Food - Drink
How Wolfgang Puck Feels Restaurants With 2 And 3 Michelin Stars Differ
By AUTUMN SWIERS
While Anthony Bourdain was against Michelin stars — saying “the only people who really care about Michelin stars in New York are French guys” — it’s undeniable that the award carries a lot of clout. As of January 2023, only 142 restaurants in the world boast three Michelin stars, and according to Wolfgang Puck, each star means something different.
At large, Michelin stars are reserved for the fine dining world, a realm Wolfgang Puck knows like the back of his hand. In fact, Puck holds three Michelin stars total, two for his restaurant Spago Beverly Hills and one for CUT, and according to the chef, the difference between two and three Michelin stars essentially boils down to fanciness and ambiance.
Puck explained that while "A lot of two-star restaurants are really inventive and have really great food," for "a three-star restaurant, everything has to be perfect — the food, the service, the wine cellar, the glassware, the plates ... If you go to a three-star restaurant, it has a certain look, a certain style. With two-star, you don't have to be as fancy."