Michelin is a French company that has reviewed restaurants in New York, California, and some other U.S. states but has never reviewed restaurants in Texas. NBC 5 and the Dallas Morning News learned this week that Michelin will send its anonymous critics into restaurants across Texas' 5 biggest cities, Dallas and Fort Worth among them. Michelin will release a Guide of Texas' best restaurants in a few months.
Michelin has a team of full-time inspectors, that's their name for a critic. These people are anonymous and they live all over the world. When about a dozen chefs were asked about Michelin's potential influence on Texas food, almost all said the same thing: Michelin is the best system for reviewing restaurants in the world. So even though it's mysterious, it's highly respected.
Fort Worth has more historic restaurants than any other part of North Texas. It can tell a wonderful story about barbecue and Tex-Mex. Fort Worth is ready for Michelin's attention.
Beyond the famous star-rating system, Michelin gives several other awards, including the Bib Gourmand, for restaurants that are lower in price point but still great and you can find that list at Dallasnews.com/food.
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But for those who don't know that much about Michelin beyond what's been seen on TV shows, does this matter to casual diners?
In short, yes. Texas is now considered a restaurant destination on a global scale. Michelin's move here will tell the world where to eat in Texas cities. The hope it's not only ultra-fancy Texas restaurants but a few hole-in-the-walls, some barbecue joints, and some Mexican restaurants that make the list.
For more on this story and others, check out DallasNews.com/food.
