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The Michelin guessing game is over.
Two months after announcing that it would once again evaluate the dining scene in Los Angeles, the prestigious but unpredictable Michelin Guide awarded stars to 90 California restaurants on Monday, including 24 in L.A.
The reveal event, held in Huntington Beach and attended by hundreds of chefs and food journalists, marked the debut of the California edition of the Michelin Guide.
It is the first time the French tire company and its team of anonymous inspectors have rated restaurants across an entire state in the U.S. rather than a specific city.
As was the case when Michelin published L.A. guides in 2008 and 2009, the city was shut out of the three-star category, its highest rating.
Two-star winners in Los Angeles were n/naka, Providence, Somni, Sushi Ginza Onodera, Urasawa and Vespertine.
"I just want to say: We're a team of 20, with 13 girls and seven men," a tearful Niki Nakayama said onstage of her Palms kaiseki restaurant, n/naka. "California is a state of dreams, and our restaurant could only exist in California."
Eighteen L.A. restaurants received one star: Hayato, Cut, Dialogue, Kali, Kato, Bistro Na's, Le Comptoir, Maude, Mori Sushi, Nozawa Bar, Orsa & Winston, Osteria Mozza, Rustic Canyon, Q Sushi, Shibumi, Shin Sushi, Shunji and Trois Mec. Taco Maria in Costa Mesa also received a star. All told, there were 69 one-star restaurants in California.
How Michelin's team of anonymous inspectors would evaluate Los Angeles in its first year back was a hotly debated topic within the city's restaurant community. In particular, would the guide -- which...