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SALZSBURG, Jan 22 — France’s Michelin Guide on Tuesday unveiled its first nationwide list of Austria’s best restaurants since 2009, awarding two establishments with its top three-star ranking.
“Our inspectors were quite impressed by chefs who are firmly rooted in their traditions, while at the same time being very creative,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.
In all, 62 restaurants across Austria received one Michelin star, and 18 were awarded with two stars.
Two restaurants in Vienna — Amador and Steirereck im Stadtpark — secured the top three-star ranking.
Well-known eateries in Alpine resorts such as Lech and Sankt-Anton were also singled out.
According to the Michelin Guide, “Austria has clearly established itself as a must-visit destination worldwide over the last few years” due to the “expansion of its range of products and services”.
Since 2010, the Michelin guide had only covered Austrian restaurants in the cities of Vienna and Salzburg.
But last year, Michelin’s anonymous reviewers once again fanned out to the country’s more remote corners.
As the prestigious star rating allows for international comparison, Austrian chefs feel like they have been invited to “take part in the Olympic Games,” said Michael Feiertag, head of the Styrian regional tourist office.
Austria’s cuisine has been shaped by many influences — from Central and Eastern Europe to the Alps — accumulated over centuries.
With about a fourth of all agricultural land certified as organic in Austria, the Alpine country of nine million people is also regarded as the European Union’s organic farming leader.
In recent years, Michelin says it has noted the “increasing potential of the gastronomic offer in Central and Eastern Europe”.
Created in 1900 by tyre manufacturers Andre and Edouard Michelin as a guide for motorists, it now has editions across Europe, Asia, North and South America. — AFP