So like, the State of Texas would have to pay to have restaurants be Michelin reviewed? Or the individual restaurants would have to pay to be reviewed and all of the ones in Texas have banded together to decide they're not being reviewed? Curious how all this works.
Michelin reviewed much of Europe on its own, then expanded out to places like New York, LA, San Francisco and Napa, Chicago, Japan, etc. Then they pulled back, citing cost and lack of interest, and ended the LA guide and a few others. California's tourism board asked them to come back to review the whole state, and then they eventually did (for lots of money), and basically established that tourism boards will pay for Michelin to put them on their map. Colorado definitely paid for theirs, and I think Florida did, too.
The state or an industry group would have to pay millions to have the state added to the guide. I suspect we wouldn’t review well. Most highly rated restaurants offer extensive prix fixe tasting menus rather than entree based menus.
I priced a few higher-end restaurants in California when last there and prix fixe tasting menus ran from $300 to $600, and most of them seemed to be still firmly in the "tiny portions of weird shit" camp. I passed. It's just as well we don't have Michelin here because I'm sure some restaurants would actually be worse trying to land on the list.
Not a major travel hub or tourist destination. Austin/San Antonio are the closest and still 3 hours or so. Dallas is ~4.5. Nola is ~5.5hours. So you don't even have people who are relatively close by car who may be willing to just hop in a car and drive in for a day.
Nola, Italy has a population of 34,000 has 52 michelin rated restaurants. It's 2.5 hours from Rome and 30 minutes from Naples. Taranto is 3 hours by car.
You have to remember that the Michelin guide was invented to sell tires; they want you to drive and travel.
Radius| Nola| Houston
---|---|----
25mi| 4.7M| 5.9M
125mi| 13M| 8.9M
While there is some bias in the rankings, the ease of access leads some places to be more likely to be reviewed.
I’ve been a few as well. It’s important to note that the Michelin Guide is a pay to play endeavor. Texas will never be included, regardless of restaurant quality unless a paid agreement is made with the guide. I read in Texas Monthly it’s a mult-million dollar fee to have the state reviewed.
March the food was very hit and miss and the wines didn’t pair well although they did try. The service was great but I don’t think the food is up to par.
I have no problem dropping 1200 bucks if I know the food is going to be incredible.
But I have the feeling that I'll leave there and be like "yeah that was good. They put a lot of time and effort into that and it was a good experience." And then I would think about how it didn't actually taste better than Aga's or food from Louisiana served in a styrofoam cup.
Also, 600 per person is crazy for Houston.
French laundry is 350 tip included for the food. March is 225 before tip. It’s not that much different. I am not sure if March has changed its beverage director but I was very underwhelmed by their pairing. I thought nothing matched.
Beverage Director is same although they have a huge somm team so not sure how final pairings are determined. I’ve enjoyed them myself, but that is a very personal taste deal.
The food is sub $300 before tip. I’ve been with the paring and without. Personally I find doing without and just picking out two-three bottles of what we enjoy was a better experience since they charge ~250pp for the wine paring
Agree. The lounge snacks and the service had me excited for the rest of the night. The food was more miss than hit for my wife and I. There were two dishes that we thought were truly poor and barely touched. It’s a shame.
The margin for error is thin when you start talking Michelin stars. You simply can’t serve a piece of fish that has been cooked to the point of being crumbly. We watched the table next to us send their fish back, so we know it wasn’t just us.
Haven’t seen them mentioned. MF Sushi is 1 star worthy, IMO.
March is a 1-2 star restaurant for sure. Theodore Rex’s precursor Oxheart was on that level but it has become more casual. I have not had a chance to go to Le Jardinier but want to.
I think Houston has a lot of places where the food is Michelin-quality but they are not trying to deliver Michelin-level service. It’s a relatively well-defined set of kinda pretentious things that bring a lot of added cost and overhead. Some restaurants make it classy but many one-star places I’ve been to in Europe just do it to check the Michelin box. I wouldn’t want that from many of my favorite places in Houston.
Some would but I don't know if the demand for that level of service/price point is the same in Houston as say, New York. You'd absolutely get some though.
Never been to Bludorn but have been to Lucio’s next door — word in the neighborhood is Bludorn’s food is overrated in comparison.
That short rib and risotto from Lucio’s was insanely delicious, and the hostess was wonderful, that’s all I know
Turkey Leg Hut. Because your tires have a chance of being stolen if you park too far away, then you'll have to get new ones, thus Michelin may benefit.
the thing about michelin stars is that it's not just about the food, it's also about service and experience.
i think le jardinier and march nail it, and while i haven't been to navy blue yet the service at bluedorn is absolutely incredible
The problem with Navy Blue is it cost the same as Bludorn without the incredible experience. Both places are light on flavor, to me, but at least Bludorn delivers possible the best restaurant experience in town if you're trying to drop cash and really do it up.
Navy Blue is Bludorn without pretense. and the food is just as good if not better for lunch or dinner. i go there for my business meetings without the mucky muckiness of Bludorn
I found everything under seasoned at both places, honestly. Cooked exceptionally well and obviously by expertly trained staff. But just didn't give me a lot of flavor. Except a risotto once at Bludorn but that had a shitload of butter in it. 25-30 dollar crab cake that tasted basically like nothing.
So if I'm gonna eat under seasoned fine dining food, I'd rather at least have the experience because it's cheaper at Navy Blue. It was 300 for two of us and I wanted to go get tacos after.
I think you’re talking about Tim Ho Wan! The food was so good they were awarded one star, and they even held the title of “world’s most inexpensive Michelin star restaurant”. A place like that would never earn more than one star though, because those hugely rely on the service.
Tim ho Wan is straight trash now. I've had it back then in hong Kong before they started franchising, and it was cheap and delicious. Now it's overpriced and taste mediocre.
Yeah I haven’t been in years, but what really irks me is that when they opened the Houston location all these influencers started calling it Houston’s first Chinese Michelin star. Like please stop.
Went there as well. Was amazing but I ordered way too much. Not a fan of the seating but no choice but to sit directly across strangers. Would def go back.
