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Press Release

The Sunshine State welcomes nine new Stars in 2024 MICHELIN Guide Ceremony

April 18, 2024
12 Min Read

  • Three one-MICHELIN-Star restaurants added in Miami, four in Orlando and two in Tampa, bringing new total to 26
  • Green Star restaurants added to the selection for the first time
  • 149 restaurants, 38 cuisine types make up Florida’s 2024 selection

 

TAMPA, Fla., April 18, 2024 — Nine restaurants joined the sought-after group of MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in Florida, as the 2024 selection of the MICHELIN Guide Miami, Orlando and Tampa was announced Thursday night at the Tampa EDITION hotel.

In total, 26 restaurants were awarded Stars by the anonymous MICHELIN Guide inspectors, with L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami remaining atop the list with two MICHELIN Stars. This year’s selection includes 149 restaurants and 38 types of cuisine with the new Stars including Japanese, Peruvian, Vietnamese and Scandinavian.

“Since the arrival of the MICHELIN Guide to Florida in 2022, there has been significant growth in the state’s local culinary scene, proving Florida is a leading gastronomic destination for travelers near and far,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “In addition to the nine new restaurants awarded one MICHELIN Star, we are thrilled to announce Green Star restaurants in the selection for the first time, showcasing these restaurants’ commitment to a more sustainable gastronomy.”

Here are the new MICHELIN-Starred restaurants, with inspector notes from each (inspectors’ comments in full on the MICHELIN Guide website and mobile app):

Orlando

Camille (Vietnamese cuisine)

Chef Tung Phan has taken the pop-up and given it permanence at this space just off Lake Baldwin. Seats at the counter feature the ten-course Vietnamese-French tasting menu, while booths offer an abbreviated version. Rooted in French techniques, Vietnamese flavors are given a refined twist here. The Dungeness crab curry arrives with a tartlet shell, filled with crab meat and mixed with lime, served atop the lid, which when removed, reveals a deliciously hearty curry. Salmon over king trumpet noodles in a tamarind and pineapple sauce is creative, but the best may be saved for last. The sweet potato brioche topped with a “gold” chocolate ice cream and Vietnamese coffee sauce is an elegant finale.

Natsu (Japanese cuisine)

At Natsu, there are just two seatings a night at this intimate omakase where a 10-seat counter dominates a spartan-styled room. Meals begin with four dishes from Chefs Stone and Sky, including chawanmushi and truffle kampachi, served with crispy potato straws and a yuzu truffle vinaigrette for an unexpected flavor combination that is especially memorable. The sushi is impressive and doesn’t gild the lily, as in skin-on barracuda with a dynamic char or soy-marinated salmon that finishes ever-so-sweetly. Supremely buttery toro needs no flourish and is melt-in-your-mouth tender. It all rounds out with a hand roll and ice cream.

Papa Llama (Peruvian cuisine)

Husband-and-wife duo Kevin and Maria Ruiz prepare modern Peruvian cuisine full of bright ingredients with a bit of polish, and the multicourse tasting menu is an approachable (and affordable) way to sample their sincere cooking. Nigiri kicks off the meal with a smart nod to the Peruvian tradition of Japanese fusion, delivering dialed-in flavors with confidence. Bok choy is elevated with bold, contrasting textures, while chicken thigh roulade with aji amarillo aioli is simply spectacular. For dessert, sweet potato donuts over a blueberry compote seal the deal.

Victoria & Albert’s (Contemporary cuisine)

Nestled within Disney’s crown jewel, the Grand Floridian Resort, this restaurant is by no means an easy reservation. The setting is intimate, and the pacing is that of a leisurely, three-hour waltz orchestrated by a gracious brigade of veteran servers. Chef Matthew Sowers cooks with contemporary verve and draws on influences spanning from Asia to the Nordics. Think delicate tarts set with New Zealand langoustine, striking “sandwiches” made with venison carpaccio and red cabbage, and bold sauces like cherry-cola bordelaise. Other details like water lists, an ornate coffee and tea service, and a serious wine program further impress.

Miami

EntreNos (Contemporary cuisine)

Chefs Evan Burgess and Osmel Gonzalez are at the helm of this dinner-only spot where a tightly edited à la carte menu puts the spotlight on Florida’s seasons (and almost everything is sourced from the Sunshine State). The eclectic space has an inviting feel, and the high dining counter offers a prime view of the open kitchen. High-quality ingredients meet serious skill here. The smoked dry-aged cobia is a perfect example of what this place does so well. Dry-aged for one week in-house, then smoked and finished over the grill, it’s served with a Moujean tea beurre blanc sauce. Pumpkin flan is churned into ice cream and topped with pepita granola and coffee espumita for a dessert that is as unexpected as it is delightful.

Ogawa (Japanese cuisine)

Chef/co-owner Masayuki Komatsu commands a presence with an omakase that stuns with a series of enticing cooked dishes and a procession of focused and skillful nigiri. From baby sea eels with a soy-cured quail egg and bigfin reef squid in a shiso-miso sauce to baby snow crab and Japanese-style herring roe, this appetizer of four bites is the first sign that this isn’t your typical sushi counter. Then, lotus root, wild yam and langoustine tempura is sided by a thick sauce made from roasted langoustine shells. After the cooked dishes, nigiri comes next with bright and balanced kisu, creamy ebodai, squid topped with osetra caviar and anago dusted with sansho pepper exemplifying the chef’s skill.

