Michelin Launches American South Guide

The Michelin Guide has launched its inaugural American South edition, folding in the existing Atlanta guide and covering Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, evaluating 228 restaurants across 44 cuisine types. The guide named one two-star restaurant — Emeril’s in New Orleans, led by E.J. Lagasse — and awarded ten one-star distinctions across the region, including Counter- (Charlotte), Scoundrel (Greenville), Vern’s, Wild Common and Malagón Mercado y Taperia (Charleston). Inspectors also named roughly 50 Bib Gourmand honorees for good-value cooking and awarded several Green Stars for sustainability to restaurants including Luminosa (Asheville) and Counter-. The winners’ list was inadvertently released ahead of the Nov. 3 announcement ceremony in Greenville, where chefs and restaurateurs expressed surprise and pride. The launch is being promoted as a boost to tourism and regional prestige, even as some critics noted state tourism agencies paid Michelin to help bring the guide to the region.