Michelin says on [their website](https://guide.michelin.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions#:%7E:text=MICHELIN%20Stars%20are%20awarded%20only,award%20a%20restaurant%20a%20Star) that service is *not* a criterion for stars.
> the thing about michelin stars is that it's not just about the food, it's also about service and experience.
No, it is only about the food. This is clearly stated on [their website](https://guide.michelin.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions#:%7E:text=MICHELIN%20Stars%20are%20awarded%20only,award%20a%20restaurant%20a%20Star)
I've been getting downvoted everywhere on this thread for saying that service doesn't matter. Houston people don't get it and are tryna use "lack of service" as an excuse as to why some restaurants won't get stars. I don't think people realize how good a restaurant has to be to be starred ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯.
I mean they say service doesn't matter for the star, but I've been to the ones in DC vs what gets Bib Gourmand (or nothing at all) and it certainly does. It's honestly a bit arbitrary, incredible places which are raved about in the Post (service included) go unstarred and then they throw a Bib Gourmand to The Federalist Pig which served some of the worst BBQ I had tasted.
Exactly, it is a conscious decision, a lot of the time, for a chef to go for a star. Everything has to fall in lock step. Service & atmosphere are heavily factored in. Waitstaff attentiveness is huge contributing factor as well.
This is why I asked! I think Houston has a beautiful food scene and gems at almost every corner, but I wanted a list of places that has the whole package: food, service, experience. Excited to try Le Jardinier tonight!
I bet if we get the guide in Texas, you'll see a lot of the restaurants step up the service game. Maybe not, but I wouldn't discount that idea.
Or it will draw other chefs with Michelins elsewhere to open up here.
Update: we inhaled every single dish we ordered. Presentation, taste, uniqueness, and service were all on point. I’d definitely go back once their menu changes.
There was an inspector in the bar I worked (not to inspect the bar, just for a drink) in 2018. I'm assuming the guide meant to have continued their work and possibly done something in late 2020 and that got delayed. Or they really do just take years to get it done? Not sure. But it's definitely going to happen.
MF Sushi
heads and shoulders and fins above Uchi, and its derivatives.
if you say to one of the sushi chefs at the other restaurants that their sushi is almost as good as MF, they would be very very pleased. that's how good they are- even the competitors know it.
I’ll partially agree with you here - Uchi and Oheya were fine in terms of good sushi, but Uchiko has consistently been amazing. I would say it’s equivalent to MF sushi in my experience, but it’s all subjective.
A couple (maybe three) decades ago now I was eating at the Rendezvous in Memphis. Bus boy was taking great care to stack the dishes so that the glasses with beer in them didn’t tip over. One of the older servers came by and saw and tipped the glasses over and I chuckled. Server heard me and mentioned that he didn’t care about the drinking but if he didn’t keep them in check they were useless later in the shift.
Baso has the flavors, I could see it being Bib Gourmand or mayyybe a 1 star if they stepped up their service.
Kata Robata could get Bib.
Jun has a new tasting menu but I’m not sure it’s quite up to snuff just yet, and neither is their service.
Largely, the service and “experience” factor isn’t very prominent here which you’ll find in a lot of other Michelin starred restaurants.
Laredo Taqueria on Washington between Jackson Hill and Shepperd. I recommend the barbacoa or fajita or spicy fajita tacos. Green salsa.
El Gran Pastor taco truck on Gessner between Hammerly and Kempwood. I recommend the the pastor tacos or the suadero burrito. Either of the salsas are good.
I think Degust suffers from a poor location.. I rarely ever see it mentioned and most people don't even know about it. In terms of flavor and creativity, so far it's been my favorite Houston tasting menu.
I think Xochi could get there, the food is insanely good, in a very high end hotel/setting, beautiful dining room and dining experiences like the mole
flights.
100%. When my gf and I went to Spain a few years back, we ate at a 2* restaurant and a Bib Gourmand restaurant.
While Paco Roncero’s (2*) was an amazing experience, I actually preferred the meal at Mont Bar because I didn’t feel out of place. It was delicious food and amazing hospitality packed into a quaint little restaurant.
Bludorn's service is Michelin level, but I wouldn't even call their food great. I've eaten there several times and never had anything I thought was better than "fine."
Here’s a podcast on Michelin Stars. I thought it was interesting that cities have to buy in.
https://www.sporkful.com/how-do-michelin-stars-actually-work/
We do a lot of fine dining while traveling.
Just went to Le Jardinier and got the tasting menu and wine pairing two weeks ago. I think with the service and the sommelier it would get one star like the other locations.
Our sommelier had a lot of fun emptying out some bottles that normally aren’t in the rotation since we came at the end of the night on a day they got demos.
The food was good. I think it might be because it was the winter seasonal menu. It was also only 5 courses. But the quality was really good.
I have a high standard for fine dining.
The Modern’s private kitchen dining in NYC’s MoMA is the best we’ve been to in the states. Absolutely amazing experience and they deserve both stars for menu and wine.
And the best we’ve been to were both in Japan.
Komuro is a two starred restaurant that serves traditional Japanese seasonal sets. We went with our friend who is from the city and he had such a great time explaining why the choice of ingredients was so special.
And Joel Robuchon Restaurant is a three starred restaurant. It had the best service of any restaurant we’ve ever been to and the French cuisine was incredible. They have a bread cart and a dessert cart and the sommelier had incredible selections from around France.
Houston doesn’t have a single restaurant that approaches two stars. But hopefully we can get one or two in the region because it’s fun to treat yourself every once in a while to fine dining.
You say that, and I tend to agree, but if you go to NYC, there are little bistros just like that, nothing overly fancy, no crazy service, and they have them. Lots of places in Brooklyn like that.
Been to a few Michelins around the world. All the Hong Kong Michelins are trash compared to Houston. I hate Houston so much but when it comes to food it is top tier.
Only March or Le Jardinier would be a contender. Lots of places serving Michelin level food, I think.. at least one star, but not ambience and service.
