How Does Bruto Not Have a Michelin Star?
A Michelin star is the most prestigious award that a restaurant and chef can receive. However, it can be elusive and take years, if not decades, to finally have your name called. This is why so many amazing restaurants in the U.S. are still searching for their first Michelin star and doing everything in their power to get it. Here are 20 U.S. restaurants that deserve a Michelin star.
1. Michael's Genuine Food & Drink
Michael Schwartz's Miami institution blends refined techniques with honest cooking. The ingredients are locally sourced, and the service always gets high marks. This is a restaurant where the guests feel comfortable as they enjoy fine dining.
2. Giant
Located in Chicago, Giant's signature dishes include Japanese eggplant with cashews and pancetta, and an amazing bucatini with bacon, jalapeno, and anchovy. Head chef Josh Perlman created a menu with big flavor and an upscale restaurant with a relaxed feel.
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3. North Pond
Head chef Cesar Murill deserves a Michelin star for his elevated cuisine that has made North Pond a beloved Chicago restaurant. Its tasting menu with tuna tartare and agnolotti with maple-sunflower cream is to die for.
4. Bruto
Bruto is a chef-driven restaurant in Denver with a seasonal-testing-menu. Its standout dishes include hearth-bread with mole blanco and miso butter, and there's rotating wagyu with wild mushrooms and mole negro. It's only a matter of time before Michelin has no choice but to award them that elusive star.
5. Little Mad
Sol Han is a venerated chef, and his work at Little Mad in New York City delivers bold Korean-American dishes to diners. The Korean-inspired dishes made with French-Italian techniques and playful presentation make Little Mad a hot spot for foodies.
6. Husk Nashville
With a menu filled with pimento cheese with benne wafers and Tennessee-raised pork prime rib with cabbage, Husk Nashville creates memorable meals that elevate Southern ingredients. Head chef Sean Brock gets to present his high-level cooking in a historic Nashville setting.
7. Rosalina
Rosalina in Denver is where Che Chang lets diners enjoy his signature creations like wood-fired Pacific halibut with fermented vegetable ragout. This small-scale fine dining restaurant uses global influences to concoct inspirational meals. It wouldn't be surprising to see them receive a Michelin star in the next couple of years.
8. Owamni
This Minneapolis restaurant, with head chef Sean Sherman, is deeply rooted in place and heritage. The meaningful cuisine is both thoughtfully conceived and executed.
9. Bistro on the Square
Located in Greenville, South Carolina, Nick Pino elevates dishes that are already upscale. The menu offers seared scallops with sweet-corn-basil emulsion and grass-fed beef tenderloin with red wine jus. You have to try it if you're ever in the neighborhood.
10. St. Elias
Maybe the best restaurant in Buffalo, New York, St. Elias, and its head chef, John Van Straten, serve exciting fare like cured rainbow trout with gravlax spice and rye pancake. Our favorite dish, however, is the duck breast.
11. The Window & The Baby
Head chef, Jonathan Sanchez, has turned this restaurant into something truly remarkable and special. They offer an array of standout dishes that make ordering challenging, and each offers boundless creativity.
12. Vessel Kitchen
Matt Lewis is a celebrated chef, and his work at Vessel Kitchen is extra noteworthy. The farm-to-table execution and vibrant atmosphere should make this Asheville, North Carolina, restaurant the next in line for a Michelin star.
13. Sparrow & Wolf
Ken Haan is a culinary master, and the miso-maple pork belly he serves at this Denver restaurant is a must-try. The menu is Asian-inspired and inventive, and the space features a thoughtful design.
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14. Lucia
This Albuquerque restaurant proves that big flavors and talent don't just live in the big city. The menu is beautifully curated with standout dishes like El Paso-style smoked lamb, and the overall dining experience is thoughtfully executed.
15. Arbor
Arbor in Nashville offers boutique fine dining with an intimate vibe. Dishes like seared scallop with sweet-potato puree and brown-butter sage oil have been praised repeatedly, as has its herb-crusted pork loin. Eating here is an experience that you'll remember forever.
16. The Donner HK
Nestled in Silicon Valley is this gem of a fine dining restaurant. Its concept is high-end Asian fusion, and the kitchen consistently executes signature dishes like char-siu pork belly bao and a mouth-watering Chilean sea bass dish.
17. Husk Charleston
Husk and Sean Brock make the list again! The Charleston location is just as good as the one in Nashville, serving memorable meals with deep roots in Southern cuisine. You have to try the fried green tomatoes with lemony "comeback" sauce if you get the chance. It deserves a Michelin star just for its ingredient sourcing.
18. Atoma
This popular Seattle joint serves delicacies that blend inventive cooking with approachable cuisine. It's unpretentious and has strong roots in local ingredients, and the presentation is always fun and awe-inspiring. This restaurant has quietly raised the culinary bar in its part of the country, and is a gem deserving of wider recognition.
19. Tavernetta
Ian Worhtam, the head chef at this Denver restaurant, delivers an authentic regional Italian menu executed at he highest level. Unfortunately for him, the Denver restaurant scene is grossly underrepresented on the list of Michelin star awardees. Yet, this restaurant exemplifies everything wonderful about top-tier dining.
20. Lark
You can't call yourself a true foodie unless you've eaten the chili-crisp ravioli at Lark in Seattle. This staple of the city's fine dining scene offers an ideal eating experience in a relaxed atmosphere. Their respect for local produce elevates the meal into something even more special.
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