On Tuesday, the Michelin Guide released the names of its newest Bib Gourmand honorees in California — menus with “excellent food at reasonable prices” — and 3 Bay Area restaurants made the list for the first time.
Twelve other honorees are located in Central or Southern California.
Those 15 restaurants will join dozens of other Northern California restaurants when the full Bib Gourmand array is announced Dec. 5. All told, 141 California restaurants will be on that affordable list. Michelin’s prestigious star awards will also be revealed that day.
The new Northern California notables are Jo’s Modern Thai, a family-owned restaurant in Oakland’s Laurel district that pays tribute to the fiery cuisine of Thailand’s northeastern Isaan region; San Francisco brunch favorite Hilda and Jesse of San Francisco; and Good Good Culture Club, serving creative Southeast Asian cuisine in San Francisco’s Mission district. (See the inspectors’ tasting notes below.)
The Bib Gourmands, which were introduced in 1997, are awarded by Michelin inspectors who dine anonymously around the world. The honorees are restaurants that offer diners two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $49 or less. (That’s an increase from last year’s $40.)
“Food lovers can get a taste of cuisines from around the world at a very reasonable price,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said in his announcement. “The inspector teams were very enthusiastic about this new group of Bib Gourmands — a smorgasbord of international flavors amplified by creative touches and quality California ingredients.”
Here are the dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:
Good Good Culture Club, San Francisco: “Stroll into this lush, happening spot and your eyes will quickly fall on neon blue letters scrawled above the lively open kitchen: “Did you eat yet?” The correct answer is “no”: An empty stomach will be amply rewarded by the vibrantly flavorful cooking here. Southeast Asian flavors find unique Californian expressions in dishes like a signature adobo-glazed fried chicken wing stuffed with garlic rice, or a Lao-style sausage with tangy pasilla pepper jaew.”
Hilda and Jesse, San Francisco: “Offering what may well be the Bay Area’s most creative and ambitious take on brunch, this disarming passion project from co-owners Kristina Compton and Rachel Sillcocks gets its extra shine from the pair’s extensive fine dining experience — each also contributed a grandparent for the restaurant’s name. The hospitality is cheery and warm, matched by a winsome space that calls to mind a modernist diner, and happily the cuisine is every bit as finely tuned.”
Jo’s Modern Thai, Oakland: “The menu, designed by Chef Intu-On Kornnawong, displays the bold, balanced flavors typical of Thai cuisine, but isn’t overly concerned with hewing to tradition. That creative, irreverent approach is exemplified in dishes like a signature take on drunken noodles, which features smoky barbecue brisket, or a pork burger seasoned to resemble the complex herbaceous flavors of laab.”
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