2011 Michelin Restaurant Ratings

The Michelin Guide is one of the most renowned dining guides in the world. A restaurant getting a Michelin star is the equivalent to an athlete getting a medal in the Olympics. Last year I ranted about San Jose not claiming a single Michelin star restaurant, and it looks like this year the situation has not changed. At least in the 2011 Michelin Guide, they are recognizing that the South Bay is indeed an "Area" as last year they listed Silicon Valley restaurants as "South of San Francisco." You can see the full list below of the 44 Michelin Star recipients (6 of which are in Silicon Valley).

Instead of ranting this year I'll offer an idea and some encouragement. First up, the idea. Michelin star restaurants are huge draws for people. They usually book weeks if not months in advance and are a source of pride and international recognition for the neighborhoods they are in. Why not provide a monetary incentive for restaurants that receive a Michelin star that are located in San Jose (much the same way the USOC provides a monetary incentive for Olympic medalists)? This would encourage pioneering restaurateurs to open up shop in San Jose as well as drive existing restaurants to push their innovation and creativity in order to achieve the highest level of acclaim in their field.

Okay now for some encouragement. There are at least two restaurants in San Jose that are run by chefs that have already earned a Michelin star. This is at least a step in the right direction from last year. The first is Salvatore Calisi who was former head chef of Dio Deka and is now responsible for Ristorante Fratello on Meridian Ave. The second is Michael Miller, who was head chef at Traverse (closed because of dramatic rent hikes), and is now the executive chef at the Silicon Valley Capital Club downtown.

San Jose has achieved so much in the past few decades and already has a knack for innovation and a vibrant restaurant scene. Being known for cutting edge restaurants and have the stars to back that up as a fact (such as Napa does now), well... you can add that to my wishlist for San Jose in 2020.

Every restaurant listed in the MICHELIN Guide is recommended by our team of professional inspectors. The ones listed below have earned stars that reflect their exceptional culinary achievements, regardless of cuisine style. Stars represent only what is on the plate. They do not take into consideration interior decoration, service quality or table settings.

Read the release

Use the links below to make reservations at your favorite San Francisco restaurant, compliments of OpenTable.com.

	Restaurants	Area	Neighborhood	Reservations
Acquerello		San Francisco	Nob Hill	Reserve a table
Alexander's Steakhouse (New)*		South Bay	Cupertino	Reserve a table
Ame*		San Francisco	SoMa	Reserve a table
Applewood (New)		Wine Country	Sonoma County	Reserve a table
Auberge du Soleil		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Aziza		San Francisco	Richmond & Sunset	Reserve a table
Baumé (New)*		South Bay	Palo Alto	Reserve a table
Bouchon		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Boulevard		San Francisco	SoMa	Reserve a table
Campton Place (New)		San Francisco	Financial District	Reserve a table
Chez TJ*		South Bay	Mountain View	Reserve a table
Commis		East Bay	Oakland	Reserve a table
Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, The*		San Francisco	Nob Hill	Reserve a table
Dio Deka (New)		South Bay	Los Gatos	Reserve a table
étoile		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant		Wine Country	Sonoma County	Reserve a table
Fleur de Lys		San Francisco	Financial District	Reserve a table
Frances (New)		San Francisco	Castro	Reserve a table
Gary Danko*		San Francisco	North Beach
La Folie		San Francisco	Nob Hill	Reserve a table
La Toque		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Luce*		San Francisco	SoMa	Reserve a table
Madera (New)*		Peninsula	Menlo Park	Reserve a table
Madrona Manor		Wine Country	Sonoma County	Reserve a table
Masa's		San Francisco	Nob Hill	Reserve a table
Mirepoix (New)		Wine Country	Sonoma County
Murray Circle		Marin	Sausalito	Reserve a table
One Market		San Francisco	SoMa	Reserve a table
Plumed Horse*		South Bay	Saratoga	Reserve a table
Quince		San Francisco	North Beach	Reserve a table
Redd		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Saison (New)*		San Francisco	Mission	Reserve a table
Santé		Wine Country	Sonoma County	Reserve a table
Solbar		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Spruce (New)		San Francisco	Marina	Reserve a table
Terra		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Ubuntu		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Village Pub, The*		Peninsula	Woodside	Reserve a table
Wakuriya (New)		Peninsula	San Mateo

	Restaurants	City	Neighborhood	Reservations
Coi		San Francisco	North Beach	Reserve a table
Cyrus		Wine Country	Sonoma County	Reserve a table
Manresa*		South Bay	Los Gatos	Reserve a table

	Restaurants	City	Neighborhood	Reservations
French Laundry, The		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table
Restaurant at Meadowood, The (New)		Wine Country	Napa Valley	Reserve a table

* Restaurants Josh has been to