NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin today released its selection of recommended hotels and restaurants in the MICHELIN guide New York City 2009. The new edition contains more than 80 new establishments and features 617 establishments in all, a number that includes 563 restaurants -- representing 50 types of cuisine -- and 54 Manhattan hotels.

Among the new Michelin stars awarded this year:

-- Masa joins Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin and Per Se as a Michelin three-star selection

-- Adour, Gilt and Momofuku Ko join the ranks of Michelin two-star restaurants

-- Allen & Delancey, Alto, eighty one, Fiamma, Insieme, Kyo Ya and Public join the Michelin one-star selections

The MICHELIN guide New York City 2009 features the Bib Gourmand category, which indicates Michelin inspectors' favorites for good value. This year's Bib Gourmands include 58 restaurants that serve a menu with two dishes and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. The restaurants awarded this distinction can be identified by a red pictogram depicting the head of Bibendum(R), the Michelin Man.

The MICHELIN guide New York City 2009 also includes 74 restaurants serving a meal (two dishes and a glass of wine or dessert) for $25 or less. In the selection, these establishments are indicated by the coins pictogram.

As a result, nearly 24 percent of the MICHELIN guide New York City selection is comprised of highly affordable restaurants. While the MICHELIN guide is known around the word for its stars, these restaurants only account for just 10 percent of the selection. With more than one million copies sold in approximately 100 countries, the MICHELIN guide has always built its success on the diversity of its selection and especially on small establishments offering a high-quality dining experience at an affordable price, of which the best are included in the "Our inspectors' favorites for good value" category. Moreover, inclusion in the MICHELIN guide is, in itself, synonymous with quality, since only the best establishments in each comfort and price category are selected.

Also new for 2009, consumers will have the option to access the North American MICHELIN guide selections on their mobile phones through a licensing agreement with mobile content provider UBI UBI. The content for all four U.S. MICHELIN guides, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, will be available by subscription beginning in October 2008. For more information, please visit www.ubiubi.mobi .

The MICHELIN guide New York City 2009 includes a total of 42 "starred" restaurants, of which four have received three Michelin stars, seven restaurants with two Michelin stars and 31 with one Michelin star. To ensure a consistent selection, the same five criteria are used for awarding Michelin stars in all countries: product quality, preparation and flavors, the cuisine's personality, value for money and consistency.

    One Michelin star means a very good cuisine in its category.
    Two Michelin stars mean excellent cuisine, worth a detour.
    Three Michelin stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.

The presentation of each hotel and restaurant in the MICHELIN guide New York City 2009 includes a description of the atmosphere, interior decoration, chef's background, etc. These descriptions are intended solely to provide readers with additional information about the establishment.

Present in North America since late 2005, the MICHELIN guide has four city editions: the MICHELIN guide New York City, the MICHELIN guide San Francisco, Bay Area & the Wine Country, the MICHELIN guide Los Angeles and the MICHELIN guide Las Vegas.

In Europe, the collection currently comprises 21 MICHELIN guides, including English-language versions of the Michelin Guide France and the MICHELIN guide Paris. The MICHELIN guide's Asian editions include the MICHELIN guide Tokyo, and the MICHELIN guide Hong Kong & Macao debuting in December 2008.

Thanks to a rigorous selection process that is applied independently and consistently around the world, the MICHELIN guide has become an international benchmark in gourmet dining. The selection is made by anonymous, professional inspectors who are Michelin employees and is based on the same working methods in all countries.

The first guide in the 2009 collection to be released, the new MICHELIN guide New York City 2009, goes on sale on Tues., Oct. 7 for $16.95. Langenscheidt Publishing Group, premier publisher of map, travel, and language brands, is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Michelin Maps and Guides. For more information, please visit www.langenscheidt.com/michelin.

For more than a century, MICHELIN guides have helped travelers enjoy better mobility by offering qualified restaurant and hotel recommendations throughout Europe. Now representing 22 countries and three continents, the collection of 26 MICHELIN guides includes more than 45,000 addresses. Its team of highly trained inspectors visits establishments anonymously, applying Michelin's international standards for quality across many categories. In North America, the company has introduced MICHELIN guides for New York City and San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Michelin has also announced that it will introduce the MICHELIN guide to Hong Kong and Macao in December. For more information, visit www.michelinguide.com.

