Under red lights, clusters of floating Michelin logos, and facing a sea of excited culinary-types clutching cocktails and champagne, the Michelin Guide revealed which restaurants in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago earned its famed stars in 2023.
The event, held at Spring Studios in Manhattan Tuesday evening, marked the first time all three cities were recognized at the same event — and the awardees included several Italian hotspots.
Michelin inspectors — always anonymous — decide which restaurants are worthy of the Michelin one, two and three star awards, which are perhaps the first that come to mind of the Michelin Guide awards. But they also grant a few other titles and awards, including Michelin’s Green stars, which first were announced in the United States in 2020 and can be complementary to Michelin’s traditional star awards.
Among the selection of restaurants awarded, two Italian eateries won new stars and several were return winners — and a couple of managers from Italian restaurants received Service Awards from Michelin on Tuesday, too.
Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the Michelin Guides, says in a release the “milestone announcements” solidified the three metropolitan hotspots as “some of the best places in the world to visit for culinary adventures.”
Here’s a rundown on which Italian restaurants were highlighted at last night's Michelin Guide Ceremony:
Chicago’s Daisies wins a Green star
The Michelin Green star is a newer certification. The award honoring “a strong commitment to sustainable gastronomy” was introduced around the world in 2019 before making its debut in the U.S. a year later.
This year, Chicago’s Daisies, a pasta-focused restaurant, joined the ranks of 470+ others around the globe that have earned the distinction.
Daisies’ owner and chef Joe Frillman offers a menu heavily focused on produce, much of which is grown on his brother’s farm located less than 100 miles from the city. The restaurant also has a compost program and a fermentation program.
New York’s Torrisi earns 1 star
When evaluating restaurants, Michelin inspectors take five factors into account: “the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavours, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and, just as importantly, consistency both across the entire menu and over time.”
And this year, Torrisi made its mark, earning 1 star. The restaurant, which opened late last year, is located inside the Puck Building from the Major Food Group, helmed by Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone, and Jeff Zalaznick; Torrisi's executive chef is Charlie England. As Michelin puts it, Torrisi is a “highly imaginative” restaurant and it “expertly balances the creative and the familiar.”
Café Mars’ Madalyn Summers, Fiola’s Giuseppe Formica receive Service Award
Michelin distributes other honors while giving out stars, too, among those is the Service Award. And this year, two managers of Italian restaurants each received a Michelin Service Awards which is “given to a restaurant personality, who has a genuine passion for service, in making all customers feel special and enjoy a truly wonderful dining experience.”
Madalyn Summers of New York City hotspot Café Mars received a Service Award, as did Giuseppe Formica of D.C.’s Fiola.
Many restaurants received stars multiple years in a row.
At the awards ceremony, Michelin also gave props to return Michelin star winners. For the full list of Michelin starred restaurants across the globe, visit the Michelin Guide website and if you are interested in checking out Italian Michelin starred restaurants specifically, you can filter for Italian cuisine options.
