Did Michelin get it right? The Inquirer food team weighs in on its Philly picks.

Last night, Michelin entered the Philadelphia dining scene for the first time. Three restaurants got a one-star rating: Friday Saturday Sunday, Provenance, and Her Place Supper Club. Another 31 got recognition from Michelin, as either a “selected” restaurant or a Bib Gourmand.

So did the vaunted international arbiter of dining get it right in Philadelphia? Well, we have some notes. Restaurant critic Craig LaBan sat down with food reporters Michael Klein and Kiki Aranita, who both attended Tuesday night’s awards, to chat about what Michelin got right and what they missed.

Craig LaBan, restaurant critic: I was not surprised by the stingy amount of stars given, or even those who received them, but there were notable snubs, including in the value-oriented Bib Gourmands, where some of their choices were big, blatant misses. Vetri Cucina missing out on a deserved star might have been my biggest “oh boy” moment.

Mike Klein, food reporter: I liked how Michelin seemed to ignore a lot of what we would consider “obvious” picks and seemed to look deeper than other outside groups. (I’m referring to the national magazines, which basically only amplify the local critics’ work.)

Kiki Aranita, food reporter: I’m surprised that so many cheesesteak joints got recognition but almost no Asian places, save for Hiroki, Kalaya, and Royal Sushi & Izakaya. I feel like we’re more of a Vietnamese food town than a cheesesteak town, but you’d never guess it from looking at the Michelin Guide. I’m also surprised to see Hiroki recognized but not Ogawa. Based on my deep survey of omakases for The 76.

CL: And the lack of attention to Mexican food! I’m thrilled for Carlos Aparicio at El Chingón, one of my longtime favorites — but that is one of the most exciting genres in Philly right now.

MK: Maybe Michelin felt it needed to jump into the cheesesteak debate.

CL: So cliché. And also, Dalessandro’s? C’mon! Angelo’s and Del Rossi’s belong, but I had a memorably bad cheesesteak at Dalessandro’s this spring that looked like the beef had been fed to a wood chipper before it was slapped it on my bun.

Also, if we’re really talking about delving into Philly’s street-food sandwich cred — why not a special hoagie or roast pork place? John’s Roast Pork comes to mind. This felt like an obligatory street-food addition from inspectors with little background in Philly food.

MK: My biggest surprise was that Jesse Ito’s omakase counter didn’t get a star (the izakaya got a Bib), and I suspect that was because the inspectors could not get in. Though “everyone” seems to put it on their best-of lists, Michelin apparently didn’t pull strings.

CL: I also agree with Kiki on the subject of Asian restaurants, which are among our most exciting dining destinations: Vietnamese, Cambodian, Indonesian, and Chinese, of course. Mawn was a noticeable omission, but I suspect they simply didn’t put in the work to get a table, or wait for one at lunch. Sort of lazy, to be honest.

CL: On the subject of Royal Sushi & Izakaya, it’s clear to me from talking to Jesse, who’s seen a copy of the blurb they’re publishing, that they did not get into the omakase. Again, that seems like they just didn’t do the work required of a respected authority on fine dining. But, well, it’s just the first year. Also, a Bib is exactly the correct rating for the izakaya — and a great kudos for that side of the restaurant.

MK: Snubs: Jean Georges. He wins everywhere. Why not here?

CL: Why not JG? Because it’s not a good restaurant. I had one of my worst scouting meals of the summer there this year. The menu seems both dated and aimless and not well-executed. I had a fish dish with a strawberry-tahini sauce the color of Pepto-Bismol that I still shudder to remember.

MK: Snubs: Nothing for Stephen Starr, who only has one one-star in his entire portfolio (Le Coucou). Wasn’t Barclay Prime even worth a Recommended?

CL: I do think Barclay is the best steakhouse in Philly, and possibly Starr’s best, most consistent restaurant. But how often does Michelin recognize steakhouses? Barclay is less formulaic than most, but it’s less cheffy than your typical Michelin nod.

KA: Craig, are you at all surprised Kalaya didn’t get a Star?

CL: Yes, I was a little surprised Kalaya didn’t get a star. It’s not really a tasting-menu place. But the flavors are so explosive, the personality in [chef] Nok [Suntaranon]’s cuisine is so vivid and distinct, it seems like a slam dunk, really. But it’s also a very big restaurant. Anything could have detracted from the experience — the service, the noise, whatever. I do think her cooking measures up to the criterion they’ve stated.

KA: I did think they took an expansive view of independent, chef-driven restaurants.

CL: I was surprised and thrilled with all the attention directed to Pietramala, our best vegan restaurant right now — and one of the best in all genres, period. The extra award for his pursuit of sustainability was spot on, because it is next-level.

KA: I was absolutely thrilled by that. I also did point out to [chef] Ian [Graye] that his green star was made of plastic.

MK: My hot take is that many of the Recommended restaurants are being poised for stars in the future, assuming they step it up. But hey: Vernick, Vetri, and Zahav? That I don’t get.

KA: Mike, I agree — and that is how Recommended restaurants work. They show us what inspectors have on their radar.

I think Michelin more than any other list or awards entity analyzes what is on the plate, and is it delicious? (Sure, we can argue about what is delicious — but it’s delicious to them at a particular time.) [The World’s] 50 Best does seem to celebrate restaurants with excellent PR, while James Beard [Awards] looks at many different aspects of a restaurant, to the detriment of delicious (at times).

KA: I would hope that they think about entering Chinatown.

MK: To Kiki’s point: Nothing from Chinatown?

KA: Let’s really drive that home. Nothing from Chinatown but three cheesesteak places?

CL: For the next guide, I’d love them to better explore Philly’s traditional sandwich culture beyond cheesesteaks, our great Chinatown, our fish house legacy (Oyster House could have been a bib).

MK: P.S. Everyone I saw at the awards ceremony came away with something. Maybe not the star they craved, but hey — Michelin is no small potatoes.

CL: My big takeaway is that this is just the beginning. Michelin has made its initial preferences known, but will surely add to its recommendations every year. Places like D.C., whose dining scene I believe we can compete with, only has more stars because it’s been at it longer. My only hope is that restaurateurs keep cooking from the heart, and that they don’t alter what they do simply in pursuit of a star.

I think the aspects of this city that have made it such a draw for out-of-town chefs in recent years (the affordability, low bar to access, a sophisticated audience) will equally draw chefs who aspire to build a Michelin-style restaurant here. It will cost less to do it than D.C. or NYC! (Even if Nich Bazik might protest that fact). In Philly, everything now is on the table, and I’m kind of more excited than I expected to be to see now where it heads.