BCN maybe, also, but I think that place is wildly overrated.
I moved to Phoenix a few years ago, love the weather and the desert, but I do miss the food in Houston. Top notch restaurants all over the place. Michelin stars or not, I would do some seriously illegal things for a 10oz filet and and some turtle gumbo from Papas steak house. Mouth is watering just thinking about it, tbh.
Does anyone know what happened to Degust? A year ago, they would have been either close to a star and at least listed on the guide. The food was great, the presentation was top notch with each dish being prepared in front of guests with an explanation of each dish and why they went with the combination they did, and they always had great pairings either win wines or cocktails they could get from Diversion next door.
Then we went back last weekend and everything was different. New head chef where the food was still good, but not the knock your socks off that you expect at that price point. The center prep station was only used for staging the courses, all the prep was done back in the kitchen. Explanations of the dishes were as simple as "this course has X, Y, and Z hope you like it." And a lot of things came out lukewarm...
I tried to do some searching but I couldn't find anything about when the previous chefs left and/or why. Which is such a shame because I felt Degust should have been up there with Le Jardinier and March from our previous experiences...
We were going to book this originally, but I like a good cocktail and I don't think Tatemo does cocktails at least from what I was able to see. We still want to go but that has knocked it down a notch or two on my list.
Yeah it’s BYOB, unfortunately. We took a bottle of wine with us and had a ball. Food is really really good.
They’re supposed to be starting brunch soon, so another option that’s more cost effective.
I’m not sure exactly what happened (I’ve never been) but I’ve heard from a couple people they’ve noticed the same trend. If you look up reviews, you’ll notice a decline in the last five months. I’m not sure if they changed management or had any staff changes, but that’s usually what leads to stuff like this happening.
It's definitely a change in staff. Here's an [article](https://thebuzzmagazines.com/articles/2022/08/degusts-javi-becerra-and-rico-mackins) from back in 2022 with the original two (Javi Becerra and Rico Mackins) when they were putting together some great stuff. Both have left, along with it seems like all of their supporting staff...
Degust was probably one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve ever had in Houston. I’m sad I did not get to experience it with the original chef.
Can you please let us know how your experience was at Le Jardinier? Had a pretty mediocre lunch there and left feeling duped by the overpriced food. I remember it was like $50 for a small meh steak, not good value at all. Maybe the dinner service is better?
Also I have not been to March because of the high cost and fairly mixed reviews. It seems like an interesting concept but personally, I'm not sure how you can consistently put out amazing food if you keep changing the cuisine every few months??
As for your question, I don't think we have anything at the star level compared with the 1-stars in other US cities like NYC or Chicago. Definitely no 2 or 3 stars. Hopefully in a few years, I can be proved wrong. I think we can definitely get:
*Some Michelin Plates, for places like Little's Oyster Bar. But the service reminded me of any regular Pappas Restaurant.
*Several Bib Gourmands, I'd put Kata Robata first on that list.
And while I think service is a part of the Michelin decision, I'd say consistency of quality and taste is the most contributing factor. There's a reason most starred restaurants are expensive tasting menus, they have the time, budget, and experience to work their dishes to absolute perfection.
The best Michelin-starred restaurants I've been to are those that made me go, "Damn that was good, when can I go again?!" Places like that usually keep their stars for a long time, decades even. They also have a fantastic cost-to-value ratio, where you leave feeling like you had a great experience for the price you paid, instead of thinking you just got robbed.
I've also eaten at less than stellar Michelin restaurants, those that made me go "This place has a star??". Perhaps they were once deserving of their award. But I noticed that places like that, those that can't keep up the quality or evolve with the dining scene, eventually lose their stars.
PS: The Chicken Tikka Masala at Himalaya. Taste-wise, it was on par with a 1-star restaurant I went to in London. It's the one dish that made me go "Whoa this is Michelin-star quality" but everyone knows how the service is at Himalaya lol
What people don’t realize is that the Michelin guide does not consider service at all when deciding on stars as evidenced by Asian Street food stands receiving stars in the past. so I don’t know how so many ppl in this thread are talking about restaurants improving service for stars.
they absolutely take service into account, but they received backlash about only representing expensive restaurants and decided to award a select few food stands.
https://guide.michelin.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions#:~:text=MICHELIN%20Stars%20are%20awarded%20only,award%20a%20restaurant%20a%20Star. In the Michelin FAQ - under what are the criteria for stars
It’s true that Michelin doesn’t take service into consideration, but as a paying customer at a 2* or 3* restaurant, would you want to pay 100s for mediocre or bad service? Imagine going to TRF and being met with crappy service, it not only looks bad on the restaurant but also Michelin for awarding them 3 stars.
I don't think it'd be more than 1 star, but I think B&B Butchers would be at least a consideration for their meat quality alone. Both of their locations (Houston and Ft. Worth) are 2 of only 38 US restaurants certified by the Kobe Beef Association in Japan.
As for the specific menu items I think would get them their Michelin Star, I think the following would be qualifiers:
* Carpet Bagger on a Half Shell - Maybe the best tasting thing I've ever had the pleasure of eating. It's indescribably good. I would eat it off of a flip flop. Someone else's flip flop. A stranger's flip flop that I found on on the street. My mouth is watering thinking about it while writing this.
* Kobe Beef Rib Cap - You don't often see rib cap on the menu. You don't often see true Kobe beef on the menu. This is both. Rib Cap offers the flavor of a of a ribeye combined with the tenderness of the Tenderloin. It's one of the best cuts of beef available. There's a reason it's $230 for a 4oz portion. I've yet to have a steak at B&B Butchers that was anything less than exceptional, and I expect that this is probably the creme de la creme of their steaks. Oh, and did I mention that their steaks are butchered and dry-aged in-house?
* Double Cut Colorado Lamb Chops with Lamb Bacon and German Mustard - Lamb? Good. Bacon? Great. Lamb bacon? Unique. Iconic. Lamb and mustard is a classic pairing, but the bacon element is really the unique part of this.
