Michelin Takes Manhattan

If you're the kind of person who wants a tire company to tell you where to eat, you'll be delighted to know that Michelin released its New York City Guide this morning. The New York edition is Michelin's first in the U.S. and, as The New York Times reports, has generated much anxiety, and now much delight and despair among New York's chefs. I'm going to stick to trusting recommendations from the Zagat guide, which doesn't usually disappoint. I wouldn't be surprised to see a hefty price increase at establishments with even a single Michelin star. If this is the case, it may well be that the top-rated Zagat restaurants that haven't made it into Michelin will become better value. In any case, growing up, calling someone a "Michelin Man" was a derogatory way to refer to his or her weight problem (because of the rotund Michelin icon). That this springs to mind when entering a Michelin-rated restaurant hardly puts one in the mood for the intended gustatory excesses.