In Bergisch Gladback, Germany, the place now known as Castle Hotel Lerbach was first mentioned in a 1384 manuscript. It opened as a hotel in 1992 and is home to chef Dieter Muller, whose three-star-rated restaurant (named after him) is a highlight of any visit to Germany's wine country.
Is it one of your life goals to dine in the world’s best restaurants? Unlike the amateur review sites we mentioned in our last post, Michelin Guide writers definitely know how to find and evaluate excellent cuisine.
You might be interested to know there are only 85 restaurants in the world that enjoy Michelin’s (top) three-star rating. Most of these are concentrated in Western Europe; although the guide writers have recently put a strong emphasis on growing their list of brilliant dining experiences in Japan as well.
The 2010 distribution of three-star-rated restaurants is:
- Belgium, 2
- China, 3
- France, 26 (of these, 10 are in Paris)
- Germany, 9
- Italy, 6
- Japan, 18 (of these, 11 are in Tokyo, 6 in Kyoto)
- Monaco, 1
- Netherlands, 2
- Spain, 7
- Switzerland, 2
- U.K., 4
- U.S., 6 (of these, 5 are in New York)
Next time you’re traveling in these areas, plan to splurge at least one night in one of these restaurants. Reservations are definitely required in advance.
Bon appetit!
P.S. If you’d like to buy a Michelin Guide, save quite a bit off the suggested retail price at Amazon.com.