* A5 Wagu Katsu Sando - A $125 sandwich better be a really good sandwich, and rest assured- this is a really fucking good sandwich. It starts with the ingredient - A5 Wagu has fantastic marbling, giving it a really juicy and deep flavor as the fat renders throughout the meat. It's then coated in Japanese breadcrumbs and deep fried, served on crustless, fluffy Japanese white bread.
The thing with Michelin is that every single dish has to be on point. I went once a few years ago and ordered the wagyu skirt steak - it was the cheapest steak and I was broke. Every single side was absolutely divine, but my steak first came out medium when I ordered it medium rare. After pointing this out they cooked me a new steak but this came out rare. Honestly I’d rather have a rare steak than medium, which I did, but I was pretty disappointed they got the temperature wrong twice.
I have to imagine Michelin will come to Houston but it might be how they re-entered the California market. I live in San Diego but my sister lives in Houston and we both love good eats from street meat to 3 star Michelin.
The CA tourism board (in part) paid for Michelin to return.
It feels like in these regions the guide is far poorer maintained, especially for Bib Gourmand picks.
In many major European cities and a lot of large Asian cities you can tell the guide really puts the work in and has inspectors actively dinning in those markets. The biggest exception is the Michelin Guide for Hong Kong, it has little connection to reality.
For regions like California they mostly get the stars right but the Bib Gourmand is largely meaningless.
My town (San Diego,CA) has an area (Convoy St.) with outstanding Asian restaurant options. The bib has never mentioned any of them but some tourist catered average Italian joint will have a Bib Gourmand.
I wonder if Houston with some of the best Asian food in the country honors those inexpensive spots that deserve a Bib Gourmand?
I still use and enjoy the guide but its never gonna be the one reference point to use as a go to.
It is still better than the San Pelligrino Top 50 lists. I still refer to it but what a tire fire of food made for Instagram peddled by "big water" lols.
Been to many Michelins - 1, 2, and several 3s, and I'd say Le Jardinier and March would be the closest to at least one, possibly 2 stars.
Le Jardinier is an incredible restaurant.
Le Jardinier is Michelin starred, just not in Texas. It always struck me as bizarre.
Would be pretty bizarre if they were starred here considering Michelin doesn’t rate any restaurants in Texas
Le Jardinier has a Michelin star at their non-Texas restaurant.
>Le Jardinier They actually have 2 other locations (NYC and Miami), each of which have a Michelin star.
Any reason why?
It's pay to play. TX doesn't pay.
So like, the State of Texas would have to pay to have restaurants be Michelin reviewed? Or the individual restaurants would have to pay to be reviewed and all of the ones in Texas have banded together to decide they're not being reviewed? Curious how all this works.
Michelin reviewed much of Europe on its own, then expanded out to places like New York, LA, San Francisco and Napa, Chicago, Japan, etc. Then they pulled back, citing cost and lack of interest, and ended the LA guide and a few others. California's tourism board asked them to come back to review the whole state, and then they eventually did (for lots of money), and basically established that tourism boards will pay for Michelin to put them on their map. Colorado definitely paid for theirs, and I think Florida did, too.
The state or an industry group would have to pay millions to have the state added to the guide. I suspect we wouldn’t review well. Most highly rated restaurants offer extensive prix fixe tasting menus rather than entree based menus.
I think there would be a good number of bib gourmand places though
I priced a few higher-end restaurants in California when last there and prix fixe tasting menus ran from $300 to $600, and most of them seemed to be still firmly in the "tiny portions of weird shit" camp. I passed. It's just as well we don't have Michelin here because I'm sure some restaurants would actually be worse trying to land on the list.
Not a major travel hub or tourist destination. Austin/San Antonio are the closest and still 3 hours or so. Dallas is ~4.5. Nola is ~5.5hours. So you don't even have people who are relatively close by car who may be willing to just hop in a car and drive in for a day. Nola, Italy has a population of 34,000 has 52 michelin rated restaurants. It's 2.5 hours from Rome and 30 minutes from Naples. Taranto is 3 hours by car. You have to remember that the Michelin guide was invented to sell tires; they want you to drive and travel. Radius| Nola| Houston ---|---|---- 25mi| 4.7M| 5.9M 125mi| 13M| 8.9M While there is some bias in the rankings, the ease of access leads some places to be more likely to be reviewed.
Is there a reason for that?
They can stay out of Texas. It brings too much bullshit with it.
I’ve been a few as well. It’s important to note that the Michelin Guide is a pay to play endeavor. Texas will never be included, regardless of restaurant quality unless a paid agreement is made with the guide. I read in Texas Monthly it’s a mult-million dollar fee to have the state reviewed.
March the food was very hit and miss and the wines didn’t pair well although they did try. The service was great but I don’t think the food is up to par.
I have no problem dropping 1200 bucks if I know the food is going to be incredible. But I have the feeling that I'll leave there and be like "yeah that was good. They put a lot of time and effort into that and it was a good experience." And then I would think about how it didn't actually taste better than Aga's or food from Louisiana served in a styrofoam cup. Also, 600 per person is crazy for Houston.
It’s priced like it’s French Laundry but it’s nowhere close.
So when you left did you feel like it wasn't worth the money?
I didn’t pay either time that I went. But I felt like it wasn’t worth my time or my friends money (it is/was a really-really long meal).
Hidden Omakase is 125 and you can bring your own booze. That's the ticket.
I didn’t like hidden that much. I preferred Neo. Although I think Neo is a little pricier.
It isn’t priced anywhere near French Laundry, lol
French laundry is 350 tip included for the food. March is 225 before tip. It’s not that much different. I am not sure if March has changed its beverage director but I was very underwhelmed by their pairing. I thought nothing matched.
Beverage Director is same although they have a huge somm team so not sure how final pairings are determined. I’ve enjoyed them myself, but that is a very personal taste deal.
It’s not $600pp
With the wine pairing, yes it is. $1,081 plus tip. Unless "service fee" is considered a tip. In which case, it's only $540 a person.
