With the talk of Michelin, which starred places have you been to or want to go to?

I have been to a few, can't think of them all off the top.

However when I have been traveling I have kind of settled into finding places I am interested in, and if they have a Star, looking at that chef's 2nd and 3rd restaurants that are typically more casual (with a better price point) but still have great food, and going to one of those.

A good example of this I can think of is StreetXO over DiverXO in madrid.

zasu last night…that’s it to my knowledge LOL

I've never been to Zasu but I did like when Rue 127 was in that location. I really liked their food.

Only in Chicago, weirdly.

Blackbird (now closed)

Mako - 10/10

Sepia

And I've done Zasu and the new iteration of Emeril's, if we are counting that. Could have sworn I did Mister Jiu's in San Francisco, but I'm thinking I'm getting it confused with another high end Asian place we did.

I would do a lot of things for a dinner at The French Laundry. And of course the other big names up in NYC. TFL is just #1 for me.

Otherwise, we have a shared love of very high end Japanese. We are very much "the weirder, the better" when it comes to Japanese. Especially getting to try fish we haven't had or even heard of. Looking at the guide now, Los Angeles and CA as a whole is where to get your fill of Michelin starred Japanese.

Tfl is a dream dinner for me too.

I have been to about 8. Probably 6 1 stars and 2 2 stars. Wife usually arranges so forget the names. Last 2 star was a year ago in London at the Kitchen Table. That was fantastic and more fun than I've had at any Michelin starred restaurant. There are only about 15 diners. They start everyone in a lounge to begin and you end up meeting most of the other customers. Then you are seated at a bar around the kitchen. You end up talking to those seated next to you but also get a lot of personal conversation with the chef and his staff. Food was amazing and very local. Others I have been to are in NYC, Paris, Rheims and Provence. Also a one star Asian restaurant in a food mall near USC in L.A. I guess now I need to add three more from New Orleans!

3 Stars
Carme Ruscadell’s San Pau (closed)
Le Bernardin
TFL
Daniel (since lost)

2 Stars
Emeril’s
Marea

1 star
Zasu
Surf Club
Rocca
Lilac
Comerc 24
Cinq Sentits
Plus a bunch more forgetting or closed

I have eaten at 50+ Michelin starred restaurants around the world (I used to travel a lot for business). My favorites are Le Bernardin in NYC, and Helene Darroze in London. The best all around meal I've ever had was at Gordon Ramsay in London. The best experiences have been well rounded experiences, beautiful room, wonderful service and obviously outstanding food. I've lost interest in the formal three star xx course tasting menu format. I've been to probably 15 three star restaurants and most were a one time thing with really no desire for a return visit. I enjoyed those meals, but I find that the most satisfying experiences are about being taken care of and feeling comfortable with food that is precise but not too precious. Gordon Ramsay, Helene Darroze, The French Laundry, Eleven Madison Park (when Danny Meyer owned it) all did a fantastic job of making you feel welcome, cared for, with dishes that showed tremendous skill and composition, without looking like something too pretty to eat. The best example of this was a meal I had at Eleven Madison Park, fifteen or so years ago. Back then you had a team managing your table. They didn't have a tasting menu per se, but you ordered from different sections of the menu, four courses or something like that. I remember asking the guy who was managing our table, Kevin, if I could make a substitution. He looked at me and said 'We can do whatever you want'. And they did. The room was beautiful, the service was attentive and on point but not intrusive, and the food was fantastic, but not something that typically needed to be explained to you. The point was the experience was about you as a guest, not about the chef or art, or any of that shite. "Chef requries you to eat this in this sequence...."

I don't actively seek out Michelin experiences any more and other than the few I've mentioned, if forced to choose I'd prefer single star or Bib Gourmand places.

One suggestion for those who do want to explore Michelin restaurants: go for lunch if you can. A lot of these places have lunch menus that give you the experience of what they do, but at a fraction of the cost. I used to eat in the lounge at Le Bernardin regularly. It's walk in only and they serve the City Harvest menu (it's a local charity). Three courses used to be $45, I think it's $90 now. Same for Helene Darroze. They used to have a lunch deal, I think it was 55 pounds, three courses, plus amuse, plus bread service and two glasses of wine. It was a spectacular deal for three star cooking.

Number one place we haven’t been but want to go: Asador Etxebarri in Spain.

These are the ones we’ve been to that I can remember. Some may have lost their star since then, but this is based on when we ate there.

3 Stars:

Osteria Francescana (Modena) (also Francescana at Casa Maria Luigia when we stayed there)
Le Bernadin (NY)
Piazza Duomo (Alba)
Inn at Little Washington (DC)

2 Stars:

Quintonil (Mexico City)
Pujol (Mexico City)
Gymkhana (London)
Colonnade (Lucerne)

1 Star:

Cosme (NY)
Rezdora (NY)
Le Coucou (NY)
Rosetta (Mexico City)
Mosaafer (Houston)
Le Jardiner (Houston)
River Cafe (NY)
Yakitori Chen (NY)
Gramercy Tavern (NY)
Sushi Nakazowa (NY)
Ora d’Aria (Florence)
Primo (Leche)
Vitantonio Lombardo (Mattera)
All’Enoteca (Piedmont)
Il Ristorante d’Guido da Costigliole (Piedmont)
Solo Du (Berchtesgaden)
Hytra (Athens)
De Kas (Amsterdam)
Aniar (Galway)
Chez Noir (Carmel by the Sea)
St. John (London)

Been to the French laundry and le bernadin, going to the inn at little Washington early 2026.

Wait listed for French laundry and got the call on the ride to the airport. Le bernadin was for lunch but we knew the sommelier so had a full experience.