Michelin will launch its
first-ever Michelin Guide in North America, the Michelin Guide New York
City 2006, hitting stores in November 2005. The announcement was made
today by Edouard Michelin, CEO of The Michelin Group.The Michelin Guide, whose prestigious rating system is internationally
recognized as the height of culinary success, is already published in 12
editions covering 20 European countries. For its much-anticipated debut in
North America, the Michelin Guide will provide a comprehensive selection
and rating, in all categories of comfort and prices, of some 500 New York
City restaurants and 50 hotels, in a reader-friendly layout adapted to the
American market and unique New York City culinary and hotel landscape.

“We are delighted to launch our first Michelin Guide for North America, in
response to a strong demand from our readers in recent years to whom our
European guides provide an invaluable travel tool,” commented Mr. Edouard
Michelin. “As we’ve done with each of our 10 editions outside France, we
are making every effort to produce a selection that does full justice to
the rich diversity of the New York City restaurant and hotel culture and
also meets our readers’ expectations.”

As part of its meticulous and highly confidential evaluation process,
Michelin inspectors—both European and American—- are conducting
anonymous visits to New York City restaurants and hotels. In all cases, it
involves test meals or overnight stays at each establishment by Michelin
inspectors, in order to assess the level and the regularity of the
establishment.

“The Michelin inspectors are the eyes and ears of the customers, and thus
the anonymity of our inspectors is key to ensure they are treated the same
as any guest would be treated,” commented Mr. Edouard Michelin.

Starting in February 2005, the inspectors will also make pre-arranged full
inspections of each establishment, with management, to complete their
findings. Once the 2006 Guide appears, future evaluations will take place
though, in order to ensure anonymity, inspectors are regularly rotated so
as not to return to the same establishment for several years. Restaurants
and hotels selected for inclusion in the Michelin Guide New York City 2006
will be listed by neighborhood and also cross-referenced by category. Each
New York City borough will be included in the guide, with Manhattan
further divided into neighborhoods.

The Michelin Guide offers a broad selection of hotels and restaurants in
each price and comfort category, taking into account each country’s local
environment. This rating is unique and consistent across all countries
covered by the Michelin Guide. It is expressed in two ways:

  —A comfort rating : levels of comfort are rated using one to five forks
and spoons for restaurants and one to five pavilions for hotels. Those
symbols only judge the comfort of the establishment. They are: the
furnishings of the establishment, the service, the cleanliness and
upkeep of the surroundings.

  —Special distinctions for certain establishments : these include stars
for the very best restaurants, Bib Gourmand and Bib Hotels symbols for
the best moderately priced food or accommodation. Red forks and spoons
or red pavilions are for especially pleasant establishments. The stars
and the Bib Gourmand symbols judge only “what’s on the plate,” meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, the mastering of
cooking, the creativity of the chef and his team, the value for money and the consistency of what it offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.

Certain restaurants deserve to be brought to the reader’s attention for
the particularity fine quality of their cooking. These establishments are
identified by Michelin stars, which are awarded for the standard of meals
served. As Michelin often says, “The stars are in the plate.”

The star ratings are as follows:—One star indicates “a very good
restaurant in its category,” a good place to stop on your journey.—Two
stars denote “excellent cooking, worth a detour,” with specialties and
wines of first-class quality.—Three stars reward “exceptional cuisine,
worth a special journey,” where diners eat extremely well, sometimes
superbly. The wine list features generally outstanding vintages, and the
surroundings and service are part of this unique experience, which is
priced accordingly.

The decision to award a star is a collective one, based on the consensus
of all inspectors who have visited a particular establishment. A written
description of each establishment and a variety of other symbols will give
readers further insight into an establishment’s ambiance, type of cuisine
and specialties, and wine list, customized to American tastes and needs.

The two founders, Andre and Edouard Michelin, first impacted the
transportation world, and consequently the travel world, when their
innovative ideas led to the first pneumatic automobile tires. Since this
breakthrough in travel technology, the Michelin Group has been dedicated
to providing unbiased, accurate, clear and easy-to-understand information
for the traveling customer. The Michelin Guide, first published in 1900,
was created to provide motorists with practical information about where
they could service and repair their cars and find quality accommodations
or a good meal. The Guide was provided free of charge until 1920, and the
“star system” for outstanding restaurants was introduced in 1926, with the
two- and three-star categories introduced in the early 1930s, clearly
positioning Michelin as the most respected arbiter of fine dining. With
their unparalleled commitment to quality, Michelin publishes close to 20
million maps, atlases, travel guides and hotel and restaurant guides in
more than 70 countries worldwide every year.

The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 will complement the existing catalog
of Michelin maps and guides to the North American market. The Guide will
be available in November 2005 at bookstores, boutiques and other
participating retailers, including online retailers.
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