French international dining review system Michelin is coming to Texas for the first time this year. The Michelin Guide Texas will cover Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth. The company’s anonymous inspectors have already been dining out in the cities, determining which restaurants are worthy of earning coveted one, two, or three star ratings; Bib Gourmands (awarded to more affordable but still quality dining destinations); and Michelin Green Stars (given to restaurants with highly sustainable/eco-friendly practices).

Eater Austin shared our predictions for Michelin-rated restaurants in Austin last week, then we asked y’all, our dear readers, for your guesses and thoughts about the guide coming to Texas.

Of the 90 respondents, many were excited about Michelin Texas happening, echoing sentiments that it was about time it happened. One person wrote, “If it’s in Colorado, [it] should be in Texas.” (Michelin published its first Colorado guide in 2023.) Another commented that it “should have happened years ago.”

One reader sees that Michelin deeming Austin worthy of dining evaluations proves that the city’s dining scenes are worthy. “It shows that — though our service is distinctly ‘Austin,’ with warm, inviting, but casual hospitality touches — we have a passionate group of chefs and hospitality professionals that have something to say, and are serious at the table with larger cities,” they wrote. But they also caution that Austin restaurants and chefs should keep to a Texas hospitality ethos: “As long as everyone in restaurants remembers they’re here because of what we were already doing and not try to morph into service styles in New York or LA, it will benefit everyone in the industry.”

Others see Michelin’s Texas arrival as an opportunity to level up Austin’s restaurants. One wrote that “it will bring tourism, more talent, and greater level of accountability of excellence beyond local critics.” A reader said, “I hope it raises the quality of the industry in the area,” while another commented, “Honestly, [I] don’t think we need ’em, but if it helps the industry, that’s cool.”

One reader who doesn’t think that Texas restaurants are generally Michelin-worthy does think the guide is a good thing: “It will give restaurants a reason to push the envelope and not become complacent as I feel many have.”

The attention paid to Michelin-approved restaurants would benefit other restaurants and businesses. One person explained that “a high tide raises all ships.”

Some don’t think Austin is worthy of Michelin, though. One explained that, while the guide is “better for the quality level overall” for the state, “no Austin restaurants deserve any stars currently (IMO).” Many of the respondents to the survey agree with that sentiment, especially when it comes to the service components, suggesting that no restaurants would earn stars (see the rundown below). One reader wrote that only Dallas and Houston has restaurants that are Michelin quality, not Austin.

Another wrote that “if they are including service, none” would get stars, but if it was based on “pure taste, some sushi place could sneak in,” predicting that Austin would probably get a “token one star.”

Others are concerned that the arrival of such a huge dining guide in Texas could impact Austin negatively. A reader wrote, “I’m somewhat excited, but also nervous how it might change the Austin dining scene and raise prices even more.” Another bluntly put it: “Shouldn’t have happened. Michelin ruins the culinary scene and experience!” Others worry about increasing prices and harder-to-get reservations.

Still, many agree that Austin will get many Bib Gourmands and recommended restaurant designations. Below are Eater Austin readers’ Michelin top Michelin predictions for Austin, ranked.

One Michelin Star in Austin predictions

1. None
2. Barley Swine
3. Franklin Barbecue
4. Jeffrey’s
5. Hestia/Uchi [tie]

Two Michelin Star in Austin predictions

1. None
2. Otoko
3. Hestia
4. Uchi
5. Birdie’s/Emmer & Rye/Jeffrey’s/Olamaie (tie)

Three Michelin Star in Austin predictions

1. None
2. Uchi
3. Jeffrey’s
4. Barley Swine
5. Canje

Bib Gourmand in Austin predictions

1. Nixta Taqueria
2. Franklin Barbecue
3. Birdie’s/Canje/Odd Duck (tie)
4. Foreign & Domestic/Interstellar BBQ/Loro/Ramen del Barrio/Suerte/Uchiko (tie)
5. Bufalina/Cuantos Tacos/Dai Due/Discada/Emmer & Rye/Este/Hestia/Jeffrey’s/Justine’s/La Barbecue/Launderette/Lenoir/Matt’s El Rancho/Perla’s/Sammie’s/Uchi/Underdog (tie)

Michelin Green Star in Austin predictions

1. Dai Due
2. Emmer & Rye
3. Odd Duck
4. Fabrik
5. Barley Swine/Canje/Intero/L’Oca d’Oro/Nixta Taqueria/Olamaie (tie)

Michelin Recommended in Austin predictions

1. Emmer & Rye/Franklin Barbecue/Suerte (tie)
2. Birdie’s/Odd Duck (tie)
3. Canje/Este/Intero/La Barbecue (tie)

In a major blow to the Sinaloa drug cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Lopez were detained after landing in El Paso on a private plane.

Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia and the son of his former partner, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, have been arrested in El Paso, Texas, in a major coup for United States law enforcement that may also reshape the Mexican criminal landscape.

Zambada Garcia, who is believed to be in his 70s, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who is in his 30s, were detained after landing in a private plane in El Paso, two US officials told the Reuters news agency.

“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organisations in the world,” the US Department of Justice said on Thursday.

Known by this underworld name El Mayo, Zambada Garcia is alleged to be one of the most consequential drug traffickers in Mexico’s history. He co-founded the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the US in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

Zambada Garcia and the younger Guzman face multiple charges in the US for allegedly funnelling huge quantities of drugs to the US, including fentanyl, which has surged in use to become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

Guzman Lopez is one of four sons of El Chapo – known collectively as Los Chapitos – who inherited their father’s faction of the Sinaloa cartel. His brother, Ovidio Guzman, was arrested last year and extradited to the US.

The US Justice Department had been offering $15m for information leading to the capture of Zambada Garcia, who US law enforcement claims became the Sinaloa cartel’s “unquestioned senior leader” following El Chapo’s arrest.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on Arrests of Alleged Leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) and Joaquin Guzman Lopez

🔗: https://t.co/LumvDMKx2F pic.twitter.com/Wcm20MLrhC

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— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) July 26, 2024

El Mayo and El Chapo’s sons: Two different styles

Zambada Garcia and Guzman Lopez face multiple charges “for heading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks”, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

“We will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Garland said.

The Sinaloa cartel traffics drugs to more than 50 countries around the globe and is one of two most powerful organised crime groups in Mexico, according to US authorities.

But Zambada Garcia and El Chapo’s sons belong to two different generations of drug traffickers, with differing styles.

Zambada Garcia is known for being “old-school”, avoiding the limelight and operating in the shadows. El Chapo’s sons, by contrast, have a reputation for being flashy drug traffickers who courted attention as they ascended the ranks of the cartel.

El Chapo’s sons are also known to be more violent and hot-headed than Zambada Garcia, who had a reputation as a shrewd operator.

Previous arrests of important Mexican cartel leaders have triggered violence as power vacuums open, leading to significant infighting within criminal organisations and between them and their rival cartels.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a researcher at Washington’s Brookings Institution who closely monitors Mexican security, said the potential for violence as a result of the arrests “certainly looms very large”.

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