San Francisco now has more two-star restaurants than anywhere else in the US following the release of its 2014 Michelin Guide.
Italian and French-inspired restaurant Quince gained an extra star to help bring the number of two-star restaurants to seven. Husband and wife Michael and Lindsay Tusk run the restaurant, which sits in the North Beach district of San Francisco.
Michael Ellis, international director of the Michelin Guides, noted the couple fully deserved their promotion to two stars. “They just took their cooking to a higher level. They were doing some new cooking techniques – some slow cooking, some superb roasting – with unusual and locally-sourced ingredients,” he said.
There were otherwise few changes in the guide with the only new addition being contemporary American restaurant State Bird Provisions. Another husband and wife duo, chef Stuart Brioza and pastry chef Nicole Krasinski, run the newly established one-star restaurant. It has achieved its rating after opening two years ago.
Ellis said: “As soon as they opened, the restaurant was recognised by our inspectors and the general public as a unique place. When we award a star, we want to be sure the place can carry it off over the long run. What we found in 2013 was that they continued to perform as they did in 2012.”
The 2014 guide for San Francisco also saw five restaurants lose their single Michelin star while The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood retained their three-star rating. But Ellis was hopeful for further additions and promotions in future editions.
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“I would argue that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most creative and dynamic culinary scenes in the world today. I think this was a bit of a pause in terms of new stars but I think we’re waiting to see some great leap forward in 2015,” he said.
The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country 2014 is available from 23 October 2013.
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