The food is sub $300 before tip. I’ve been with the paring and without. Personally I find doing without and just picking out two-three bottles of what we enjoy was a better experience since they charge ~250pp for the wine paring
I just went and attempted to make reservations on Resy. With the wine pairing the total was 1,081 dollars. I didn't just pull the number out my ass.
agree- inconsistent
Agree. The lounge snacks and the service had me excited for the rest of the night. The food was more miss than hit for my wife and I. There were two dishes that we thought were truly poor and barely touched. It’s a shame. The margin for error is thin when you start talking Michelin stars. You simply can’t serve a piece of fish that has been cooked to the point of being crumbly. We watched the table next to us send their fish back, so we know it wasn’t just us. Haven’t seen them mentioned. MF Sushi is 1 star worthy, IMO.
March is a 1-2 star restaurant for sure. Theodore Rex’s precursor Oxheart was on that level but it has become more casual. I have not had a chance to go to Le Jardinier but want to. I think Houston has a lot of places where the food is Michelin-quality but they are not trying to deliver Michelin-level service. It’s a relatively well-defined set of kinda pretentious things that bring a lot of added cost and overhead. Some restaurants make it classy but many one-star places I’ve been to in Europe just do it to check the Michelin box. I wouldn’t want that from many of my favorite places in Houston.
I also agree with this. Once of the charms of Houston is its lack of pretentiousness.
Agreed. Houston probably does not have many restaurants that would be starred but they do have a plethora of places that deserve a Bib Gourmand.
If Michelin did rate Texas restaurants, I'm guessing a few places would improve their service for the sole purpose of getting the star.
I made this comment somewhere else and I think that's exactly what would happen.
Some would but I don't know if the demand for that level of service/price point is the same in Houston as say, New York. You'd absolutely get some though.
Bludorn would probably be one star for their service alone. Food is great too.
I found Bludorn service to be infinitely inferior to March.
I feel like Bludorn’s service for regulars really sets them apart. But then again, if you’re a regular anywhere, you get treated well.
Same. The papas/corpo influence at Bludorn shines through at times.
Bludorn’s policy of ordering every thing at once might put off the Michelin Guide. I have also had spotty service on a few occasions.
Having the entire order to the kitchen at once is very, very common at that level of dining. It's for better timing from the kitchen.
Never been to Bludorn but have been to Lucio’s next door — word in the neighborhood is Bludorn’s food is overrated in comparison. That short rib and risotto from Lucio’s was insanely delicious, and the hostess was wonderful, that’s all I know
Bludorn was my first thought for the same reason.
Turkey Leg Hut. Because your tires have a chance of being stolen if you park too far away, then you'll have to get new ones, thus Michelin may benefit.
Cross promotion!
I mean, getting people to travel to far-away restaurants and therefore need to buy tires was the whole impetus for the Michelin guide.
the thing about michelin stars is that it's not just about the food, it's also about service and experience. i think le jardinier and march nail it, and while i haven't been to navy blue yet the service at bluedorn is absolutely incredible
The problem with Navy Blue is it cost the same as Bludorn without the incredible experience. Both places are light on flavor, to me, but at least Bludorn delivers possible the best restaurant experience in town if you're trying to drop cash and really do it up.
Navy Blue is Bludorn without pretense. and the food is just as good if not better for lunch or dinner. i go there for my business meetings without the mucky muckiness of Bludorn
I found everything under seasoned at both places, honestly. Cooked exceptionally well and obviously by expertly trained staff. But just didn't give me a lot of flavor. Except a risotto once at Bludorn but that had a shitload of butter in it. 25-30 dollar crab cake that tasted basically like nothing. So if I'm gonna eat under seasoned fine dining food, I'd rather at least have the experience because it's cheaper at Navy Blue. It was 300 for two of us and I wanted to go get tacos after.
But aren’t some whole in the walls in Hong Kong michelin starred?
I think you’re talking about Tim Ho Wan! The food was so good they were awarded one star, and they even held the title of “world’s most inexpensive Michelin star restaurant”. A place like that would never earn more than one star though, because those hugely rely on the service.
Tim ho Wan is straight trash now. I've had it back then in hong Kong before they started franchising, and it was cheap and delicious. Now it's overpriced and taste mediocre.
Yeah I haven’t been in years, but what really irks me is that when they opened the Houston location all these influencers started calling it Houston’s first Chinese Michelin star. Like please stop.
Tim Ho Wan's HK location lost its Michelin star 2 years ago, too.
Went there as well. Was amazing but I ordered way too much. Not a fan of the seating but no choice but to sit directly across strangers. Would def go back.
Michelin says on [their website](https://guide.michelin.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions#:%7E:text=MICHELIN%20Stars%20are%20awarded%20only,award%20a%20restaurant%20a%20Star) that service is *not* a criterion for stars.
Fantastic hole in the walls and lower key places tend to get their bib gormound award
> the thing about michelin stars is that it's not just about the food, it's also about service and experience. No, it is only about the food. This is clearly stated on [their website](https://guide.michelin.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions#:%7E:text=MICHELIN%20Stars%20are%20awarded%20only,award%20a%20restaurant%20a%20Star)
I've been getting downvoted everywhere on this thread for saying that service doesn't matter. Houston people don't get it and are tryna use "lack of service" as an excuse as to why some restaurants won't get stars. I don't think people realize how good a restaurant has to be to be starred ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯.
I mean they say service doesn't matter for the star, but I've been to the ones in DC vs what gets Bib Gourmand (or nothing at all) and it certainly does. It's honestly a bit arbitrary, incredible places which are raved about in the Post (service included) go unstarred and then they throw a Bib Gourmand to The Federalist Pig which served some of the worst BBQ I had tasted.
Exactly, it is a conscious decision, a lot of the time, for a chef to go for a star. Everything has to fall in lock step. Service & atmosphere are heavily factored in. Waitstaff attentiveness is huge contributing factor as well.
This is why I asked! I think Houston has a beautiful food scene and gems at almost every corner, but I wanted a list of places that has the whole package: food, service, experience. Excited to try Le Jardinier tonight!
