Michelin's San Francisco Star-Ratings Announced

San Francisco restaurant owners have been holding their breath ever since the Michelin Guide was there several months ago, sampling the cuisine and preparing to create their first-ever ratings of the city's eateries. Today, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that 28 San Francisco-area restaurants earned at least one Michelin star, with only one establishment, Yountville's French Laundry winning the coveted 3 stars.

As might be expected, the winners were happy and the losers questioned Michelin's methods. New Yorkers will no doubt crow about the fact that their city is home to 39 star-rated restaurants compared to San Francisco's 28, but when you take into account that The Big Apple is home to almost 10 times as many people, I think it's a pretty impressive showing.

If you want to eat at any of the highly-rated restaurants during your California vacation, reserve early. It's always been nearly-impossible to get into some of them and the new ratings are likely to make matters worse.

More: California Cuisine in San Francisco - Romantic San Francisco Restaurants