Equally the pandemic ravaged the eating house industry in 2020, Michelin took a step back. The guides it intended to release for Washington D.C., New York and Chicago were pushed into the spring, while the California guide had a more than two-year gap between publish dates. For the upper reaches of the the guide—the two- and three-star level—Michelin largely eschewed demotions, barring a closure or the changing its concept. Some new restaurants were able to arise to the 2-star level, only no American restaurant was deemed worthy of top to 3 stars in 2021.

Unfortunately, America did lose a 3-star restaurant this yr. With the Restaurant at Meadowood called-for down during the Glass Burn down, Michelin removed information technology from consideration. However, Christopher Kostow is rebuilding the eating place and has been doing a North American bout in the pb-up to reopening. And when Thomas Keller posted on his Instagram stories ane night that the French Laundry'southward service would exist in honor of his fellow iii-stars in California, he counted Kostow's restaurant among them.

With Meadowood's exclusion and no further motion elsewhere, the United States now boasts xiii restaurants that the old French tire visitor regards as having "infrequent cuisine, worth a special journey." America trails France'south 30 and Japan'due south 22, where Tokyo lone boasts 11 three-star restaurants. But here are the restaurants that take reached the superlative, from Alinea to SingleThread.

Alinea, Chicago

Grant Achatz Alinea Hot Dog

Photo: courtesy Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images (Left); Bill Wisser (Right)

Ever since Michelin first came to the Windy City for its 2011 edition, chef Grant Achatz's temple of molecular gastronomy has held three stars. Drawing on flavors from effectually the world—1 course may be a craven thigh with Mexican spices, while a rare Japanese fish may be another—Alinea's modernist cuisine is strongly influenced from the time he spent at Ferran Adrià'due south El Bulli. The eating place is a showcase of advanced technique where food is dehydrated, subjected to liquid nitrogen, and y'all may even exist fed an edible balloon. Although, for the 2021 guide, Alinea co-owner Nick Kokonas idea information technology was a picayune early on to start rating, considering the restaurant hadn't actually been open. Alinea had a rooftop residency in Chicago and was a leader in to-go meals in the fine dining infinite, just when the new Chicago guide came out, information technology had only been reopened for a few weeks.

Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

dominique crenn mourad

Photo: Aaron Wojack

Since opening in 2011, chef Dominique Crenn has put out a soulful, artistic take on mod French fare. Subsequently sitting at two stars for years, Michelin has finally awarded Atelier Crenn a third. The guide wrote that "The current carte du jour displays a wonderful residue of grace, artistry, technical ability and taste." With the honor, Crenn became the first woman to run a Michelin three-star eatery in America. Not simply that, her newest restaurant Bar Crenn—an ode to classic French gastronomy—picked up a star in its first year of eligibility. In 2019 she announced that she would take the meat off of all her menus—seafood would remain—because of Crenn'due south business concern about the environmental bear on of animal agriculture. Yet, this by summer she appear meat would return to Atelier Crenn's menu for the first time since 2018 because she would serve lab-grown chicken once it passed FDA blessing.

Benu, San Francisco

barbecued quail benu sf

Photo: courtesy Benu

Among his peers, chef Corey Lee is highly revered. "The outset time I ate Corey'south food was at the French Laundry when he was chef de cuisine," Crenn says. "I could gustatory modality the talent behind the food. What I beloved about Benu is he celebrates where he'due south from—Korea—and he communicates that in a very special way." Praised for his technical ability and refinement of dishes, Lee's Benu earned its third star in the 2015 guide. Lee has merged flavors from Korea, China and Nippon with techniques he honed as the French Laundry's chef de cuisine for four years. The result is a lauded tasting card that will feature dishes like an oyster with pork belly and kimchi; or smoked quail, lilies and fermented pepper. Similar his counterparts, Lee prepared takeout during Covid-nineteen closures. However, he used that opportunity equally a testing ground for his forthcoming Korean eatery San Ho Won.

