I recently received a notice that The Hitchcock — a new tavern inside The Maddox Hotel at 200 Sixth Ave. N. — was getting ready to open. I was excited to hear the news because I’ve been peeking in the window for a few months, and I knew that Gabriel Fuenmayor is involved in the project. I’m a big fan of his Bar Sovereign, and had high expectations for The Hitchcock.
I went to the hotel’s webpage to check out the details. Apparently, The Maddox is set up with thematic suites designed to host groups of six or more guests. That made my eye start to twitch a little bit. Calling itself “The Secret Menu of Hotels” did nothing to ease my pessimism.
But then I read this piece of copy: “Even better, what if you were looking for the best place to stay in Nashville for a bachelorette party? Right in downtown Nashville, walking distance from world-renowned honky-tonks on Broadway to over 12 Michelin-star restaurants.”
Bastion, Locust and The Catbird Seat each earned a coveted star at last month’s ceremony in South Carolina
No! Just no. Unless you’re willing to hoof it the 545 miles to New Orleans, there aren’t 12 Michelin-star restaurants within walking distance of downtown!
Now that we’re a city with Michelin coverage (as recently covered by longtime Nashville food writer Jim Myers), it’s time that we start acting like one. First of all, it’s a “Michelin-starred restaurant,” not a “Michelin Star Restaurant.” And that star is a very different distinction from merely being mentioned in the famous restaurant guide.
Let’s tally up the restaurants within actual walking distance of The Maddox that have received Michelin stars. The Catbird Seat is a mile away. Bastion is a 45-minute walk, so maybe a particularly fit bunch of bros might attempt to tackle that. Locust is more than an hour's slog from The Maddox, and while I would make that trek for chef Trevor Moran’s beef tartare hand roll, I’m dubious that many tourists would.
So if we stretch the definition of “walking distance,” I can come up with only three Michelin-starred restaurants. There are eight more in Atlanta and three in New Orleans. That puts the count at “over 12.” but I don’t think anybody has plans to do a Michelin pub crawl between them all.
Let’s take this example of ad-copy laziness as an opportunity for some instruction about what the Michelin guide is really all about. In addition to the three restaurants that received stars in Nashville, January at Southall was awarded a Green Star for environmental practices, seven others received Bib Gourmand recognition for “good quality, good value,” and 11 others were listed as “Recommended.” I still can’t make that total a dozen within walking distance of the urban core, but I’m (almost) over that now.
Lesson 1: What is the difference between Bib Gourmand, Green Star, and Recommended?
Bib Gourmand restaurants are generally, but not always, more casual than restaurants that receive stars or Recommended status. These restaurants are worthy of attention, but they just don’t have the sort of global service practices of the places that offer multicourse chef’s menus, white coat service and lengthy wine lists. The focus of Bib Gourmands is on quality and value, so that’s exactly where spots like SS Gai, Kisser, Redheaded Stranger and Uzbegim belong in the guide.
Lesson 2: Can a restaurant go from Bib Gourmand to a star?
Yes, but it would probably have to go through some major changes in procedures and menus. Someone once asked me what the difference was between a starred restaurant and a Bib, and I replied, “tweezers.” The Michelin inspection process is meant to be ongoing, and restaurants can evolve over the years and receive new recognitions like stars, or they can even be downgraded and lose a star. Sometimes a new chef takes over the kitchen and changes everything to aim for a star.
Lesson 3: Is there such a thing as a Michelin-starred chef?
No. Despite what you might read in chef bios, stars are awarded to the restaurant. If a chef switches jobs, that star stays behind, and it’s up to the new chef to maintain it or improve the restaurant’s status annually.
Recommended restaurants are more likely to receive a star in the future, because often the reason the Michelin Guide draws attention to them is to tip off that a star is a possibility. They’ll keep checking back to see if the kitchen has improved over time. If they deem the food to be exceptional, the service impeccable and the chef’s culinary vision clear, they could someday drop a star on local heroes like Rolf & Daughters, Tailor, Audrey, Bad Idea, iggy’s or others.
Michelin coverage is something a city should be immensely proud of, and three places receiving stars in the first year is quite an accomplishment. As diners, it’s the least we can do to at least try to understand Michelin’s somewhat arcane process.
And if you’re going to try to use Michelin recognition as part of your own marketing copy, please, please know what you’re talking about first.
