AUSTIN, Texas – The flames burned a bit brighter at three Austin barbecue restaurants after a big win.

The Michelin Guide Texas was officially released at a ceremony in Houston on Monday, Nov. 11. The announcement came with an image of a familiar looking plate of food that seemed to acknowledge just how big BBQ is in Texas. 

Austin’s one-star BBQ recipients include:

• InterStellar BBQ
• la Barbecue
• LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue

Texas Michelin Guide: Central Texas restaurant winners announced

Cole Parkman, the pitmaster for LeRoy and Lewis, provided FOX 7 with a tour of their restaurant.

“We’ve got quite a bit on today. We’ve got briskets back there. And then there are pieces of shoulder right here,” said Parkman.

With the award, Tuesday’s prep work certainly had a different feel.

“It’s fabulous. And it’s a wonderful company to be a part of. I’m just a little humble kid from Pasadena, Texas. Never thought I’d be working at a place with all of these Michelin-star chefs. It’s a wonderful place to be,” said Parkman.

The award wraps up a big year for LeRoy and Lewis. Earlier this year, they opened a South Austin location after working the past seven years out of a food trailer.

“Well, you know, a shock is really an understatement,” said Parkman. 

The smoke coming from the pits at InterStellar’s Northwest Austin location was preparing meat for Wednesday’s customers. The owner of Interstellar, John Bates, was in Houston for the ceremony. 

FOX 7 spoke with Chef de Cuisine Sinjin Tiger, who said he was at home when the award was announced.

“I was trying to relax. I was hanging out at home with my wife and the dogs and trying to pay attention to her, trying not to pay any attention to it. And then all of a sudden, I just started getting a bunch of phone calls and text messages, and it just kind of blew me away,” said Tiger.

Sinjin thinks their pork bellies, served with a peach tea coating, contributed to the win.

“It means the absolute world. I know this is something that Jon has been working for, you know, pretty much his whole life, and I feel like we’re just incredibly blessed to have the team that we have to work towards this goal and allow us to accomplish this goal,” said Tiger.

The owners of la Barbecue were not available for comment, but the staff said they’re also excited about receiving a star. The four other Austin restaurants awarded with One MICHELIN Star include:

• Barley Swine
• Craft Omakase
• Hestia
• Olamaie

“To be a Michelin Star restaurant is a big deal. And it is mostly fine dining and is really with the intention of doing this and being a Michelin Star restaurant. And somebody mentioned to me, well, why come to Texas if you’re not going to pick a barbecue place? I thought, well, you know. You’re right,” said Parkman.

The famous guidebook uses anonymous inspectors to judge locations and typically visit more than once. Officials with the guide say they were impressed by what they found on the menu in Texas. And now Central Texas BBQ is in the guide.

“And it’s nothing short of ecstatic for them. And I love to see what they’re doing and where they’re going to go after this,” said Tiger.

A little more than a dozen Austin area restaurants were also recognized for having great food at great value. 

The full Michelin Guide Texas totals 117 Texas restaurants offering 26 types of food. They’re located in Austin, DFW, Houston, and San Antonio. 

The Michelin Guide for restaurants made its highly anticipated Lone Star State debut Monday night with a ceremony and cocktail reception at 713 Music Hall in downtown Houston. 

The globally influential dining and travel guide from the French tire company honored 117 Texas restaurants with a variety of distinctions.

Austin had the biggest night of the five major Texas cities represented, taking home 7 of the 15 coveted Michelin Stars awarded to Lone Star restaurants.

Here’s how Texas restaurants fared.

LIST: 7 Austin restaurants awarded Michelin Stars

Seven Austin restaurants were awarded one-star distinctions:

Dai Due and Emmer & Rye, two Austin restaurants that serve American cuisine, were also awarded Michelin Green Star. The distinction highlights restaurants that lead the industry in their sustainability practices.

Read more on Austin restaurants: Austin restaurants earn 7 of the 15 Michelin Stars awarded in Texas and 15 Bib Gourmand

LIST: 6 Houston restaurants awarded Michelin Stars

With the second-largest one-star contingency, six Houston restaurants claimed the distinctions:

Dallas, San Antonio restaurants each receive a Michelin Star

Tatsu Dallas (Japanese cuisine) and Mixtli (Mexican cuisine) in San Antonio also received one-star distinctions.

