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Masa, Adour, Momofuku Ko big Michelin Guide winners

By Lauren Johnston, amNY.com | Lauren.johnston@am-ny.com

October 7, 2008

Masa, and newcomers Adour and Momofuku Ko are this year's big Michelin Guide winners.

"The job of our inspectors is to reveal the talents of the chef we are very happy when we find stars," said Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret.

The 2009 guide, the fourth edition for New York City, hits shelves Tuesday.

Supreme sushi purveyor Masa, which opened in 2004 at the Time Warner Center, earned Michelin's top rating with three stars, an honor held by just three other New York City restaurants: Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin and Per Se. Alain Ducasse's Adour and David Chang's Momofuku Ko debuted with two stars apiece.

Naret called each winning restaurant Monday to reveal the rankings. Chang, apparently hoping for even one star as a new restaurant, was ecstatic to earn two. "David Chang was, like, oh my god," Naret said.

One notable omission was Mario Batali's Babbo, which had earned one star in the three previous guides.

The Michelin Guide covers 560 city restaurants, including 75 with meals under $25 and 58 which serve two dishes and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less.

2009 Michelin Guide
-Masa wins a top 3-star ranking -- joins Per Se, Le Bernardin and Jean-Georges -Newcomers Momofuku Ko (David Chang), and Adour (Alain Ducasse) debut with two stars