The list is out:
New to the list:
Brown Sugar Kitchen (Oakland)
Pausa (San Mateo)
Playa (Marin)
Royal Feast (Millbrae)
Gone:
Bistro 29
Bistro Jeanty
Evvia
FIVE
La Costanera
Le Garage
Rich Table
Scopa
Zola
Closed:
Bar Tartine
Mamacita
Mason Pacific
ETA: Note the removal list from Chronicle seems to be different from Eater. The above is based on Eater’s version.
If Michelin is sticking to the $40 or 2 courses plus dessert/ wine threshold, then with the inflation in the last couple of years, its surprising there aren’t more restaurants dropping off, the only qualifying restaurants are fast casuals or restaurants in unfashionable neighborhoods.
E.g. At Evvia, which is removed from the list, a main costs easily $30-40 alone. and it has been like that for a few years already. Interestingly Kokkari is still on the list, and their prices are similar. So not sure why Evvia is gone and Kokkari sticks around, unless Evvia has dropped in quality.
The number of Chinese restaurants on the list has tripled since the 2010-2012 era (5-6% then vs. 15% now).
That in part reflects the opening of better quality Chinese places (e.g. Wonderful, Royal feast, go Millbrae!). Cynically, as the number of non-Chinese restaurants that fulfill the $40 criteria has diminished, it has opened the door to Chinese restaurants that had previously been overlooked like Great China, China Village.
Given how pricey, say, 1601, is they might as well ditch Hong Kong lounge two and replace it with Hakkasan. Also, I am endlessly amused that Yank Sing, for which 1/3 of the Yelp reviewers, I counted, kvetch about price, is probably one of the cheaper places on the list
Brown sugar kitchen got booted from the list A few years back, so its reentry is bitter sweet.
Has anyone on the board eaten at Sichuan Home in the past few year, and if so, how is it?
