HotmailTokyo crowned gourmet capital of the world
Michelin Guide awards Japanese city more three-star ratings than Paris
 | Slide show |
 |
Japanimated Tokyo's frenetic streets hum with electricity and motion, but the city's shrines and parks offer the traveler oases of calm. more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 | Let the Games begin Vancouver is all set to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, and visitors to the city will have a wealth of options to keep them busy. more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | Scenes of winter The season comes in with a vengeance, covering regions around the world with a blanket of snow that is both picturesque and dangerous. more photos |
 | Countdown to Vancouver video |
 What’s more Canadian: Loonie or toonie? Who would name a coin a loonie? See what some American Olympians think of Canadian money. |
|
 Habitats needed in Haiti Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, speaks with TODAY about donating much-needed supplies. |
TOKYO - The Epicurean king who oversees the Michelin Guide fears he may be banished from France.
His shocking crime?
Awarding Tokyo more three-star restaurant ratings than Paris, thereby crowning the Japanese metropolis the new gastronomic capital of the world.
"Trust me, they'll wait for me at customs there," Jean-Luc Naret, director general of the famed guide to exceptional eateries, joked Thursday at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. "Because they'll say how dare could you have more three-stars in Tokyo than in Paris?"
Michelin's latest Tokyo edition goes on sale in Japan on Friday, and Naret has been in town this week promoting what many consider to be the bible of culinary skill. This time, Michelin's undercover team of inspectors has bestowed its highest three-star rating to 11 restaurants in Tokyo, one more than in Paris.
Tokyo also beats Paris in the total number of stars received — 261 awarded to 197 establishments.
That's 34 more than when the venerable guide made its Asian debut in Japan in 2007.
Michelin's ranking system considers the quality, consistency and value of a restaurant's food, with three stars designating "exceptional cuisine, and worth the journey," without taking into account the service or ambiance, according to the guide.
|
Not everyone in Japan was pleased that Michelin had landed in Tokyo. Critics attacked its culinary selections. Some chefs said they didn't want to be in the book. Others questioned how a group of foreigners could judge Japanese food.
|
Placating his fellow Frenchman may be another matter.
"Forget everything that you know about Japanese food," Naret said he would like to tell Parisians. "Just go to the other side of the world, and you will understand what Japanese food is all about."
Naret added that statistically speaking, it's not really a fair contest. Tokyo is home to 160,000 restaurants, compared to 60,000 in Paris.
And France still wins the country count with 25 three-star establishments nationwide to Japan's 18.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM TRAVEL |
 Travel Section Front |
| Add Travel headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links
Resource guide