The Michelin Guide’s highly anticipated American South regional restaurant guide will be officially released Monday evening in Greenville, South Carolina. Unofficial reports, however, already reveal that two Baton Rouge-area restaurants and three in New Orleans made the list.
The guide covers six new states — Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — along with previously listed Atlanta restaurants. In all, it features 228 restaurants, including 19 awarded Michelin Stars.
The Michelin Guide tapped Elsie’s Plate & Pie in Baton Rouge and the St. Francisville Inn & Restaurant in St. Francisville as “recommended” restaurants.
Elsie’s Plate and Pie at 3145 Government St, Baton Rouge.
Monday night’s awards ceremony in Greenville will officially announce this year’s selections, but a press release listing the Michelin Star picks and other distinctions appeared mysteriously online Monday morning. Michelin has not confirmed the results.
The distinctions
A Michelin Star is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding cooking. Anonymous Michelin inspectors “take into account five universal criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine and, just as importantly, consistency both across the entire menu and over time.”
In addition to its coveted stars, Michelin also recognizes Bib Gourmand and recommended restaurants. The Bib Gourmand distinction highlights places serving excellent food at a great value, while “recommended” restaurants are endorsed by Michelin inspectors but not at the star level.
Elsie’s Plate and Pie at 3145 Government St, Baton Rouge has a visit from chef Guy Fieri and his show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
Of the 160 “recommended” restaurants, Louisiana’s include Elsie’s Plate & Pie in Baton Rouge and The St. Francisville Inn & Restaurant in St. Francisville. New Orleans earned 11 Bib Gourmand listings, 18 recommended restaurants and three Michelin Stars: Emeril’s Restaurant with two stars and Saint-Germain and Zasu with one star each.
Opened in 2017 by high school sweethearts Paul and Lindsay Dupré, Elsie’s Plate & Pie at 3145 Government St. offers Southern comfort classics, burgers and its signature pies. The family-owned restaurant gained national attention after being featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
The St. Francisville Inn & Restaurant, located at 5720 Commerce St., opened in 2019 as a boutique hotel and restaurant with 11 guest rooms and a menu led by chef Michael Dardenne. Earlier this year, former executive chef Jaime Hernandez, 50, of Zachary, died when a tree fell on his car in West Feliciana Parish. Dardenne returned to helm The Saint Restaurant this year.
