The Michelin Guide’s Epic Fail In Texas Debut: Austin’s Best BBQ And Omakase Snubbed – View from the Wing

Michelin now rates Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Like other new cities added, these are government-subsidized efforts on the theory that it boosts tourism.

There were no three- or two-star restaurants awarded. The lack of two’s seems wrong. The one-stars went to:

• Barley Swine (always a good tasting menu)
• Craft Omakase (the third best omakase in town)
• Hestia
• Olamaie (good, but Michelin star?)
• Interstellar BBQ (should have easily been two star)
• La Barbecue
• LeRoy & Lewis

Interstellar BBQ

Several Bib Gourmands were awarded. Dai Due deserves it, and I’d note they have the best burger in town. Distant Relatives barbecue is overrated. Kemuri Tatsu-ya is a favorite, always-reliable Texas-Japanese fusion. Micklethewait Craft Meats is on par with La Barbecue. Nixta Taqueria probably could have been given a star. Odd Duck is a perennial favorite, sister to Barley Swine.

Giving Franklin Barbecue only a Bib Gourmand is absurd. While I think it’s been surpassed in Austin by Interstellar (and only by Interstellar) it’s revolutionary in the space and certainly one of the five best barbecue spots in the world and possibly one of the top three.

Franklin Barbecue

Genuinely, by the way, while Interstellar’s brisket – the Central Texas staple – is outstanding, their peach tea glazed pork belly will change your life.

I don’t see how Birdie’s only got a ‘recommended’ when it’s better than most anything on the list. Este, Suerte, and Lenoir are, indeed, ‘recommended’. Under this category, barbecue spot Terry Black’s is overrated. Omakase spots Toshokan and Tare are underrated.

Tare

Tare

Toshokan is as good as Craft Omakase. Tare is Texas-influenced and certainly interesting and worth a visit, though in my mind one notch below. But the major snub of the list is Tsuke Edomae which is orders of magnitude better than the Omakases that did get a star or other recognition.

Chef Michael Che of Tsuke Edomae

One theory is that it’s too closely associated with Kyoten in Chicago, which is head and shoulders above anything in the Windy City but that Michelin refuses to recognize. However I assume that it’s just Michelin inspectors unable to get a reservation. This is the toughest spot to get into possibly in the country right now.

• It’s better than anything else in Austin
• And since the Austin food scene, while good, hasn’t kept up with the city’s growth there’s tremendous demand
• But only 8 seats per night, so it doesn’t scale
• They book out 4-5 months in advance, releasing reservations on a single morning for months at a time and those seats are gone within seconds
• And existing customers (who have been at least 3 times) able to book before the 4-5 month window opens

Tsuke Edomae reportedly has a food cost equal to its menu price, which is three times higher than normal for a restaurant. It’s massively underpriced compared to its quality, and to demand. They only make money on the service charge (no tipping); alcohol; and optional extra pieces of fish.

The Austin American-Statesman by the way accurately lists Birdie’s and Tsuke Edomae as tied for best restaurant in the city, along with Nixta Taqueria.

Suerte; Dai Due; Bufalia; Barley Swine; Franklin; Olamaie; LeRoy and Lewis; Craft Omakase; Foreign & Domestic; Tare; Lenoir; Interstellar; and La Barbecue among others. They make mistakes, too, for instance picking Perla’s over sister restaurant Clark’s and not including any barbecue in their top 10 while snubbing Kemuri Tatsu-Ya.

Several spots that did make the list are overrated. It seems like they’re stretching because once they agreed to rate Austin they needed to rate restaurants in Austin and while the city’s food scene is across-the-board above average there’s actually very little that’s great. Some of the spots that made the list wouldn’t have come close in other cities that the guide rates.

Here’s the simple way to find hidden gem restaurants and spot overhyped traps in whatever city you’re visiting.