Michelin Stars Aren't What They Used to Be
Is it just us or has the obsession with Michelin stars jumped the shark?
While dining at Mon Lapin in Montreal, our main course arrived and it was knockout.
Almost geometric in appearance, two crunchy strips of breaded fried chicken skin sat atop juicy cooked chicken meat. It was a delicious deconstruction that didn’t feel like a science experiment.. Every element of the dish worked - including the small orange globes of salmon caviar that provided a briny pop against the crispy shards of chicken skin.
And then there was the restaurant’s signature dish - a delightful multilayering of bread and local scallops that deceptively looked like a buttery grilled cheese sandwich. Mon Lapin’s food was wonderfully sourced, artfully presented and cooked beautifully. It’s the kind of restaurant that makes Montreal one of our favorite food cities.
Our server, Fiona, expertly guided us through the restaurant’s menu and wine list in a space that was tastefully appointed, well lit, audible and comfortable. Mon Lapin was everything we look for in a great restaurant and deserves the many accolades placed on it by chefs and food journalists as the best restaurant in the city.
Did we mention that the restaurant has zero Michelin stars in the 2025 guide?
In fact it didn’t even get a bib gourmand, Michelin’s more accessible restaurant certification. Instead, it ranks the same as Schwartz’s, the famous down and dirty deli in the Plateau. We do enjoy Schwartz’s and its smoked meat sandwiches, but really?
Culinary excitement has gripped both Quebec and Philly since Michelin is now on the scene in both markets. There’s little doubt that Michelin’s star system will have a huge effect on the food in two of our favorite food cities (Montreal and Philly) and that makes us kind of sad. After eating at dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants on multiple continents, there’s something about the guide that’s grown tired to us.
Philly and Montreal paid big bucks to the Michelin organization to comply with a controversial business model that’s landed the guide in a bit of hot water with food writers in recent years. Not all cities are willing to pay to play. Cities with large dining scenes, like Las Vegas, have so far refused to pay Michelin’s star tariff since they don’t really need stars to attract customers.
However, for mid range cities, having stars can usher a food scene into the culinary big time. Many high end food travelers and destination diners make reservations specifically based on a restaurant’s star status. In some cases three star ratings can transform a restaurant business into a monument of world renown - think Arpège in Paris or Paul Bocuse in Lyon. (Ironically, Bocuse lost its third star after the legendary chef died 7 years ago. It’s since been coasting with two.)
That sounds great right? Yes - it can be. But joining the Michelin system places much of a city’s restaurant scene into Michelin’s culinary crosshairs. This is especially true of restaurants that exist in the guide’s first rung of acclaim - the one star restaurant. If you’ve eaten in starred restaurants, you surely know what we mean.
We ate our first three star dinner at Maison Lameloise in Burgundy, France back in 2012. That meal commenced with snacks at the restaurant’s bar followed by a series of epic courses that pushed our culinary impulses to the limit. A cheese cart carrying a library-like compendium of the regions finest fromage provided the dinner’s show-stopping moment. We were so full at the end of the meal that we had the mignardises (tiny desserts) boxed up to eat later. (After that many courses, it’s not an uncommon practice as we’ve since learned.)
We’ve eaten many more ‘Michelin meals’ over the years. And, sure, some like Belcanto and Noma, were special. But lately, while many vetted restaurants sport complicated techniques and flowery, museum-like presentations, much of their food lacks the energy and excitement we crave.
The point is that chefs have attempted to curry so much favor to Michelin’s authoritarian instincts that high end dining has a become a mannered, homogeneous experience lacking of the kind of spontaneity and soul that we experienced at unstarred Mon Lapin. Following the Michelin playbook, every meal begins with playful ‘snacks.’ Many plates are overly adorned with edible flowers. Special sauces are poured at service. Most restaurants use the same expensive china from Limoges. There always seem to be two desserts.
We’ve been thinking and talking about this phenomenon since our trip to Naples last year. It hit us when we realized that we enjoyed eating Neapolitan pizzas way more than we enjoyed our dinner at the esteemed two-starred restaurant George.
The same thing happened in Quebec this past month. The entire province was abuzz about the initial stars recently anointed by Michelin’s esteemed inspectors (A green star - wow!) Our traveling companions were enthralled. However, we preferred eating burgers and lobster rolls over our multi-hour Michelin green star dinner which featured the inevitable parade of tiny plates.
As we look back on our favorite Quebec meals, our dinner at Quebec City’s Diner Saint Saveur tops the list. There’s not much better in life than eating a juicy burger that’s perfectly grilled and paired with fries unless those fries are transformed into mushroom poutine. This was not just another street side diner - the same expert culinary techniques were present in that meal as we experienced in much hautier establishments with Michelin star ratings.
We somehow expect something similar to happen in Philadelphia once our home city gets its stars. While restaurants like Vetri and Vernick will likely get stars in Philly’s first Michelin guide, we’ll still prefer eating at simple, chef driven BYOBs (something that’s more a rarity these days) or at bistros like Middle Child Clubhouse.
We love great food and we’re willing to pay what many would consider exorbitant prices to get it. And, while we appreciate convention and tradition, we want great food to be daring - an excitement for our palate. We want food that confounds us - food that breaks rules while not being chained to a red guide. Most of all, we want food to taste great.
We understand the need for guidance and criticism. But let’s loosen up and lose the religious fervor around Michelin stars.
Dish of the Week
Summer is in full swing and the Phillies are currently in first place. In other words, it’s time to eat the hot dogs!
We recently scratched our hot dog itch in Montreal where our hot dogs were topped with cole slaw, mustard and relish. Frankly, those well dressed hot dogs now rank as one of our favorites.
What’s your favorite hot dog? Let us know in the comments or drop us a line. We’re legit curious.
Drink of the Week
We crave water when it gets hot outside - particularly ranch water. The three-ingredient cocktail might not be on your radar unless you live in Texas. However, once you give the refreshing tequila tipple a try, you’ll surely be a fan too.
Deal of the Week
We used Holafly esim cards for the first time during our recent North America trip and, while not perfect, they saved the day with their unlimited data in both US and Canada. Canadian sim cards are expensive - who knew?!
If you have an upcoming international trip on your horizon, consider buying an unlimited esim. Not only will you avoid tracking your usage when you map or stream, but you’ll also avoid surprise bills after your trip.
As a bonus, you’ll get a 5% discount on your purchase if you use the discount code 2foodtrippers. Disclosure - this is an affiliate code. However, we wouldn’t recommend Holafly if we didn’t have like the service during our recent trip.
Links We’re Liking
Inspiration can come from a lot of places. Sometimes it comes from Taco Bell. | NYT (gifted)
American food is expensive (duh) and other sharp observations from a British perspective. | BBC
In case you missed the memo, The Bear’s fourth season has dropped on Hulu. No spoilers please - we have two more episodes to watch. | Entertainment Weekly
Until next week,
Daryl & Mindi