Michelin won't be publishing 2010 guides for L.A. or Las Vegas

Michelin is ditching Los Angeles, at least for now. You won't be seeing a 2010 Michelin guide for L.A. or Las Vegas this year.

The move represents a step back for the Michelin guide, published by the French tire company, which had been expanding the number of cities it covered in an attempt to become the preeminent arbiter of global dining.

"We're taking a temporary suspension of those two cities for 2010," a spokeswoman for Michelin North America said, "due to the economic environment."

The first North American guide, "Michelin Guide New York City 2006," was published in 2005. And the first Los Angeles guide followed two years later, "Michelin Guide Los Angeles 2008" (criticized by the likes of former Times Food section editor Leslie Brenner and LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold). Michelin will publish 2010 guides for New York and San Francisco.

Michelin continues to pursue its development in Asia and will be publishing a Kyoto/Osaka guide for the first time this year (following Tokyo, Hong Kong and Macau).

Asked whether there would be a 2011 Los Angeles guide, the Michelin spokeswoman answered: "I don't know about 2011, but we were told the suspension is temporary."

See a list of L.A.'s 2009 Michelin-starred restaurants after the jump. Do those stars seem a little dimmer now?

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Cover of "Michelin Los Angeles 2009". Credit: Michelin

Here's the list of starred and "Bib Gourmand" restaurants from the 2009 Michelin guide:

Two stars
Mélisse
Providence
Spago
Urasawa

One star
Asanebo
Bastide
Cut
The Dining Room at the Langham
Gordon Ramsay at the London
Hatfield's
La Botte
Mori Sushi
Ortolan
Osteria Mozza
Patina
Sona
Sushi Zo
Trattoria Tre Venezie
Valentino
Water Grill

Bib Gourmand
Angelini Osteria
A.O.C.
Babita
Bistro 561
Border Grill
Cholada
Ciudad
Cru
Elite
Fraiche
Girasole
Honda-Ya
Il Pastaio
Ita-Cho
Izayoi
Katsu-Ya (Studio City)
K-Zo
Literati II
Lu Din Gee Cafe
Melrose Bar & Grill
Nook Bistro
Pizzeria Mozza
Rustic Canyon
Triumphal Palace
Typhoon
Violet (closed)

 

Comments

[Johnathon Lipnicki]

NO!!!!! I was crushed when I heard about this! Please reconsider Michelin by the end of 2009!! PLEASE!!

[Bobak]

No places like Philippe's or Tommy's --in the city that birthed fast food and perfected cheap eats, Michelin showed a cultural disconnect in LA. With that said, I did enjoy the Veas guide. Their worst omission is no New Orleans guide!