Brooklyn restaurants rise in 2016 Michelin guide

New York's status as a major gastronomic destination has been reaffirmed once again by the 2016 Michelin guide, with Brooklyn's dynamic food scene gaining in star power.

The number of New York restaurants awarded stars by the celebrated culinary guide is now 76, up from 73 a year ago.

That's half again as many as there were five years ago (57 in 2011) and nearly double the 39 starred restaurants a decade ago, when the guide began publishing a New York edition.

The Michelin guide's international director, Michael Ellis, saluted "the energy and the constant evolution of the city's dining scene," in a statement Wednesday announcing the new list.

In his view, the "impressive" number of styles of cuisine "confirms New York's position as one of the world's most exciting dining destinations."

At the top of the New York dining scene, little has changed from last year, with the six same restaurants holding on to their coveted three stars.

Three of them have been in that elite group for 10 years: Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin and Per Se -- the first two led by French chefs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Eric Ripert, respectively.
In the level below them, the only bit of news was the second star awarded to The Modern, located inside the Museum of Modern Art, which raised to 10 the number of restaurants with two stars.

"Under the direction of Chef Abram Bissell, The Modern demonstrated creative and contemporary cuisine, complemented by bright and fresh flavors," the guide said.

It has taken this young chef just a bit more than a year to make his mark with a cuisine that is both refined and varied, doing beautiful things with foie gras and truffles.

Bissel had previously been a line cook at the Modern between 2005 and 2007, and later participated in the rise of Eleven Park Madison, which in a single year (2011) went from one to three stars.

 - One star ferment -

 At the one star level, the ferment was much greater with at least 10 new entries.

Among them were two restaurants in Brooklyn, New York's trendiest borough.

First is The Finch, unpretentious in decor and in prices, serving seasonal American cuisine.

Next is Semilla, a restaurant with a "vegetable-leaning" menu and only 18 seats, arranged around a central bar "to provoke conversation and interaction at your will," according to its website.

It is in Williamsburg, an industrial neighborhood in northern Brooklyn that has undergone a metamorphosis over the past decade. It now has at least six restaurants with a Michelin star.
Brooklyn is the only other city borough outside of Manhattan that really exists in terms of the latest Michelin guide.

Queens has only one starred restaurant, while the Bronx and Staten Island have none.

In Manhattan, the hottest restaurant scene is at its southern tip in Tribeca, where the young lords of finance hold sway.

The streets near the World Trade Center boast eight restaurants with stars, including three with two stars.

In terms of types of cuisines, the 2016 edition is a testament to the growing might of Asian cuisine.

Among the 10 establishments that this year received their first star, half are Japanese and one is Thai.

Two French restaurants also made the grade -- Gabriel Kreuther, named after its chef, who made The Modern a restaurant to be reckoned with; and Rebelle, the domain of American chef Daniel Eddy.

Eddy worked in Paris alongside another American, Daniel Rose, in the kitchens of Spring, a restaurant that revisits French cuisine.