26th October 2011 – Bay Area Restaurants Shine in 2012 Michelin Guide

While three-star restaurants The French Laundry and Meadowood retain the highest distinction in the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012, the newest edition offers three new two-star restaurants, Benu, Saison and Baumé. In addition, 39 restaurants earned a single star with five new entries in that category. The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012 goes on sale Wed., Oct. 26, at $18.99.

The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012 covers San Francisco proper, and a comprehensive spread of the Bay Area stretching from Los Gatos in the south to Geyserville in the north. Being included in the MICHELIN Guide is a sign of excellence and quality in each category and a total of 541 restaurants have been included this year. Of those, 77 are designated “Bib Gourmands,” which serve two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (excluding tax and gratuity). A full listing of star recipients and Bib Gourmand restaurants may be found below.

The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012 offers a wide assortment of categories for discerning diners. Among them is a new symbol created for the 2012 edition indicating restaurants serving breakfast, which includes 40 establishments. Of equal importance is the “Under $25” category, defined as restaurants serving a meal for less than $25 per person. This list includes 113 restaurants.

Michelin divides the guide into six sections: San Francisco City, East Bay, Marin, Peninsula, South Bay and Wine Country. Forty-six distinct cuisines are represented in the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012, which showcases the spectacular culinary diversity of the region. Three new cuisines were added for 2012 as the inspectors continue to dine at every possible type of establishment to compile the best selection for our readers.

San Francisco is one of three U.S. cities where Michelin publishes a guide annually. The other two are New York City and Chicago. The MICHELIN Guide New York 2012, the city’s seventh edition, was introduced Oct. 5. And Michelin plans to introduce its second Chicago guide, MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2012, on Nov. 15.

Michelin has done as much to enhance mobility as any company in the world. The company patented the pneumatic, or air-filled, automobile tire in the late 1800s. This was a milestone moment in mobility; it permitted automobile owners to travel at great length in a single journey. Then, in an effort to prompt travelers to enjoy their newfound mobility, the company created guides – and detailed maps – to steer travelers on their way. More than 1 million copies are sold each year.

Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently worldwide, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in gourmet dining. Twenty-seven MICHELIN Guides cover 23 countries and three continents, and feature more than 45,000 addresses. The selection is made by anonymous, professional inspectors who are Michelin employees. Inspectors pay all their bills in full. To find out more about the MICHELIN guide inspectors and the history of the MICHELIN Guide, visit www.michelinguide.com.

Michelin’s San Francisco Michelin inspectors also share insights from their many meals on Twitter at @MichelinGuideSF.

To whet the appetite of Bay Area residents for the sixth edition of the Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country being released next week, Michelin announced today 77 Bib Gourmand restaurants that are listed in its 2012 edition. Bib Gourmand selections are restaurants serving two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included).

Introduced in the 1997 editions of the MICHELIN Guides in Europe, Bib Gourmand restaurants are identified in the guide by a red symbol depicting the head of Bibendum, the Michelin Man. This year, 19 new restaurants in the Bay Area are new to the Bib Gourmand category, which indicates the inspectors’ favorites for good value. The full selection of restaurants – including those garnering the famous MICHELIN stars – will be announced Tuesday, Oct. 25, when Michelin formally introduces its complete selection for the MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012. The guide will go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 26, at $18.99.

October 20th 2011 – Michelin offers list of 77 Bib Gourmands Restaurants for San Francisco & Bay Area 2012.

The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country 2012 covers a wider geographic region than most of its peers, stretching from Los Gatos in the south to Geyserville in the north. Over the past year, Michelin inspectors have analyzed restaurants throughout Northern California, always anonymously. MICHELIN inspectors share insights from their many meals on Twitter.

The Bib Gourmand selections for 2012:
(* denotes new selection for 2012)

With more than one million copies sold in approximately 100 countries, the MICHELIN Guide has always built its success on the diversity of its selections, especially with small establishments offering a high-quality dining experience at an affordable price. Hence, both the popularity and importance of the Bib Gourmand or “Inspectors’ Favorites for Good Value” category and the Under $25 category increased in number of offerings in the 2012 edition. Moreover, inclusion in the MICHELIN Guide is, in itself, synonymous with quality, because only the best establishments in each comfort and price category are featured in the guide.

Enhancing mobility is not only the mission of the Michelin Group but also of the MICHELIN Guide, which was created to assist travellers – and motorists, in particular – by making their journeys more enjoyable. Now representing 23 countries and three continents, the collection of 27 MICHELIN Guides includes more than 45,000 addresses. In North America, only three U.S. cities – New York, San Francisco and Chicago – currently have guides. For more information about the guides and the inspection methodology, visit www.michelinguide.com.