The Good Fork has a Bib Gourmand designation in the 2019 Michelin Guide.

ICE Alumni Earn Michelin Guide Acclaim

The 2019 Michelin Guide features nine restaurants with ICE grads as chefs, pastry chefs, owners and managers.

The Good Fork has a Bib Gourmand designation in the 2019 Michelin Guide.

Michelin made its calls to notify New York City restaurants of stars this week, following its Bib Gourmand announcement on Oct. 30. Here鈥檚 where to dine with Michelin-recommended ICE alumni in 2019.

Restaurant Daniel earned two Michelin stars with the help of Michael Lawrence (Culinary, '91), executive director of operations for The Dinex Group. Lawrence has worked with the group since 1998 through a roster of accolades and in August 2018, Food & Wine named Daniel one of "the 40 most important restaurants of the past 40 years."

Among one-starred restaurants, Anthony Sasso (Culinary, '04) is the executive chef at Casa Mono in Gramercy; David Schneider (Culinary, 鈥02) is the director of Ai Fiori in Midtown; and Karen McGrath (Pastry/Management, 鈥02) is the pastry chef at The River Caf茅 Restaurant in Brooklyn.

Uncle Boons maintained its Michelin star for a fourth year, where Ann Redding (Culinary, 鈥02) and her husband Matt Danzer are co-chefs and owners. Michelin celebrates the creativity, 鈥渕agic鈥 and 鈥渧ibrant flavor鈥 at the Thai restaurant in Nolita. A more casual, counter-service version of the restaurant, Uncle Boons Sister, opened in December 2017.

To the west, one floor below ICE鈥檚 New York campus, L鈥橝ppart is tucked inside Le District in Brookfield Place. The intimate French restaurant, intended to evoke dining in Chef Nico Abello鈥檚 apartment, earned its third one-star designation 鈥 one for each year the eatery has been open. The guide highlights 鈥渃reamy jasmine rice pudding kissed with pear sorbet鈥 from Pastry Chef Mina Pizarro (Pastry, 鈥02).

A Bib Gourmand designation indicates value: Michelin recognizes 鈥渉igh-quality food鈥 at establishments where diners can 鈥渙rder two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included).鈥 Bunker, The Good Fork and Prune are among this year鈥檚 129 picks.

ICE alum Jimmy Tu is the chef and owner of Bunker.
ICE alum Jimmy Tu is the chef and owner of Bunker.

The guide lauds 鈥渒iller Vietnamese street food鈥 from Bunker Chef/Owner Jimmy Tu (Culinary, 鈥97), recommending shrimp, oxtail stew and more. Tu opened the colorful, spacious Bushwick location (of the original Ridgewood restaurant) in January 2017, and Michelin named it first among its five 鈥渂est Vietnamese restaurants in NYC鈥 in June 2018.

Sohui Kim (Culinary/Management, 鈥02) should frame The Good Fork description, which celebrates 鈥渦mami wonder鈥 in her scallion pancakes and calls her coconut milk-scented mussels 鈥渢rue happiness.鈥 Kim runs the staple Red Hook eatery with her husband Ben Schneider and released her second cookbook, 鈥淜orean Home Cooking: Classic and Modern Recipes鈥 in October.

Sohui Kim is the chef and owner of The Good Fork and Insa in Brooklyn.
Sohui Kim is the chef and owner of The Good Fork and Insa in Brooklyn.

"It is a great honor to be included in the Michelin Guide" Kim said. "We have held onto the Bib Gourmand for many years now and being on it means that our hard work of providing great food and service is being recognized by those who appreciate great restaurants. It's an amazing vehicle for smaller, independent restaurants to get noticed."

Across the East River, another neighborhood favorite, Prune, is recognized for 鈥渁dventurous food鈥 and a well-rounded guest experience in the East Village. Ashley Merriman (Culinary, 鈥03) is co-executive chef with owner Gabrielle Hamilton, and Michelin recommends 鈥減erusing鈥 the nightly specials.

See the online and learn more about ICE career programs in New York.

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