Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Michelin: Bad economy means no 2010 guide in Las Vegas

Count Las Vegas out for the Michelin Guide in 2010.

A spokeswoman for the company said it will temporarily discontinue guides for Las Vegas and Los Angeles next year because of the economy, though it has plans to resume publishing for both cities in 2011.

"Everybody knows we're in a difficult economic climate right now," she said. "It's based on the economy.

"Michelin is a very conservative company, and we've taken a very conservative approach to spending during this economic environment."

Guides for New York and San Francisco in 2010 will still be published, the spokeswoman said, and the company is further pursuing guide developments in Asia, including Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Macau.

Andre Rochat, owner of Andre's at Monte Carlo, said he received a notice from Michelin about the guide's cancellation. His restaurant received one Michelin star this year.

"It's too bad," he said. "Unfortunately, it reflects what's going on in the country."

Rochat said the lack of a guide for Las Vegas would not hurt business "because there is no business pretty much in general.

"I don't think we've seen the worst yet," he said.

The Michelin Guide hires inspectors to anonymously critique the best hotels and restaurants on certain criteria. According to its Web site, the guide ranks based on the quality of the products, mastery of the flavor and cooking, "personality" of the cuisine, price, value and consistency between visits. One star represents "a very good restaurant in its category." Two stars mean "excellent cooking and worth a detour." Three stars honor a restaurant with "exceptional cuisine" that's "worth the journey."

Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand is the only restaurant in Vegas to earn three Michelin stars.

Seventeen Las Vegas restaurants were ranked by the guide in 2009. They are:

Three Michelin stars:

Two Michelin stars:

One Michelin star:

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