Basking Under The Michelin Stars :: San Francisco Bay Area

For the second straight year, The French Laundry in Napa County’s Yountville was the only restaurant awarded the coveted three stars by the San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country French Michelin Guide.

Its critics visited 600 restaurants multiple times, dining on 36 cuisines. Of those, 384 made the initial cut and only 34 were awarded a star ranking, with the highest going to Thomas Keller’s French Laundry. Two restaurants: Meadowood in St. Helena and Chez TJ in Mountain View, earned two stars. A total of 31 restaurants received one star, which is still an astounding achievement.

According to an article on Bloomberg.com, “It’s really a foodie town, where everyone is talking about not only what they have on the plate but what they’re going to have the next day,” Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide, said in an interview.

The 2008 Michelin Guide goes on sale today.

By Gil Zeimer, Vagablond’s Editor in Chief.