Are there Michelin Star restaurants in Nashville? Not yet but these spots are contenders
The internationally esteemed Michelin Guide has been expanding. The restaurant guide famous for the coveted stars it bestows announced this summer new guides for Colorado and Atlanta. Could Nashville and other cities be next?
Reporter Todd Price spoke to restauranteurs and other experts around the South about what it means when Michelin comes to town. Read his story here to get up to speed on the history and meaning of the Michelin Guide.
Here, we speculate about which Nashville restaurants might have star-studded futures.
What does it mean for a restaurant to get a Michelin Star?
According to the international director, the same methodology for awarding Michelin stars has been used since 1900. Restaurants around the world are judged on five criteria:
Quality products
The harmony of flavors
The mastery of cooking techniques
The voice and personality of the chef as expressed in the cuisine
Consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year)
Nashville restaurants that could be in contention for Michelin stars
Based on the stars awarded in other areas of the United States, Nashville would likely get a handful of one-star picks and possibly a two- or three-star selection.
Inexpensive restaurants can earn a "bib gourmand.” The list of contenders for that in Nashville would be pretty long, so we're sticking to the stars here.
The Tennessean previously published lists where you can start your speculation:
A guide to Nashville's James Beard-nominated chefs and restaurants
The top 25 restaurants in Nashville in 2022 (keep an eye out for this year's list arriving in the next few months)
Here are some of the restaurants that could make the Michelin cut:
This prix fixe spot in Wedgewood-Houston took the top spot in The Tennessean's 2022 list of Nashville's best restaurants. Bastion is part of Strategic Hospitality, one of the city's most innovative restaurant groups, and Chef Josh Habiger strikes the perfect balance between down-to-earth and upscale. Plus, diners can watch dishes being created 10 feet away.
Bourbon Steak at the JW Marriott
To get to Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak, an elevator lifts you smoothly from the ground floor of the JW Marriott Hotel to the 34th floor. There, you'll find stunning 360-degree views of the Nashville skyline, an impressive bourbon and wine collection, and decadent cuts of meat kissed with wood smoke. Mina's San Francisco-based restaurant group operates dozens of restaurants around the world, and the chef has earned Michelin stars before.
Strategic Hospitality introduced Nashville to modern, experiential dining when it opened this prix fixe restaurant in 2011. The Midtown spot offers an extraordinary three-hour culinary adventure that starts by going in what feels like a secret entrance, up a small elevator and into a nondescript room with bare walls — because the gorgeous two-bite plates are the stars of this show.
Drusie & Darr at the Hermitage Hotel
This downtown restaurant is helmed by the French-born Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has a history with the Michelin guide. His eponymous restaurant in New York once held three stars. Drusie & Darr offers a globally inspired menu featuring Tennessee produce. The menu includes plant-based dishes, oven-fired pizzas and curated cocktails.
Celebrity Chef Sean Brock said he opened June with the aim of earning a Michelin star. The East Nashville restaurant offers guests a two- to three-hour experience comprised of more than 20 dishes. The menu prioritizes ingredients from the American South and draws inspiration from Brock’s experience with Appalachian food culture.
Locust is another Strategic Hospitality joint, this one helmed by Chef Trevor Moran. Originally a pop-up born during the pandemic serving dumplings and hand-cut noodles, Locust opened in its 12 South location in October 2020. He's since expanded the menu to include whole fish dishes, exceptional small plates and a great menu of natural wines. The ever-popular dumplings remain.
Yolan at The Joseph hotel
This standout Italian restaurant is at once luxurious, elevated and accessible. Chef Tony Mantuano has been awarded a Michelin star before. At this SoBro spot, you'll find unfussy, well-executed classics, plus gorgeous desserts from pastry chef Noelle Marchetti.
How many Michelin-starred restaurants are in the the U.S.
Florida
Tampa
One star: 3
Orlando
One star: 3
Miami
One star: 10
Two star: 1
Chicago
One star: 17
Two star: 3
Three star: 1
New York City
One star: 54
Two star: 12
Three star: 5
California
San Diego
One star: 3
Three star: 1
San Francisco and Oakland
One star: 19
Two star: 6
Three star: 3
Los Angeles area
One star: 16
Two star: 5
Wine country
One star: 3
Three star: 2
Elsewhere
One star: 28
Todd Price, Mackensy Lunsford and Brad Schmitt contributed.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why these spots could be Michelin Star restaurants in Nashville
