The Michelin mascot at the launch of the Michelin Guide to New York City in 2005
© AFP/File Stan Honda NEW YORK (AFP) - Masa, a sushi specialist famous for dinners that can easily top 800 dollars for two, joined the elite three-star category, announced Michelin guides chief Jean-Luc Naret.
Two of the other three establishments in the top range -- Jean-Georges and Le Bernardin -- feature French cooking, topped off with Californian chef Thomas Keller's Per Se.
Winning two stars in this year's list was Japanese-inspired eaterie Momofuku Ko. Among restaurants also sharing that honor was French chef Alain Ducasse's Adour, which only opened a few months ago.
France's Michelin guides are the Bible of food lovers in Europe and are making inroads in the United States, although still no match in New York for the Zagat guide and The New York Times restaurant reviews.
Masa, located in the Time Warner building in central Manhattan, has long been one of New York's priciest and highly regarded spots. Momofuku Ko has also won other awards, but the Michelin is a boost for its rising chef David Chang, an American with South Korean roots.
"He couldn't believe his ears when I phoned him this morning," Naret told journalists.
Naret said the red-bound Michelin guide would next turn its reviewers, who work anonymously, on the restaurants and hotels of Hong Kong and Macao.
Last year Michelin launched its first guide to Tokyo. "Sales exceeded our expectations. Everything vanished in 24 hours and we had to do a reprint," Naret said.
©AFP