In recent years, Miami has dominated a lot of restaurant conversations across the country. It becomes city of choice for operators, from world-renowned chef Massimo Bottura to Tao Hospitality Group.
But today, it is not the most reported food city in Florida. That distinction belongs to Tampa.
On May 11, the Michelin Guide released its second annual star ratings for Florida, focusing on Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Last year, no Tampa restaurants received stars; This year, three dining spots in the Gulf Coast city were awarded one (high-quality cooking; worth the stop).
Those restaurants include Koya, an aspiring Japanese stall by Adriana and Eric Fralick, who add unbelievable ingredients to staples, such as chutoro sandwiches stuffed with wasabi-guacamole and yuzu ice cream with uni Hokkaido. At Rocca, the menu is Italian and there’s a hand-pulled mozzarella by the table ($44) and expertly prepared pastas like tortello all’ uovo with egg yolks in the middle. Also winning a star is Lilac, from New York celebrity chef John Fraser. It is located in the Edition Hotel, which opened last fall.
“The food scene has grown in Florida, especially in Tampa,” the North American chief inspector, who asked not to be named, said in an email. “We’ve been keeping an eye on Koya and Rocca since last year.”
Only one restaurant in Miami has a new star, Tristan Brands Tambourine Room, which specializes in French tasting menus that incorporate unbelievable ingredients like beets, citrus, and coffee. Surprisingly, there were no changes to the four one-star restaurants in Orlando, even though the home of Disney World is the top US travel and tourism destination by 2022, according to the Travel & Tourism Council. World practice. Tourism brought in more than $31 billion to the city last year; perhaps the amount that can be spent on dining rooms far exceeds family-friendly fare.
The entire Sunshine State has seen an increase in the number of potential diners — data from the US Census Bureau shows Florida to be the fastest-growing state in the country by 2022. The state now has 19. starred restaurants, four more than last year. The highest Michelin-rated restaurant in Florida is the two-star L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Miami; There are also outposts of very elegant French dining rooms in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. (Two stars are defined as “excellent cooking; worth the detour.”)
There are no three-star restaurants in Florida.
The guide also highlights 33 Bib Gourmands, or cheap eats, for the region, up from 29 eateries in 2022. Michelin loosely defines this category as places where you can enjoy two dishes and a glass of wine or dessert for about $50.
Among the new Bib Gourmands is Jaguar Sun, the destination of small number plates in downtown Miami. The bar team there has also been recognized with the Michelin Special Cocktail Award. At the Greek dining spot Psomi in Tampa, another newly minted Bib Gourmand venue, Christina Theofiles was awarded the title of Young Michelin Chef.
Among the places in Miami that didn’t perform well in this year’s rankings is Itamae, a Nikkei standout in the Design District, which fell to Bib Gourmand but didn’t get a star. For the second year in a row, Carbone’s Miami outpost also failed to receive a star. In October, Michelin stripped New York of its top star. “We continue to monitor Carbone’s progress with repeat visits between different inspectors,” said the chief inspector.
France-based Michelin introduced the guide in 1900 and began awarding stars in 1926. The first Florida guide was announced in the fall of 2021 in partnership with Visit Florida. Here are the state’s Michelin-starred restaurants. The asterisk indicates a new entry.
two stars
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami
A star
MiamiArieteBoia DeCote MiamiThe Den at Sushi Azabu Miami BeachElcieloHideLos FélixLe JardinierStubborn SeedsRestaurant Surf Club (Surfside)*Tristan Brandt’s Tambourine Room
OrlandoCapaKadenceKnife & SpoonSoseki
Tampa*Koya*Lilac*Rocca
Baby bibs
MiamiBachour (Coral Gables)Chug’s DinerDoyaGhee Indian Kitchen (Kendall)Hometown Barbecue Miami*Jaguar SunLucaliLung Yai Thai TapasMandolin Aegean BistroMichael’s Original Food & Drink La NaturalPhuc Yea*Rosie’sSanguich de MiamiTinta y Cafe (Coral Gables)Zak the Baker Sum
OrlandoBombay Street KitchenDomu*Isan Zaap*Norigami*Otto’s High DivePapa LlamaThe RaVENel Pig (Winter Park)StrandSwine & Sons (Winter Park)*Taste of ChengduZ Asian
Tampa*Gorkhali KitchenIchicoro Ramen*PsomiRooster & the Till
This story was published from the wire dealer’s feed without text modification. Only the title has been changed.
