It's not personal or anything, but Leslie Brenner takes the Michelin guide to task again today in the Los Angeles Times, almost two weeks after the results were leaked. All 1,519 words are used to take the shine out of the stars awarded to LA's chefs and restaurants. The chefs are perhaps the only ones who revel in the stars, but she basically says none of this hubbub matters, that any "smart Angeleno" won't care about such frivolous things. Yes, it's poorly written, riddled with mistakes, and there are obvious omissions, but does it---the guide, the stars, the hype, the criticism---even matter? Here, some Brenner gems:
1) "It's amateur hour chez Michelin"
2) "The writing makes the Zagat guide look like Ulysses."
3) "Conejo Valley is also a mini gastronomic wonderland, according to Michelin."
4) "By the time Bibendum (Michelin's roly-poly mascot) got to San Francisco last fall, it felt as if a good deal of the air had been let out of his radials."
5) And just in case it did matter that you or your restaurant got a star: "What shocked me wasn't who did and did not get stars; rather, it was that the book that purports to be the bible of fine dining is so poorly researched and lamely written that the ratings have no credibility."
· It's Amateur Hour Chez Michelin [LAT]
· Breaking: Michelin Stars are Out [~ELA~]
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