Michelin’s Guide to Eating Local in Vegas

So what do these mysterious Michelin inspectors evaluate our beloved restaurants on? They consider “ingredient quality, technique, harmony, the chef’s personality expressed through the food, and consistency.” These standards apply beneath chandeliers or inside a strip mall. Michelin’s local selections span seasonal Italian cooking, open-fire dishes, French tasting menus, and Spanish-Mediterranean flavors. Meet four neighborhood restaurants that made the guide — and find out what their teams thought of the results.

Esther’s Kitchen

Chef James Trees received the recognition he wanted when Esther’s Kitchen earned a Bib Gourmand, Michelin’s designation for good-quality, good-value cooking. Trees opened Esther’s in the Arts District in 2018 and named it for the great-aunt who encouraged his cooking career. Naturally leavened bread, handmade pasta, and seasonal Italian food remain its foundation. “It’s an award that’s earned. It’s not a box you check,” Trees said. Maintaining the Bib is where he believes Esther belongs.

Sparrow + Wolf

Brian Howard opened Sparrow + Wolf in Chinatown in 2017 after working for chefs like Thomas Keller and André Rochat. His cooking draws on Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, and Japanese influences, often using an open fire. Howard called inclusion an honor but said he would not redirect the restaurant to pursue an award. “We’re never going to chase anything,” he said. “Our ethos has always been individual growth.”

Partage

Partage serves contemporary French tasting menus from a Chinatown strip mall. Chef Yuri Szarzewski changes the menu monthly with diners choosing five, seven, or nine courses while leaving the individual dishes as a surprise. Szarzewski was candid about hoping for a star rather than a place among the “Selected by Michelin” recommended restaurants. Still, he welcomed the honor. “For us, it’s great to be part of that scene … it’s great to be highlighted in any way,” he said, adding that he hopes to be onstage for a star next year.

Anima by EDO

Anima by EDO reimagines Spanish and Mediterranean traditions through tapas, handmade pasta and a seasonal tasting menu. After Michelin recommended the restaurant, EDO Hospitality co-founders Roberto Liendo and Joe Mikulich, with Corporate Chef Tayden Ellamar, described the designation as a benchmark rather than a finish line. “The bar is set. Now we all know where we stand. Everyone here wants to be the best,” Ellamar said.