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I noticed Michelin just released its first-ever Guide in North America, the 2006 New York Guide (or course, if you are going to pick a city, it has to be New York ) The details are here, and here.

Michelin stars are very coveted icons. In France, chefs who attain 3 stars rightfully consider themselves nobility, more fabulous than the people they feed. One star indicates "a very good restaurant," two is "excellent cooking worth a detour," and three famously denotes "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." These references go back to the days when the Red Guide was primarily intended for French business travelers chugging down rural roads in underpowered Citroens .

The guide also awards couvert, the one to five crossed forks and spoons that denote the grandeur of the dining experience, from simple to sumptuous. If a restaurant is particularly agreeable or special, I believe the forks and spoons are showcased in red.

So, Michelin sent 5 inspectors to poke around the five boroughs of New York all of last year. They looked at 1,200 restaurants and reduced them to 500 they liked. To be fair, where food is concerned, the French know what they are talking about, and Michelin has a deserved reputation for incorruptibility and diligence.

Four restaurants, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Alain Ducasse, and Jean-Georges, received a three-star rating. Four restaurants received a two-star rating, 31 received a one-star rating, and 468 additional restaurants were selected in the guide as they provide a quality experience that Michelin recommends trying. 25 establishments were ultimately included in Brooklyn (2 of these Brooklyn restaurants received stars), 13 establishments were selected in Queens, 4 in Staten Island, 2 in the Bronx, and 463 in Manhattan (37 of these Manhattan restaurants have received stars.)

BTW, Paris has ten three-star restaurants. Some of the more notorious ones are Le Cinq, Pierre Gagnaire, and L'Ambroisie.

Saturday and 60 F outside (like 15 C) right now, but clouded and rainy. I think it's supposed to snow tomorrow and the temperatus are supposed to drop to the 20's - ugh.

Don't know what I will do lunch. Maybe Outback?

Over the years I've come to the conclusion that soup, just like that, generically, and in all its flavorful varieties, is one of my favorite foods. I find even its simplest forms like Chinese Wonton or Japanise Miso soup delicious. Particularly my mom's Catalan escudella

Heating up some Wonton soup right now, while General Tso's chicken (no broccoli, of course) is in the oven.