Feel Free To Call Me A Genius

Savant. Soothsayer. Prognosticator. Oracle. They all fit ^_^ Around this time last year, The Foodie was quite excited about Luce getting a Michelin Star. Not JUST because he felt they deserved it but, also, because he predicted it. See, it doesn't take a genius to know that a Thomas Keller restaurant will get favorable reviews or that Mary's Pizza Shack won't make the Michelin Guide. Those are a given. But knowing what places deserve a star -rather than merely a mention- is a far more subtle thing. Last year, I argued that Chef Crenns cuisine was as creative as any in the city and she deserved a star, which she got. This year, I wrote the following about the Michelin-Starred Range:

"Range left The Foodie a bit confused. More often than not, when you're dining at a place with a Michelin Star, you KNOW it. From the moment you walk into a place like Quince, Madrona Manor, Michael Mina or Ritz-Carlton you KNOW you're about to have a high-end dining experience. To a lesser extent this is true at slightly more casual/business friendly places like Boulevard, Commis, Luce, One Market, Redd & The Village Pub. Range seemed MUCH more like a "mention" than a true Star. Now, don't get me wrong, the food we had was good BUT nothing about Range (the space, the service, the creativity/technique of the food - the 'stuff' Michelin normally loves) screamed Michelin Star. The overall experience was no more Wow-worthy than recent trips to Chez Papa Resto & Thermidor and, honestly, if I'm going to go out of my way to dine in SF I'd much rather go to mere Michelin Mentioned spots like SPQR or Baker & Banker (which, yes, isn't technically rated yet but will be). And, yes, The Foodie realizes he didn't mention ANYTHING about the actual food. He's okay with that."

Fast-forward to today when the 2011 guide hit the shelves and, predictably, Range lost their star and was relegated to a mere mentioned status. So HOW did I know? I can't really point to any one thing and it might simply be a function of going to so many Starred places that I have a pretty good feel for what they look for. It's not like Range had telltale signs like chef drama (e.g. Aqua & Fifth Floor) or moving locations (e.g. Michael Mina & Quince) that caused their stock to drop, they just didn't have "IT". When discussing it with The Hottie, I compared it to the NCAA Tourney and said that Range MUST have been the last team in. In other words, they were the lowest rated place to still merit a Michelin Star and, clearly, they were.

And while I'm busy basking in my teeny-tiny sliver of glory don't give me "Well, why didn't you predict that Meadowood would get a 3rd star?!?" or "You didn't say Chez Panisse would lose THEIR star too!!!" as I haven't been to either. Simply check the list on the right. The Foodie has been a busy boy this year but even HE can't go to EVERY Michelin-Starred place in a year...or CAN he??? /queue foreboding music.