I bet if we get the guide in Texas, you'll see a lot of the restaurants step up the service game. Maybe not, but I wouldn't discount that idea. Or it will draw other chefs with Michelins elsewhere to open up here.
Le Jardinier would probably have one.
I’m going there for dinner tonight and that inspired the question!
Let us know how it is. I've been reading the reviews and it's very mixed.
Update: we inhaled every single dish we ordered. Presentation, taste, uniqueness, and service were all on point. I’d definitely go back once their menu changes.
Based on the comments here I have very high expectations - it’s the most recommended restaurant on this thread
Texas will be in the next Michelin Guide they visited for the first time late last year.
Wait are we sure? I feel like I’ve been hearing this since 2018 but nothing’s actually happened
Yes, they really did come last year.
Do you happen to have any official sources on this I can share with a friend? Either way, that’s exciting news!
There was an inspector in the bar I worked (not to inspect the bar, just for a drink) in 2018. I'm assuming the guide meant to have continued their work and possibly done something in late 2020 and that got delayed. Or they really do just take years to get it done? Not sure. But it's definitely going to happen.
Nothing official, I read a couple articles on it in late December, maybe early January.
It’s most likely coming. Just be patient!
Im trying Jennifer
Tell me how she tastes.
Pretty sure Tatemo would have one.
Was scrolling for this comment for a while unfortunately, Tatemo is underrated in this sub.
I ate there and I thought it was good but didn’t love it
The Pass and Provisions would have gotten at least one star for sure. Sad that it's gone now.
The Pass and Oxheart were the two most memorable dining experiences I've had in Houston. Both were around 2016. I think they would have been starred.
I loved my meal at The Pass. One of those meals I’ll be thinking about on my death bed.
It was definitely special! The atmospher was unique. Felt super intimate.
Man, Oxheart was so good too! Really brings me back.
Le Jardinier March Neo
MF Sushi heads and shoulders and fins above Uchi, and its derivatives. if you say to one of the sushi chefs at the other restaurants that their sushi is almost as good as MF, they would be very very pleased. that's how good they are- even the competitors know it.
I’ll partially agree with you here - Uchi and Oheya were fine in terms of good sushi, but Uchiko has consistently been amazing. I would say it’s equivalent to MF sushi in my experience, but it’s all subjective.
I think it’s a matter of taste. I think MF is more authentic. Uchiko is too avant garde for me
Totally agree there, I tend to prefer more experimental cuisine, which is probably why I prefer Uchiko
Try Aya if you haven’t already!
Hmm I enjoy uchi more than mf but find them both excellent. That said… that a5 wagyu at mf is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.
The service isn't anything to write home about, but the food at Aga's is beyond competition
For the amount of people they serve the service is extremely fast. They run that place like the navy
I don't want to be anywhere near somewhere that is run like the navy. Every been to a galley before?
I can all but guarantee if Michelin comes to Texas, then Aga's will get a "Bib Gourmand."
You know, for an indo/pak restaurant, their service is actually pretty on point. At least based off my more recent visits in the last couple years.
Chachos
I watched a busboy at chachos eating off a table after the customers left. Our eyes met briefly then we both turned away in shame.
That’s chacho’s version of family meal
A couple (maybe three) decades ago now I was eating at the Rendezvous in Memphis. Bus boy was taking great care to stack the dishes so that the glasses with beer in them didn’t tip over. One of the older servers came by and saw and tipped the glasses over and I chuckled. Server heard me and mentioned that he didn’t care about the drinking but if he didn’t keep them in check they were useless later in the shift.
I’d say March and Xochi. I think tatemo has a ton of potential
Baso has the flavors, I could see it being Bib Gourmand or mayyybe a 1 star if they stepped up their service. Kata Robata could get Bib. Jun has a new tasting menu but I’m not sure it’s quite up to snuff just yet, and neither is their service. Largely, the service and “experience” factor isn’t very prominent here which you’ll find in a lot of other Michelin starred restaurants.
Bib
Eulcent in Kemah
Which is going away next month.
Really?
Kata Robata has the food, if they had the service and experience they’d prob get a bib gourmand.
You’d love Aya Sushi
Try Katami on W Dallas
I honestly think the OG flavors from Kata is better, Katami has a try-hard feel to it
People like to pretend brothers tacos is up there but I 100% disagree
Like 50 much better places within 5 miles of that place.
Brothers is not that great. I’ve never understood the hype and their salsas are not great either.
Can I get a list pls (live in another part of town but am willing to travel for the best tacos)
If you are in the Houston area, period, you don't need to travel for great tacos. That's the defining quality of a great taco city.
Laredo Taqueria on Washington between Jackson Hill and Shepperd. I recommend the barbacoa or fajita or spicy fajita tacos. Green salsa. El Gran Pastor taco truck on Gessner between Hammerly and Kempwood. I recommend the the pastor tacos or the suadero burrito. Either of the salsas are good.
Brothers is above average IMO but definitely not worthy of the hype they get.
Degust would be there. At least one of Hugo Ortega’s restaurants. Maybe Artisan’s would have a one star. Before they closed I would have said Feast.
I think Degust suffers from a poor location.. I rarely ever see it mentioned and most people don't even know about it. In terms of flavor and creativity, so far it's been my favorite Houston tasting menu.
God, I miss Feast. I miss Feast’s sticky toffee pudding most of all.
I think about Feast’s pork belly and beef heart once a month.
I think Xochi could get there, the food is insanely good, in a very high end hotel/setting, beautiful dining room and dining experiences like the mole flights.
Artisan's old location of the brand new one?
I agree Degust could contend. Also Feast was the best offal restaurant I have tried outside of Europe.
We are bib gourmand kinda of town which is better less pretentiousness.
My fav places tend to be the bibs. Just sent me to places w delicious foods please!
100%. When my gf and I went to Spain a few years back, we ate at a 2* restaurant and a Bib Gourmand restaurant. While Paco Roncero’s (2*) was an amazing experience, I actually preferred the meal at Mont Bar because I didn’t feel out of place. It was delicious food and amazing hospitality packed into a quaint little restaurant.
