And The Winner Is....: Michelin Stars Released Early

By Anthony Todd in Food on Nov 16, 2010 3:41PM

After last night's announcement that the Michelin Guide would announce the stars early, we have been waiting with our fingers on the refresh button all morning. Jean-Luc Naret started calling chefs early this morning, before the official announcement. Chefs started tweeting their own results around 9:00, with Boka first out of the gate announcing it's star and Paul Kahan of Avec opining "In the beginning, they didn't understand the Clash either" in response to Avec's lack of stars.

The full list was released at 9:30. Interestingly, it looks like the Yelp-er who posted the list early was correct. The three-star list is unsurprising, with Alinea leading the pack. The only bit of drama at the top is L20's inclusion, since it was reported earlier this week that Laurent Gras would be leaving the restaurant. Two-stars include Avenues, Charlie Trotters and Ria.

The one star list will be the subject of controversy for months to come. Pretty much none of our choices made it except Naha and Graham Elliot, and many important Chicago spots were left off the list, which only had 16 entries. Newcomer Longman and Eagle made the list, as did many of Chicago's most expensive dining destinations, including Sixteen, Tru and Everest, which leads us to wonder about the list's relevance to ordinary diners.

The complete list of one-stars: Blackbird, Boka, Bonsoiree, Crofton on Wells, Everest, Graham Elliot, Longman & Eagle, NAHA, NoMI, Schwa, Seasons, Sepia, Sixteen, Spiaggia, Takashi, Topolobompo, Tru and Vie.