No restaurant in Texas received two or three stars. There are currently only 13 restaurants in the United States with three stars and 33 with two stars. About 200 restaurants in the U.S. claim one star. Michelin and its inspectors review star designation annually, with new stars being assigned, and restaurants fighting to hold onto existing stars while often striving for more.

What is The Michelin Guide?

The Michelin Guide is a renowned international restaurant rating system managed by the French tire manufacturer. It was first published in 1889 in the small French town of Clermont-Ferrand by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin, founders of the now world-famous tire company. The guides, which were originally free, were created to encourage travel and thus boost care and tire sales.

What do Michelin Stars mean?

Michelin’s anonymous inspectors and employees have been reporting and ranking Texas restaurants since this summer. The company ranks each restaurant based on five universal criteria:

• quality of products
• harmony of flavors
• mastery of cooking techniques
• voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine
• consistency of food between each visit and throughout the menu

A restaurant may be awarded one, two or three Michelin Stars, used to indicate those deemed to be among the best in the world. Michelin’s site explains what the number of Stars represents:

• One Star, “worth a stop”: The restaurant uses top quality ingredients, where dishes with distinct flavors are prepared to a consistently high standard.
• Two Stars, “worth a detour”: The personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes; their food is refined and inspired.
• Three Stars, “worth a special journey”: As the highest award, three Stars are given for the superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession; their cooking is elevated to an art form and some of their dishes are destined to become classics.

What is the Bib Gourmand award?

“The Bib Gourmand is our award for great value, and highlights simple yet skillful cooking at an affordable price,” according to the Michelin website.

See the full list of Bib Gourmand award-winning restaurants at guide.michelin.com.

Why did the Michelin tire company rate restaurants?

Emerging in 1900, the Michelin Guide initially served as a comprehensive guidebook for France, aiming to inspire drivers (particularly those using the company’s tires) to explore the country by road. It gradually expanded throughout Europe, but its publication was interrupted during World War I.

After the war, the guide resumed its operations and underwent a significant shift in focus in 1926, transitioning from a general travel guide to a specialized rating system for fine-dining establishments.

The Michelin Guide’s renowned one- to three-star rating system was fully established in 1931, providing a comprehensive evaluation framework for discerning diners.

Missed out on one of the coveted invites for Monday night’s ceremony that will reveal which Texas restaurants are included in the state’s first ever Michelin Guide? Fear not.

The event will be streamed live on YouTube beginning at 7 pm. We’ve embedded it below.

As CultureMap haspreviously reported, restaurants from Texas’ five largest cities — Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin, as well as points in between — have been invited to the ceremony that’s being held at Houston’s 713 Music Hall. They’re eligible for one of four designations:

• Michelin stars: rated at one, two, or three for restaurants that offer exceptional experiences
• Bib Gourmand: described as “restaurants that offer great quality food at good prices”
• Recommended: for restaurants that serve good food but are not quite star worthy
• Green stars: for “restaurants that are leaders in sustainable gastronomy”

Considered to be the most prestigious restaurant review site in the world, Michelin uses five criteria to evaluate restaurants. They are: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu.

The guide’s famously anonymous inspectors had already been spending time in Texas when Michelin announced its presence in July. It seems like they’ve been busy.

Texas Monthlyreported that at least 16 barbecue restaurants statewide have been invited to the ceremony, including Austin’s Franklin Barbecue, LeRoy and Lewis BBQ, Interstellar BBQ, and Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, as well as the meteorically successful Lockhart joint Barbs B Q. In the article, barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn speculates that at least one barbecue restaurant could receive a star, which would be a first for America.

Austin’s relatively casual dining scene and inconsistent performance with other food awards (not too shabby, but showing alternating periods of obsession and being overlooked) makes it a bit hard to predict how it will fare in this inaugural year of recognition.

Some Austin restaurants like Pasta|Bar have sibling restaurants in other states that already have stars; others like El Naranjo and Nixta Taqueria already have chef wins from the James Beard Foundation under their belts. There are also some obvious contenders given their ongoing local prestige: Uchi, Hestia, Barley Swine, and Olamaie come to mind. So do newer restaurants that are doing something truly unique, riding huge waves of media praise, or both, like Canje, Birdie’s, and Fabrik.

Of course, CultureMap will be in attendance. We’ll have full coverage of the results later.

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CultureMap Austin editor Brianna Caleri adapted this story with local commentary.