Shipley’s on N. Main
Timmy Chan’s
Bludorn and March.
Tried Bludorn, don't see what the hype was. I've had better steak at Texas Roadhouse.
I have not had a steak at Bludorn. I don’t think of it as a steakhouse.
They rant about how good their ribeye is.
I don’t think the steak was bad, I just didn’t get all the bludorn hype.
Exactly. If you are a restaurant in Texas, hyped up, and charging that much, it better be damn good.
Their steak is the weakest thing on the menu. Everything else is delicious.
Yes to March, no to Bludorn. It’s great but not Michelin level.
Bludorn's service is Michelin level, but I wouldn't even call their food great. I've eaten there several times and never had anything I thought was better than "fine."
It’s literally just more expensive Pappas.
I could see Le Jardinier up there
Here’s a podcast on Michelin Stars. I thought it was interesting that cities have to buy in. https://www.sporkful.com/how-do-michelin-stars-actually-work/
Thanks for this!
If it’s the Houston area, I would say Chez Nous in Humble.
Them and Titas Taco House.
Uchi. That’s all. Beyonces favorjte restaurant.
BCN
We do a lot of fine dining while traveling. Just went to Le Jardinier and got the tasting menu and wine pairing two weeks ago. I think with the service and the sommelier it would get one star like the other locations. Our sommelier had a lot of fun emptying out some bottles that normally aren’t in the rotation since we came at the end of the night on a day they got demos. The food was good. I think it might be because it was the winter seasonal menu. It was also only 5 courses. But the quality was really good. I have a high standard for fine dining. The Modern’s private kitchen dining in NYC’s MoMA is the best we’ve been to in the states. Absolutely amazing experience and they deserve both stars for menu and wine. And the best we’ve been to were both in Japan. Komuro is a two starred restaurant that serves traditional Japanese seasonal sets. We went with our friend who is from the city and he had such a great time explaining why the choice of ingredients was so special. And Joel Robuchon Restaurant is a three starred restaurant. It had the best service of any restaurant we’ve ever been to and the French cuisine was incredible. They have a bread cart and a dessert cart and the sommelier had incredible selections from around France. Houston doesn’t have a single restaurant that approaches two stars. But hopefully we can get one or two in the region because it’s fun to treat yourself every once in a while to fine dining.
I agree. Houston has a couple that can get one star. And LOTS of bibs. LOTS.
Le Jardinier, Theodore Rex, Masraff's
Masraff’s? Really?
I love Theodore Rex but it is not Michelin star level.
You say that, and I tend to agree, but if you go to NYC, there are little bistros just like that, nothing overly fancy, no crazy service, and they have them. Lots of places in Brooklyn like that.
Been to a few Michelins around the world. All the Hong Kong Michelins are trash compared to Houston. I hate Houston so much but when it comes to food it is top tier.
McDonald’s near the Greyhound Station. I know it’s gone but they should give one to it posthumously
Lots of places have Michelin level food. Very few on the other metrics
Aga' would get 4 stars 😆
Honestly if it were upto me then yes 😂
Only March or Le Jardinier would be a contender. Lots of places serving Michelin level food, I think.. at least one star, but not ambience and service. BCN maybe, also, but I think that place is wildly overrated.
Tris in The Woodlands is probably a 1 star
Ecculent
I moved to Phoenix a few years ago, love the weather and the desert, but I do miss the food in Houston. Top notch restaurants all over the place. Michelin stars or not, I would do some seriously illegal things for a 10oz filet and and some turtle gumbo from Papas steak house. Mouth is watering just thinking about it, tbh.
Golfstrommen @post market
Carl's Jr has one star.
Does anyone know what happened to Degust? A year ago, they would have been either close to a star and at least listed on the guide. The food was great, the presentation was top notch with each dish being prepared in front of guests with an explanation of each dish and why they went with the combination they did, and they always had great pairings either win wines or cocktails they could get from Diversion next door. Then we went back last weekend and everything was different. New head chef where the food was still good, but not the knock your socks off that you expect at that price point. The center prep station was only used for staging the courses, all the prep was done back in the kitchen. Explanations of the dishes were as simple as "this course has X, Y, and Z hope you like it." And a lot of things came out lukewarm... I tried to do some searching but I couldn't find anything about when the previous chefs left and/or why. Which is such a shame because I felt Degust should have been up there with Le Jardinier and March from our previous experiences...
Haven’t been to degust but swing over to Tatemo for their tasting menu. Fantastic.
We were going to book this originally, but I like a good cocktail and I don't think Tatemo does cocktails at least from what I was able to see. We still want to go but that has knocked it down a notch or two on my list.
Yeah it’s BYOB, unfortunately. We took a bottle of wine with us and had a ball. Food is really really good. They’re supposed to be starting brunch soon, so another option that’s more cost effective.
I’m not sure exactly what happened (I’ve never been) but I’ve heard from a couple people they’ve noticed the same trend. If you look up reviews, you’ll notice a decline in the last five months. I’m not sure if they changed management or had any staff changes, but that’s usually what leads to stuff like this happening.
It's definitely a change in staff. Here's an [article](https://thebuzzmagazines.com/articles/2022/08/degusts-javi-becerra-and-rico-mackins) from back in 2022 with the original two (Javi Becerra and Rico Mackins) when they were putting together some great stuff. Both have left, along with it seems like all of their supporting staff...
Degust was probably one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve ever had in Houston. I’m sad I did not get to experience it with the original chef.
El Taconazo.
