Guide to Texas that did not earn at least one star. Only one restaurant in Dallas and in San Antonio received a star; Austin got seven and Houston six. Other cities that didn’t invest, however, did receive recognition, including a star for CorkScrew BBQ in Spring. Barb’s in Lock- hart, Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin and several restaurants in Houston suburbs were recom- mended. We’re not condoning this; if any- thing, it may lend authenticity to the process. Barbecue Goes Big When the Guide announced it was coming to Texas, one of our first questions was about the local barbecue scene. With a cui- sine so unique to our state, how can it be properly compared to restaurants across the world? We asked Gwendal Poullennec this exact question when he was in Austin awarding Michelin Keys for hotels in North America. Here was part of his response: “When we come to Texas, for example, we say ‘What’s good?’ What matches the criteria for quality of products and mastery of cooking techniques? And, for example, for barbecue, you can focus on the quality of the product they’re using, craftsmanship, mastery of open fire, everything. And then after you have the balance of flavor, consistency and personality, is it truly unique and authentic, not just some- thing universal or globalized? “We have the people who will help us to understand the culture, they will compare all the places where you can eat Texas bar- becue and recognize the best of them. And I would say what makes a difference when in the field is to be truly open-minded, like a blank canvas.” It was a big blank canvas, it turns out: 24 barbecue restaurants made the Texas Guide. Four received one-star: La Barbecue, In- terStellar BBQ, LeRoy and Lewis, all in Aus- tin, plus CorkScrew BBQ in Spring. Locally, Cattleack in Dallas and Goldee’s in Fort Worth received Bib Gourmands; Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth and Smoke ‘N Ash BBQ in Arlington were recom- mended. Dallas Culinary Trail Mile-for-mile, no area in Texas has more Michelin mentions than Travis Street to Lower Greenville (but please don’t audit our map math on that). You’ve got Mister Charles, Knox Bistro and Georgie, all pretty much on one block, each recommended. Gemma, down the road, received a Bib Gourmand. A mile away, Quarter Acre and Rye were also recom- mended, and Ngon received a Bib Gour- mand. Half a mile due east, Mot Hai Ba also received a Bib Gourmand. All The Charleses No French-held soiree is without une petite controversy. During the ceremony, it was an- nounced that The Charles was recom- mended, but the subsequent description was clearly about sister restaurant Mister Charles. The Guide issued a correction on Tuesday, blaming geo-location and clarify- ing that it intended to honor Mister Charles, not The Charles. Another restaurant owned by the same group, El Carlos Elegant, was also recom- mended. ▼ TEX-MEX LAKE SIDE QUESO NEAR BACHMAN LAKE TIPICO CRANKS OUT STELLAR TEX- MEX. BY NICK REYNOLDS T ipico’s is … well, that depends on who you talk to. Some say it’s authentic Mexican. Others scoff and dismiss it as classic Tex-Mex fare for those Lauren Drewes Daniels Tatsu employs an edomae style of sushi using soy and vinegar to lightly flavor and cure fish. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p16 Gwendal Poullennec, director of the Michelin Guide, dined at LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue earlier this year. Alison McLean
