Michelin Guide adds Texas to list of North American destinations

The Michelin Guide is coming to Texas.

Culinary gems from Austin, Dallas , Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio will be featured, Michelin said. Those selections will be announced later this year.

The Lone Star State is the 11th location to join the list of North American destinations.

"The MICHELIN Guide Texas will illustrate to global travelers the culinary journey that's waiting to be discovered in our state, featuring restaurants that embody our heritage and introducing innovative chefs and local artisans who are redefining our food scene," said Tim Fennell, director of Travel Texas.

Texas is a "perfect fit" for the Michelin Guide, according to Gwendal Poullennec, the Guide's international director.

"The Texas culinary scene has proven to be an exhilarating one, with multicultural influences, homegrown ingredients, and talent that is rich in ambition," Poullennec said. "Foodies and travel enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy, with such a broad dining scene spanning farm-to-table dishes, fusion cuisine, upscale dining, and the famous Texas-style barbecue."

North Texas restaurants believe this will transform the industry here.

"Texas restaurants will now be judged at the same criteria and level as somebody in Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and that makes us have to step our game up that much more," said chef Graham Elliot, the culinary director for Far Out Hospitality Group, which operates a variety of restaurants in Fort Worth.

Elliot said getting even one Michelin star would be life-changing since they're reserved for the best restaurants in the world.

"0ne is amazing," he said. "Two is one of the best things you can ever, ever experience, and three is you should base your entire vacation on going to this place."

That's exactly what Visit Fort Worth hopes some tourists will do.

"Food tourism is the number one activity visitors love to engage in," said Mitch Whitten, the COO of Visit Fort Worth. "People love to eat. They love to experience a city through the lens of a chef's vision. Having the Michelin recognition in Texas really is part of a broader strategy for us to bring people to Fort Worth."

The MICHELIN Guide could also bring more chefs, and ultimately new dining experiences, to the area.

"You're going to see an influx of talent of people wanting to come in and kind of join in this," said Elliot. "Somebody that's a line cook right now that wants to follow their dream and open their own restaurant - they used to maybe think they had to move to New York to do that. Now they understand, I can go open across the street, fulfill my vision and dream and do something and have this MICHELIN Guide come and showcase that and highlight it and give me a star."

How does the Michelin rating system work?

Michelin's anonymous inspectors make reservations secretively and pay for their own meals to make sure they are treated the same as any other customer.

The inspectors follow Michelin's historic methodology:

• Quality products
• The harmony of flavors
• The mastery of cooking techniques
• The voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine
• Consistency between each visit and throughout the menu as each restaurant is inspected several times a year

Michelin published its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York. Guides have since been added in Washington, D.C.; Chicago; California; Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida; Colorado; Atlanta, Toronto; Vancouver; and Mexico.