The Inn at Little Washington at Christmastime

As of the 2024 ''

Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...

'', there are 26 restaurants in the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

with a Michelin-star rating. The ''Michelin Guides'' have been published by the French tire company

Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...

since 1900. They were designed as a guide to tell drivers about eateries they recommended to visit and to subtly sponsor their tires, by encouraging drivers to use their cars more and therefore need to replace the tires as they wore out. Over time, the stars that were given out became more valuable. While

often partners with tourism boards or other financial partners for the creation of new guides, that was not the case with the Washington, D.C. guide rather it was an extension of existing US Michelin guides. Although the Washington metropolitan area had early pioneers in cooking such as Michel Richard and

Jean-Louis Palladin Jean-Louis Palladin (May 7, 1946 – November 25, 2001) was a French-born chef who introduced French Nouvelle cuisine to the Washington elite at his restaurant, Jean-Louis at the Watergate, and influenced a generation of French and American che ...

, the city's innovative food scene took off in the 2010s.

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

has become a dining destination driven by a combination of well-compensated professionals, population growth, and a wide variety of businesses. Numerous

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awar ...

-winning chefs, such as Aaron Silverman and

José Andrés José Ramón Andrés Puerta (; born 13 July 1969) is a Spanish-American chef and restaurateur. Born in Spain, he moved to the United States in the early 1990s and since then, he has opened restaurants in several American cities. He has won a num ...

, have restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area along with Patrick O'Connell's 3-Michelin star restaurant, The Inn at Little Washington. Multiple anonymous Michelin inspectors visit the restaurants several times. They rate the restaurants on five criteria: "quality of products", "mastery of flavor and cooking techniques", "the personality of the chef represented in the dining experience", "value for money", and "consistency between inspectors' visits". Inspectors have at least ten years of expertise and create a list of popular restaurants supported by media reports, reviews, and diner popularity. If they reach a consensus, Michelin awards restaurants from one to three stars based on its evaluation methodology: one star means "high-quality cooking, worth a stop", two stars signify "excellent cooking, worth a detour", and three stars denote "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". The stars are not permanent and restaurants are constantly re-evaluated. If the criteria are not met, the restaurant will lose its stars. The Washington, D.C. guide started in 2017, and is the first US Michelin Guide released in a new region since the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

guide in 2011. Although originally stating that all restaurants would be within the city limits, Michelin awarded stars to The Inn at Little Washington, in Rappahannock County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, which is included in the Washington metropolitan area.

Lists

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References

Bibliography

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External links

Michelin Guide - Washington, D.C.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michelin starred restaurants in Washington, D.C.

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

Washington, D.C.-related lists

Lists

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links