Chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi takes a selfie on the Michelin stage. | Annie Mulligan The guide awarded one star to Dallas’s Tatsu, while Fort Worth was shut out completely The first-ever Texas Michelin guide ceremony was a huge night. There were so many well-deserved wins as a diverse, innovative pool of restaurants from the state came together to celebrate and accept their recognition from a guide that is known to, crassly, put butts in seats. Having even a mention in the Michelin guide, let alone a Bib Gourmand, star, or award, is a huge boon for business, credibility, and cause to brag. In that sense, Dallas did quite well last night. The city held its own in Michelin-recommended restaurants and did quite well with Bib Gourmands going to several restaurants this publication thought might earn a star. In the end, only one North Texas restaurant was deemed star-worthy: Tatsu, the tiny omakase service restaurant in Deep Ellum. It has been difficult to get a reservation at this eight-seater restaurant during the two and a half years since opening; it just became impossible. Fort Worth was shut out entirely from the stars game, going home with none. As someone anonymously told us at the ceremony, this is a great measure of where Texas, particularly North Texas, is and where it needs to go. The surprises Let’s start with the good stuff: The places in Dallas that the media take for granted that were recognized. If we’re being honest, there are media darlings that earn a lot of critical praise here and others that do hard work, day in and day out, without much discussion about it. Julian Barsotti, the owner of multiple restaurants in the city, landed recommended status for Barsotti’s and a Bib Gourmand for Nonna, his two Italian joints that quietly serve excellent food day in and day out. Stephen Rogers and Allison Yoder, the owners of Sachet and Gemma, operate neighborhood spots in two different Dallas neighborhoods in which they not only nail the vibe of but increase the food status. The accolades and excitement poured in when both spots opened and they’re full day after day, but not exactly burning up the trendometer after the initial fire — maybe they should be. As someone anonymously told us at the ceremony, this is a great measure of where Texas, particularly North Texas, is and where it needs to go. And then there’s Harwood Hospitality, with a food program overseen by chef Taylor Kearney, who quietly instituted an amazing wagyu beef program that not only provides it exclusive access to an ultra-high end breed of cattle that he personally oversees, but since that beef is locally raised it helps the entire hospitality group’s carbon footprint. Two of its restaurants, Stillwell’s and Mercat Bistro earned recognition, and beef is a big part of why. It was also exciting to see some places in the suburbs of the Metroplex get recognized. Well deserved accolades to Harvest in McKinney (well worth the drive), Smoke’N Ash BBQ in Arlington, and Cattleack Barbeque in Farmers Branch. Stock & Barrel is possibly the most surprising Dallas restaurant to be recognized. The silence surrounding it is nearly deafening — but that’s not likely to be the case after this. The snubs and oversights As a whole, Texas was awarded 15 stars, and only one of those went to North Texas. Behind the scenes, many restaurateurs and food writers predicted the city might face a result like this. The people who really have right to be mad are Fort Worth, which is the only city in Texas to leave the ceremony with zero stars, a Bib Gourmand for Goldee’s, and recommended status for Panther City BBQ and Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez. Someone explain to us, slowly, why Goldee’s didn’t deserve a star, please? Go ahead; sound it out. We’ve gotten lots of comments on social media about restaurants that deserve more recognition, and the name still coming up most often Petra and the Beast. We agree, although it isn’t exactly Michelin’s speed for stars or even Bib Gourmand. Still, it did deserve to earn recommended status or a Green Star. The Green Star issue That brings us to Green Stars, of which Texas earned two — neither in DFW. We take offense to this particular oversight, which includes Petra for its local, seasonal, and long-use cooking thanks to pickling, smoking, and fermentation techniques. Restaurant Beatrice, the state’s first recognized B-Corp restaurant, has been working hard to create a sustainable model. Harvest in McKinney and the Heritage Table in Frisco are restaurants with exacting standards about exactly how local their farmers and ranchers need to be. We could go on, but we’ll summarize by saying that this raises a lot of questions for Eater Dallas about how Michelin sets its Green Star standards. Where this leaves us Clearly, the Michelin guide thinks DFW has a lot of room for improvement. It went out of its way to recognize Texas cuisine, celebrating numerous barbecue, Mexican, and Tex-Mex restaurants. It tried its best to “get” Texas. For Dallas chefs who want Michelin recognition, the parsing of what that means and what it is worth begins now. However, we end with this reminder: Michelin is only as important as you make it.