In an era when public trust is fragile and maximum transparency is key, the Michelin process, particularly in a city as diverse as Los Angeles, smacks of carpetbagging. We’re told in promotional materials that their assessors know plenty about food and wine, and that’s it. I have no problem with striving for anonymity: As a critic, it’s hell to maintain, but it’s so much easier to evaluate a place when you don’t have to filter your experience through fawning service and rattled cooks. But we have no clue how much knowledge about cuisines these mystery figures possess, or the framework around which they build their critiques.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 04, 2019 20:15 UTC