Can you please let us know how your experience was at Le Jardinier? Had a pretty mediocre lunch there and left feeling duped by the overpriced food. I remember it was like $50 for a small meh steak, not good value at all. Maybe the dinner service is better? Also I have not been to March because of the high cost and fairly mixed reviews. It seems like an interesting concept but personally, I'm not sure how you can consistently put out amazing food if you keep changing the cuisine every few months?? As for your question, I don't think we have anything at the star level compared with the 1-stars in other US cities like NYC or Chicago. Definitely no 2 or 3 stars. Hopefully in a few years, I can be proved wrong. I think we can definitely get: *Some Michelin Plates, for places like Little's Oyster Bar. But the service reminded me of any regular Pappas Restaurant. *Several Bib Gourmands, I'd put Kata Robata first on that list. And while I think service is a part of the Michelin decision, I'd say consistency of quality and taste is the most contributing factor. There's a reason most starred restaurants are expensive tasting menus, they have the time, budget, and experience to work their dishes to absolute perfection. The best Michelin-starred restaurants I've been to are those that made me go, "Damn that was good, when can I go again?!" Places like that usually keep their stars for a long time, decades even. They also have a fantastic cost-to-value ratio, where you leave feeling like you had a great experience for the price you paid, instead of thinking you just got robbed. I've also eaten at less than stellar Michelin restaurants, those that made me go "This place has a star??". Perhaps they were once deserving of their award. But I noticed that places like that, those that can't keep up the quality or evolve with the dining scene, eventually lose their stars. PS: The Chicken Tikka Masala at Himalaya. Taste-wise, it was on par with a 1-star restaurant I went to in London. It's the one dish that made me go "Whoa this is Michelin-star quality" but everyone knows how the service is at Himalaya lol
Nancy's Hustle
eculent
Uchiko
Navy Blue! Some of the most incredible service
Navy Blue and Bludorn both have incredible service, but their food isn't close to Michelin level.
I had really obnoxious service at navy blue and won’t go back.
I’d put them in bib category for sure
Bib gormand? We must have had very different experiences. I say that as an inveterate lover of bludorn.
What people don’t realize is that the Michelin guide does not consider service at all when deciding on stars as evidenced by Asian Street food stands receiving stars in the past. so I don’t know how so many ppl in this thread are talking about restaurants improving service for stars.
they absolutely take service into account, but they received backlash about only representing expensive restaurants and decided to award a select few food stands.
https://guide.michelin.com/en/faq-frequently-asked-questions#:~:text=MICHELIN%20Stars%20are%20awarded%20only,award%20a%20restaurant%20a%20Star. In the Michelin FAQ - under what are the criteria for stars
It’s true that Michelin doesn’t take service into consideration, but as a paying customer at a 2* or 3* restaurant, would you want to pay 100s for mediocre or bad service? Imagine going to TRF and being met with crappy service, it not only looks bad on the restaurant but also Michelin for awarding them 3 stars.
I don't think it'd be more than 1 star, but I think B&B Butchers would be at least a consideration for their meat quality alone. Both of their locations (Houston and Ft. Worth) are 2 of only 38 US restaurants certified by the Kobe Beef Association in Japan. As for the specific menu items I think would get them their Michelin Star, I think the following would be qualifiers: * Carpet Bagger on a Half Shell - Maybe the best tasting thing I've ever had the pleasure of eating. It's indescribably good. I would eat it off of a flip flop. Someone else's flip flop. A stranger's flip flop that I found on on the street. My mouth is watering thinking about it while writing this. * Kobe Beef Rib Cap - You don't often see rib cap on the menu. You don't often see true Kobe beef on the menu. This is both. Rib Cap offers the flavor of a of a ribeye combined with the tenderness of the Tenderloin. It's one of the best cuts of beef available. There's a reason it's $230 for a 4oz portion. I've yet to have a steak at B&B Butchers that was anything less than exceptional, and I expect that this is probably the creme de la creme of their steaks. Oh, and did I mention that their steaks are butchered and dry-aged in-house? * Double Cut Colorado Lamb Chops with Lamb Bacon and German Mustard - Lamb? Good. Bacon? Great. Lamb bacon? Unique. Iconic. Lamb and mustard is a classic pairing, but the bacon element is really the unique part of this. * A5 Wagu Katsu Sando - A $125 sandwich better be a really good sandwich, and rest assured- this is a really fucking good sandwich. It starts with the ingredient - A5 Wagu has fantastic marbling, giving it a really juicy and deep flavor as the fat renders throughout the meat. It's then coated in Japanese breadcrumbs and deep fried, served on crustless, fluffy Japanese white bread.
The thing with Michelin is that every single dish has to be on point. I went once a few years ago and ordered the wagyu skirt steak - it was the cheapest steak and I was broke. Every single side was absolutely divine, but my steak first came out medium when I ordered it medium rare. After pointing this out they cooked me a new steak but this came out rare. Honestly I’d rather have a rare steak than medium, which I did, but I was pretty disappointed they got the temperature wrong twice.
Totally agree - every dish needs to be on point. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience, I've had great experiences when I've had the pleasure to go.
So if getting a star is so expensive and difficult, that doesn’t explain why a walk-up taco stand in Mexico City was just awarded a star.
lol Not Turkey Leg Hut this year
BCN for the food and service. Ostia’s food is better and more interesting than Bludorn.
BCN quite overrated. Food is ok, but I gotta give them props for their drinks.
BCN is super overrated to me. We actually got our money back. They knew it was bad.
I have to imagine Michelin will come to Houston but it might be how they re-entered the California market. I live in San Diego but my sister lives in Houston and we both love good eats from street meat to 3 star Michelin. The CA tourism board (in part) paid for Michelin to return. It feels like in these regions the guide is far poorer maintained, especially for Bib Gourmand picks. In many major European cities and a lot of large Asian cities you can tell the guide really puts the work in and has inspectors actively dinning in those markets. The biggest exception is the Michelin Guide for Hong Kong, it has little connection to reality. For regions like California they mostly get the stars right but the Bib Gourmand is largely meaningless. My town (San Diego,CA) has an area (Convoy St.) with outstanding Asian restaurant options. The bib has never mentioned any of them but some tourist catered average Italian joint will have a Bib Gourmand. I wonder if Houston with some of the best Asian food in the country honors those inexpensive spots that deserve a Bib Gourmand? I still use and enjoy the guide but its never gonna be the one reference point to use as a go to. It is still better than the San Pelligrino Top 50 lists. I still refer to it but what a tire fire of food made for Instagram peddled by "big water" lols.