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More Predictions for Chicago’s First Michelin Guide

The Michelin Man
The Michelin Man Photo: Tammy Green

It’s barely been a day since news came that the influential Michelin restaurant guide would publish a Chicago edition in November, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from making grand predictions for who will get its highest honor of three stars. We received some great comments yesterday, and thought we’d bring you a few others. It’s no surprise that the one restaurant that gets mentioned over and over again is Alinea, but that’s really where the consensus ends. Check out a few thoughts from John Mariani, the director of the Michelin guides, and Grant Achatz.

Esquire’s resident restaurant expert John Mariani thinks that Alinea will be the only restaurant to get three stars, though he’d like to see Spiaggia included in the list. Also of interest is his recommendation of Longman & Eagle for two stars, which he says is the, “very best of the city’s new gastropubs.” [Esquire

Time Out Chicago talked to Grant Achatz and got his assessment: “I think that there should be two or three—at least—in Chicago taking three stars. I don’t think there will be. I think there will be one or two. And it’s a crapshoot.” [TOC]

Chicago Magazine talked with Jean-Luc Naret, the worldwide director of the Michelin guides, and while they couldn’t convince him to announce how many three star restaurants there will be, he did talk up both Alinea and Charlie Trotter’s. [Chicago Magazine]

More Predictions for Chicago’s First Michelin Guide