Shingo (Japanese cuisine)

Chef Shingo Akikuni, ever gracious and welcoming, has returned, now back in action behind a spacious, 14-seat counter in Coral Gables. Chef Akikuni and his second-in-command handle the crowd without breaking a sweat and even switch sides midway through the meal. Once the room fills with the sharp smell of vinegar to mix into the sushi rice, it’s off to the races. Fish is sourced almost entirely from Japan, sliced in uniform fashion, and dressed with little more than a swipe of nikiri. They keep a close eye on the seasons too, evidenced by a recent special of high-grade tuna from Aomori prefecture and an indulgent chawanmushi with matsutake.

Tampa

Ebbe (Contemporary cuisine)

Chef Ebbe Vollmer’s eponymous downtown dweller isn’t your typical Tampa restaurant. Scandinavian elements make their way onto the dishes here, hinting at the chef’s Swedish background, and the cooking is both clever and confident without superfluous fuss. Artful plating takes center stage in dishes like the beet roulade with a brown butter and black cherry sauce. Fermented white asparagus beurre monté and sautéed spinach make a beautiful base for tender turbot that comes alive with a quenelle of sturgeon caviar. Braised oxtail with seared foie gras and a brunoise of sunchoke is equally rich and tender.

Kōsen (Japanese cuisine)

Though a two-concept spot (Kō is a separate space for kaiseki), all eyes should be on the omakase, which Chef Wei Chen runs with skill and precision. Delicate sea bream wrapped around sprouts with shaved black truffle delivers dialed-in flavors, while tempura-fried kamasu, served with myoga and chilled, roasted sweet eggplant, is smart and spot on. After a handful of dishes from the kitchen, they progress into the nigiri. There’s plenty of showmanship and style, but the sushi leans traditional without a lot of fuss, as in the kinmedai, seared, then hit with a squeeze of lime.

MICHELIN Green Star

Kaya (Orlando; Filipino cuisine)

Initiatives: more than 90% of produce comes from Florida farms; sourcing produce and seafood from local suppliers with the intention of improving the local restaurant-farmer-community ecosystem; minimizing waste through intentional and creative utilization of byproducts.

Los Félix/Krüs Kitchen (Miami; Mexican/Contemporary cuisine)

Initiatives: elimination of using seed oils; partnership with a local producer who farms on a milpa and fosters the harmony of vegetables; sourcing fish species from a local supplier; grass-fed/grass-finished meats, lamb and heritage pork.

Bib Gourmand

The MICHELIN Guide inspectors found 33 restaurants worthy of the Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognizes great food at a great value. These are restaurants where one can have two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for about $50. There were 18 in the Miami area, 11 in the Orlando area and four in the Tampa area.

Special Awards

In addition to the Bib Gourmand and Stars awards, the Guide announced four MICHELIN Special Awards, highlighting particularly skillful professionals from the industry:

The MICHELIN Guide Ceremony is presented with the support of Capital One.

Hotels

The full restaurant selection for Miami, Orlando and Tampa will join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay in Florida and throughout the world.       

Every hotel in the Guide is chosen for its extraordinary style, service, and personality — with options for all budgets — and each hotel can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection for Florida features the state’s most spectacular hotels, including sustainability pioneers like the Hotel Greystone, standouts from our “Plus” collection like the Esmé and Standard hotels in Miami, restored mid-century motels like the Vagabond Hotel, cutting-edge designs like the Tampa EDITION and Lake Nona Wave Hotel, and even hotels with MICHELIN Guide restaurants, like Faena Miami Beach.

The MICHELIN Guide is a benchmark in gastronomy. Now it’s setting a new standard for hotels. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an unforgettable hotel.

The MICHELIN Guide in North America

Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017); California (San Francisco in 2008, statewide 2019); Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida (2022); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022); Colorado (2023); and Atlanta (2023).

About the MICHELIN Guide
Recognized globally for excellence and quality, the MICHELIN Guide offers a selection of world-class restaurants.

  • The famous one, two and three MICHELIN Stars identify establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed and infused with the personality of a talented chef.
  • The Bib Gourmand is a designation given to select restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value – often known as personal favorites among the inspectors when dining on their own time.
  • The MICHELIN Green Star honors restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable gastronomy.
  • Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the MICHELIN Guide inspectors.

The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking an unforgettable meal and hospitality experience. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Progressively, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations. Michelin’s inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by the inspectors in the very beginning.

The restaurant selections join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay around the world. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an amazing hotel.

Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently in more than 40 destinations, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining.

All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors, who are trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated.

To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria guarantee a consistent and fair selection so a Starred restaurant has the same value regardless of whether it is in Paris, New York or anywhere else in the world.

About Michelin North America, Inc.
Michelin, the leading mobility company, is working with tires, around tires and beyond tires to enable Motion for Life. Dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility and sustainability, Michelin designs and distributes the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its customers’ needs. Michelin provides digital services, maps and guides to help enrich travel and make them unique experiences. Bringing its expertise to new markets, the company is investing in high-technology materials, 3D printing and hydrogen, to serve a wide variety of industries — from aerospace to biotech. Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Michelin North America has approximately 23,500 employees and operates 34 production facilities in the United States and Canada. (michelinman.com)

About Capital One
At Capital One we’re on a mission for our customers – bringing them best-in-class products, rewards, service, and experiences. Capital One is a diversified bank that offers products and services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients. We use technology, innovation, and interaction to provide consumers with products and services to meet their needs. Through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment, we provide our rewards cardholders with access to unforgettable experiences in the areas they’re passionate about, including dining, music and sports. Learn more at capitalone.com/dining and capitalone.com/entertainment.

 

For more information, contact:
Carly Grieff
Michelin North America
[email protected]

Devon Gunn
Capital One
[email protected]
Phone: 571-308-4762

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