                    The MICHELIN guide New York City 2009

                                MICHELIN STARS

    Total number        One star        Two stars        Three stars
        of
    restaurants

       563                 31               7                 4


                           DINING: 563 Restaurants

        74             Establishments offering a simple
                             menu at less than $25

        58              "Our inspectors' favorites,"
                      establishments offering a menu with
                      two dishes and a glass of wine or a
                          dessert at less than $40

                        Cuisines included in Guide: 50

    American         Deli               Latin American     Russian
    Argentinian      Ethiopian          Malaysian          Scandinavian
    Asian            European           Mediterranean      Seafood
    Austrian         French             Mexican            Southern
    Barbeque         Fusion             Middle Eastern     Southwestern
    Basque           Gastropub          Moroccan           Spanish
    Belgian          German             New Zealand        Sri Lankan
    Brazilian        Greek              Persian            Steakhouse
    Cajun            Indian             Peruvian           Thai
    Caribbean        International      Pizza              Turkish
    Chinese          Italian            Portuguese         Vegan
    Contemporary     Japanese           Puerto-Rican       Vegetarian
                     Korean                                Vietnamese


                         MICHELIN RESTAURANT RATINGS

                                   ONE STAR

    ESTABLISHMENT          BOROUGH        NEIGHBORHOOD

    Allen & Delancey      Manhattan      Lower East Side

    Alto                  Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Annisa                Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Anthos                Manhattan      Midtown West

    Aureole               Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Blue Hill             Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Cafe Boulud           Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Cru                   Manhattan      Greenwich

    Dressler              Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    eighty one            Manhattan      Upper West Side

    Etats-Unis            Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Fiamma                Manhattan      SoHo & Nolita

    Fleur de Sel          Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    Gotham Bar & Grill    Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Gramercy Tavern       Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron  & Union Square

    Insieme               Manhattan      Midtown West

    Jewel Bako            Manhattan      East Village

    JoJo                  Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Kyo Ya                Manhattan      East Village

    L'Atelier de Joel
     Robuchon             Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Modern (The)          Manhattan      Midtown West

    Oceana                Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Perry Street          Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Peter Luger           Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Public                Manhattan      SoHo & Nolita

    Saul                  Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Spotted Pig           Manhattan      Greenwich

    Sushi of Gari         Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Veritas               Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    Wallse                Manhattan      West Village

    wd~50                 Manhattan      Lower East Side


                                  TWO STARS

    ESTABLISHMENT          BOROUGH             NEIGHBORHOOD

    Adour                 Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Daniel                Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Del Posto             Manhattan      Chelsea

    Gilt                  Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Gordon Ramsay at
     The London           Manhattan      Midtown West

    Momofuku Ko           Manhattan      East Village

    Picholine             Manhattan      Upper West Side


                                 THREE STARS

    ESTABLISHMENT          BOROUGH        NEIGHBORHOOD

    Jean Georges          Manhattan      Upper West Side
    Le Bernardin          Manhattan      Midtown West
    Masa                  Manhattan      Midtown West
    Per Se                Manhattan      Midtown West


                           BIB GOURMAND (Under $40)

    ESTABLISHMENT          BOROUGH        NEIGHBORHOOD

    Amy Ruth's            Manhattan      Harlem & Washington Heights

    Apizz                 Manhattan      Lower East Side

    Baci & Abbracci       Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Belleville            Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Beyoglu               Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Bianca                Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Blue Ribbon Bakery    Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Blue Smoke            Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    Cho Dang Gol          Manhattan      Midtown West

    Congee Village        Manhattan      Lower East Side

    Crispo                Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Daisy May's BBQ       Manhattan      Midtown West

    Dim Su GoGo           Manhattan      Chinatown

    Dinosaur Bar-B-Que    Manhattan      Harlem

    Ed's Lobster Bar      Manhattan      SoHo & Nolita

    El Parador            Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Fatty Crab            Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Frankies 457
     Spuntino             Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Garden Court Cafe     Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Gennaro               Manhattan      Upper West Side

    Golden Unicorn        Manhattan      Chinatown

    Good Fork (The)       Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Great N.Y.
     Noodletown           Manhattan      Chinatown

    'inoteca              Manhattan      Lower East Side

    Itzocan               Manhattan      East Village

    Jackson Diner         Queens         Queens

    Jaiya                 Manhattan      Gramercy

    J.G. Melon            Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Katz's                Manhattan      Lower East Side

    L'Ecole               Manhattan      SoHo & Nolita

    Les Halles            Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    Lil' Frankie's
     Pizza                Manhattan      East Village

    Lupa                  Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Mamlouk               Manhattan      East Village

    Marlow & Sons         Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Momofuku Noodle Bar   Manhattan      East Village

    Momofuku Ssam Bar     Manhattan      East Village

    Nyonya                Manhattan      Little Italy

    Park Avenue Bistro    Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    Phoenix Garden        Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Prune                 Manhattan      East Village

    S'Agapo               Queens         Queens

    Saravanaas            Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    Sette Enoteca &
     Cucina               Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Sevilla               Manhattan      Greenwich, West Village & Meatpacking

    Snack                 Manhattan      SoHo & NoLita

    Soba-Ya               Manhattan      East Village

    Sripraphai            Queens         Queens

    Surya                 Manhattan      West Village

    Taco Taco             Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Thomas Beisl          Brooklyn       Brooklyn

    Turkish Kitchen       Manhattan      Gramercy, Flatiron & Union Square

    202                   Manhattan      Chelsea

    Uva                   Manhattan      Upper East Side

    Vida                  Staten Island  Staten Island

    Yakitori Torys        Manhattan      Midtown East & Murray Hill

    Zabb Queens           Queens         Queens

    Zoma                  Manhattan      Harlem & Washington Heights

SOURCE Michelin