Chef'southward Tabular array at Brooklyn Fare, New York City

uni urchin black truffle

Photo: Courtesy Chef's Tabular array at Brooklyn Fare

The proper noun is a bit of a misnomer, every bit chef César Ramirez has moved his fine-dining restaurant from Downtown Brooklyn to Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. Simply the format has endured. Diners sit down arrayed around a counter, the chefs in total view preparing them a multi-course tasting carte of French-Japanese fusion cuisine. When Brooklyn Fare earned its third star a Michelin inspector told the New York Times "I don't believe there is anything quite like information technology in the world, though you might encounter the closest parallels in Tokyo or Kyoto. If you took the cuisine out of the setting information technology would compare favorably with other three stars." April of last year, Ramirez introduced takeout, eschewing a tasting-menu model in favor of a la carte dishes like chicken soup with truffles and foie gras, and veal shank with fingerling potatoes. And the eating place held off on reopening for dine-in service until Apr of this year.

Eleven Madison Park, New York Metropolis

Eleven Madison Park

Evan Sung

Despite being closed until subsequently the 2021 New York guide was released, Eleven Madison Park, the former No. 1 restaurant at the World's 50 Best, retained its three Michelin stars. In May of 2020, Daniel Humm worried near whether he'd e'er reopen EMP, and when he finally decided it was time, the restaurant that reemerged this by June was markedly different than the one that came before. EMP has gone mostly vegan, with Humm saying at the time of the announcement that the "current food system is simply not sustainable."

French Laundry, Yountville, CA

french laundry kitchen

Courtesy Michael Grimm

Around since the early on 1900s, the French Laundry was transformed by Thomas Keller into a leader of American fine dining after taking it over in 1994. Rooted in his love of French food and technique, the nine-form menu features dishes similar a cauliflower velouté with toasted marcona almonds, john dory with creamed black trumpet mushrooms, squab with sunchokes, and venison with caramelized Brussels sprouts. "The French Laundry showed the importance of nostalgia in food," says James Syhabout of ii-star Commis in Oakland. "It traces what triggers you to have y'all to that aforementioned place when you offset had a dish and it fabricated yous then happy. That's all that matters sometimes nigh food." One of the greatest testaments to the French Laundry'south influence has been the sheer number of alumni who have opened acclaimed restaurants of their own, from Grant Achatz's Alinea, to Corey Lee's Benu, to Rene Redzepi'southward Noma, to Jordan Kahn'southward Vespertine. Like his idol Paul Bocuse, Keller has created a proving basis for exceptional chefs.

The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA

inn little washington

Photo: courtesy Inn at Petty Washington

It took three years for Michelin to deem a DC-area restaurant worthy of 3 stars, and it'south not a surprise that when it finally happened Patrick O'Connell'south Inn would exist on the receiving stop. Nestled almost the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in a town of less than 200 people, he opened in a former garage, edifice it into a temple of gastronomy over the last four decades. The self-taught chef pioneered American farm-to-tabular array cooking, while leaning on modern French technique that the Gallic food guide especially loves. When the restaurant could seat people again starting last May, it got creative with social distancing. O'Connell's restaurant could merely operate at 50 percent capacity, and so it filled the remaining half of the identify with mannequins for a whimsical spectacle of a dining room.

Le Bernardin, New York City

lobster french

Photo: Courtesy Le Bernardin

Eric Ripert helms one of the finest seafood restaurants in America. Le Bernardin originally opened in 1986, an import from Paris, and was a hitting immediately upon arriving on our shores. Ripert took over the kitchen in 1994, continuing the approach of exceptional seafood, but prepared. When we named the "30 Most Influential Restaurants of the Last 30 Years" Le Bernadin was among the honorees, with chef Adrienne Cheatham summing upwardly its legacy past saying, "This restaurant dedicated itself to exploring the bounty of the sea and to claiming and change the way diners were used to not just cooking and consuming, but also purchasing seafood." It'south an experience Ripert didn't think translated to DoorDash and Postmates. "I don't think our experience can be formulated into a takeout experience," he said. "I don't see the carpaccio of tuna with foie gras traveling to your business firm and being served in the right conditions." So information technology wasn't a big surprise that Le Bernardin was the first Michelin three-star eating place in New York to reopen. Ripert told Robb Written report, that the restaurant and staff were floated by a reasonable landlord and donations from diners that were distributed to employees.

