There are influencers, and then there are The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors. This highly trained group of epicurean experts is certainly not in it for the personal fame or gain —they’re famously anonymous, after all. Day in and day out, they’re secretly dining among the crowds to find the best spots around the globe. From the first One MICHELIN Star taco stand in our inaugural Mexico selection to the first Three MICHELIN Star Korean restaurant in North America to new recommendations everywhere from Canada and California to Colorado, along with a healthy dose of new Bib Gourmands, our Inspectors certainly found plenty of food for thought in 2024. But when we sat down to discuss the year in review, they didn’t hesitate for a moment when picking the plates that surprised and delighted them.
Below, discover the dishes that made a big impression on our Inspectors this year.
Canada, Ontario
Restaurant Pearl Morissette
Dish: Celery root “pasta”
“The dehydrated and re-hydrated celery root was treated as pasta. The thin, flat strands were neatly twirled and dressed with a smoked egg yolk sauce. The texture did indeed mimic pasta; the sauce was rich and lovely; and it was topped with a generous spoonful of Acadian sturgeon caviar. Delicious!”
Chicago
BokaDish: Veal sweetbreads
“Pan-roasted veal sweetbreads were plated with a quenelle of celery root and almond puree, a bit of dried sour cherry compote, and some smoked ham hock broth; all resulting in a brilliant combination of flavors.”
Ever
Dish: Spring peas
“A gorgeous springtime composition of English peas featuring puffed grains, black garlic paste, crispy bits of prosciutto, and a refreshingly chilled and very flavorful pea puree. Seasonal and spectacular.”
Kasama
Dish: Adobo
“An “adobo” made with king trumpet and beech mushrooms, finished with shaved matsutake, crunchy breadcrumbs, and nasturtium leaves. The flavor here was excellent, a precise blend of bright acidity and mild sweetness, with layers of rich earthy and briny umami, accented by the pine-y note of matsutake, which works unexpectedly well here. A clever, creative interpretation of this classic dish, displaying both clear personality and mastery of flavor.”
Denver
Alma Fonda FinaDish: Camote Asado (Agave Roasted Sweet Potato with Broken Salsa Macha and Fennel Whipped Requeson)
“A straightforward presentation of two thick wedges of sweet potato, brushed with agave and roasted until deeply browned, with lightly blackened edges, generously drizzled with a salsa macha. The execution and flavors were faultless. I've encountered plenty of roasted sweet potato dishes at dutifully farm-to-table restaurants, and very few approach this level of technical finesse or mastery of flavor. Excellent.”
Inspectors’ Favorite Dining Experiences from 2024
Florida, Orlando
CamilleDish: Canh Chua Ca
“This Vietnamese sweet and sour soup featured morsels of slow-cooked salmon sustainably farmed in Antarctica. The salmon was wrapped in nori and set atop some shaved King Trumpet mushroom ‘noodles,’ in a sour-tinged broth. Some fresh herbs and a crisped panel of fish skin completed the presentation.”
Capa
Dish: Iberico Pork Steak
“I was unexpectedly reminded of backyard grill-outs with the family. Grilled over oak, an Iberico pork steak arrived with wonderful, crunchy, charred edges, and a perfect medium rare center. The flavor was intense and intoxicating in a way that’s only possible through live fire cooking.”
California
VespertineDish: Layers with black raspberry and tonka bean
“It’s a one-of-a-kind dessert with complex flavors and textures that fit together seamlessly.
This dessert strikes me as the perfect embodiment of Chef Jordan Kahn's culinary approach, offering a bold creative vision that blends a nostalgic flavor combination (PB&J), with a classic French pastry (entremet), then completely reimagined with exceptional technical prowess and mastery of flavor. A tour-de-force end to the meal, and certainly one of the most memorable desserts I've had this year.”
Sons & Daughters
Dish: Rutabaga course
“The rutabaga course which featured the root transformed into tender, thin, uniform strands; twirled into a neat mound and topped with a creamy-textured smoked pork fat sauce. Wonderful!”
New York
Essential by Christophe
Dish: Potato puree
“The potato puree (a la Joël Robuchon) flavored with green chiles, spiced and tinted brilliant green, accompanied a lovely preparation of dry-aged duck breast and is worth a shout-out all its own.”
Jean-Georges
Dish: Madai sashimi
“Served in the heat of summer, the madai sashimi was a gorgeous and bracing presentation of pristine quality fish, beautifully shaped into a blossom shape arranged with fragrant and flavorful strawberries and a salted cherry blossom broth sparked by a touch of mustard oil.”
Texas
MixtliDish: Beef Tongue and Plantain
“The restaurant features a rotation of themes honoring Mexico's regions; this dish was a highlight and was meant to represent the region’s history as a slave port as well as to highlight Mexico’s second President, Vicente Guerrero, who was of Afro/Indigenous background and who abolished slavery in Mexico in 1829. The course was plated in a dark ceramic shallow bowl and was comprised of a crispy block of plantain pavé which was set in black bean purée, topped with paper-thin shaved slices of beef tongue, and garnished with a complex and spicy mole.”
Washington, D.C.
MitaDish: Arepa Tasting Menu
“These arepas made from plantain, smoked potato, yucca, corn, and wheat were warm, freshly made, and neatly arranged in a woven basket. Each had a distinct texture, resulting from the unique characteristic of each starch. They were accompanied by three sauces: guasacaca, or avocado puree surrounded by a salsa verde; a lush cashew cream dimpled with chile oil; and a quenelle of dense, chontaduro puree.”
Hero image: Shawn Campbell/Alma Fonda Fina
