No gala, not even a cursory email reminder to watch an online ceremony — maybe there was some kind of AI-generated presentation? The third annual Michelin Argentina guide, which raises the profile of restaurants in Buenos Aires City and Mendoza province, slinked in and out on 13 July, barely a blip on the radar of its own accord. Twenty minutes later, social media stomped straight over the French guide’s own seven-slide post heralding the four new single stars and two Bib Gourmand recommendations, individual establishments sharing their joyful news.
I’ll get round to congratulating those six additions and the various individual awards later in the show. First, we will tread the familiar debate territory once again with a few same old, same old exclusions. There’s some brand-new controversy in the shape of poor, nay abysmal, map reading when it comes to Michelin, the French tire company that created the guide in 1900 in a bid to encourage drivers to undertake more road trips (and wear out their wheels).
Gastronomes’ favorite Gran Dabbang of Palermo, bafflingly, is still overlooked. It remains delicious, well priced, and revered by, well, everyone. And, for a guide that talks up identity, there’s little more Argentine than our meat meccas, yet parrillas remain few and far between.
As for Mendoza, attention was definitely showered upon the province (as it should be), yet Piedra Infinita at Familia Zuccardi — named World’s Best Vineyard for three consecutive years by 50 Best — continues to be snubbed. But the real bone of contention this time is the inclusion and then indecently rapid exclusion 24 hours later of an Acassuso-based restaurant because it is, in fact, located outside the city. That’s the sound of Riedel glassware being swept to the floor… According to Michelin’s own stipulations, establishments have to be located in the city of Buenos Aires or in the province of Mendoza.
At the 2023 press conference at the Four Seasons Buenos Aires, I asked this very question: what, exactly, did ‘Buenos Aires’ mean: did it include the province, and if so, up to what distance? (I also recall asking how much it was costing the respective city halls to participate.) Geography was pertinent in 2023 as there was one firm favorite of chefs, diners and media watchers located beyond the PanAmericano highway: Alo’s of La Horqueta in San I…
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