Manresa, Los Gatos, CA

Manresa

Photo: courtesy David Spiegelman

It'south cliché to say a chef embraces subcontract-to-table, but David Kinch has been a pioneer in developing vegetable-centric, gimmicky California cuisine. Utilizing the bounty of Golden State produce, he'due south inspired by the region, making dishes similar Tidal Pool, which mimics the rocky coasts of the Bay Area. Information technology's a rich goop that poaches a raw piece of foie gras and is accompanied by uni, butter clams, mussels, oyster, pickled kombu, toasted nori and shitake mushrooms. His influence continues around California with alums opening their own outstanding restaurants, similar Syhabout at Commis, Jeremy Play a joke on of Birdie G's in Santa Monica and Josef Centeno of PYT in Los Angeles. Another burn down at Manresa shut the eating place down last year, as it had three years ago, just Kinch has bounced back again to reopen his flagship. Now, he'southward expanding the Manresa name even further, with head baker Avery Ruzicka creating the exceptional baker and café Manresa Bread and and so opening Mentone during the pandemic.

Masa, New York City

masa takayama

Courtesy of Masa

1 of the most expensive tasting menus in America, chef Masa Takayama serves up an omakase sushi experience at his eponymous restaurant in New York'south Time Warner Center on the corner of Central Park. The Japanese-born chef moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s and eventually opened Ginza Sushi-ko, which helped found the urban center's love for sushi. In 2004, with encouragement from Thomas Keller, he moved to New York to create Masa. Fish from Japan is flown in straight to him from Tsujiki Fish Market to ensure the highest-quality production for his customers. In the 2009 guide, information technology became the first Japanese eating place in America to earn 3 stars. During lockdowns, Masa introduced an opulent $800 sushi box and when it reopened, it started offering an $800 per person meal at the chef's counter that includes a wagyu beefiness tataki class along with the omakase bill of fare.

Per Se, New York City

Per Se Dining Room

Photo: courtesy Deborah Jones

Every bit Thomas Keller prepared to bring his Francophile cooking to New York later much success with the French Laundry out in Napa, he was asked how his new restaurant would compare to the 1 that had established him as an iconic American chef. He'd respond, "It'south not the French Laundry, per se." The name stuck. Like the French Laundry, Per Se serves a nine-form menu, replete with his have on modern French.

Quince, San Francisco

canapes gougeres

Photo: Courtesy Quince

Chef Michael Tusk has combined his love of Northern Italian cuisine with his surrounds in Northern California to evolve classics like tortellini into modern American fare. Opened in 2003, Quince earned its third Michelin star in the 2017 guide. As with fellow pillars of contemporary California cuisine in the Bay Area, Quince is devoted to sourcing the best product. Tusk has created a partnership with Fresh Run Farm—an early on adopter of organic farming—to grow heirloom fruits, vegetables and flowers exclusively for the chef. In 2011, after six straight nominations, Tusk won the James Bristles Accolade for Best Chef: Pacific, for his work at Quince and his rustic Italian eating place Cotogna. Earlier in 2019, Tusk and his married woman Lindsay likewise opened their French-inspired coincidental wine bar Verjus. For the pandemic, Michael and Lindsay moved Quince temporarily to Hudson Ranch about an hour exterior the city and served a simplified menu driven past the produce around them.

SingleThread, Healdsburg, CA

singlethread exterior

Photo: Courtesy

Husband and wife duo Kyle and Katina Connaughton wanted to open more than simply a restaurant when they debuted SingleThread in Sonoma in 2016. From the inn to a higher place the restaurant to the farm to the 11-class tasting card, the ii create an immersive and comprehensive experience. The Japanese-inflected food is informed by Kyle's time as a chef around the world. Amongst many stints, he worked at the famed chef Michel Bras' restaurant in Hokkaido, Nihon, made pastries at Wolfgang Puck'south Spago in Beverly Hills; and led the research kitchen at Heston Blumenthal's temple of molecular gastronomy The Fat Duck. When the pandemic shut them down last yr, Connaughton switched to a takeout menu, but also partnered with local nonprofit Sonoma Family unit Repast to make meals for those in need in their community. The couple are also going to open up a new eating house in Healdsburg: Niggling Saint will serve an a la carte, meat-free carte du jour inside a Ken Fulk-designed space.