Michelin 2024 star wins and losses for D.C.

• Omakase @ Barracks Row: The Japanese tasting counter stood out to inspectors for "an impressive array" of little luxuries beyond sublime nigiri and "bold but balanced flavors" in bites like surf clam with kumquat kosho.

Meanwhile, one-star Oyster Oyster in Shaw received its first "Green Star" award for above-and-beyond sustainable practices.

💲 Bib Gourmand winners — high-quality, "good value" restaurants — include over 25 D.C. restaurants.

• New: Amparo Fondita, chef Christian Irabien's modern Mexican spot in Dupont Circle.

Between the lines: Two restaurants were demoted. Chef Aaron Silverman's luxurious Capitol Hill tasting room Pineapple & Pearls fell to one star — leaving only Jônt and Minibar, both ultra-pricey tasting counters, with two stars. Maydan lost its Michelin star.

• Michelin tells Axios that restaurants are revisited each year to monitor quality, and that "demotion is based on a deficiency" in one or more of the five judging criteria: quality ingredients, flavors, cooking techniques, the personality of the chef "as reflected in the cuisine," and consistency.
• It's possible to restore a star — though in recent years, restaurants that have lost stars (e.g., Cranes, Sushi Taro) haven't bounced back.

Meanwhile, Virginia's Inn at Little Washington remains the only three-star restaurant in the guide and the only Michelin-rated restaurant in the region outside the District.

Yes, but: Awards aren't just about restaurants. Since the pandemic, Michelin began giving "special awards" to star individuals in the hospitality scene. In D.C., the 2024 winners include:

• Exceptional cocktails: Thi Nguyen, Moon Rabbit
• Sommelier: William Simmons, Albi
• Outstanding service: Jill Tyler, Tail Up Goat
• Young chef award: Carlos Delgado, Causa

The big picture: Michelin is expanding. Domestic guides just launched in Texas, Florida and beyond, and the first Michelin "key awards" for exceptional hotels came to D.C. this year.

• "In the years to come, the Michelin guide will come to cover the U.S. as a whole — that's the end goal," Michelin's international director Gwendal Poullennec tells Axios. "It's starting around the big cities, but increasingly we see interesting, authentic projects everywhere."

Could the D.C. guide grow beyond the District (and the Inn)? It's a question chefs and diners have asked since Michelin launched here in 2017.

• "No specifics to announce, but we're already planning to expand outside cities," says Poullennec. "The purpose is to look for talent wherever it is and to recognize hidden gems."

The intrigue: Poullennec tells Axios that one of the barriers to rapid growth is that Michelin inspectors are years in the making, needing ample expertise and training. The anonymous reviewers circle the U.S. and globe, using fake names, credit cards and phone numbers. ("It's a bit like the CIA," he says.)

• Anton Ego stereotypes aside, Michelin critics don't act alone. The same inspector never revisits the same restaurant to avoid "profiling and individual bias," according to Poullennec, and they sometimes dine out in groups.

That's not to say trends don't emerge. One promising theme Poullennec took from this year's star awards is that Michelin restaurant-trained chefs are striking out on their own.

• Mita chefs Tatiana Mora and Miguel Guerra worked at Michelin-starred El Cielo before opening their place. And Chef Yi "Ricky" Wang trained at Sushi Nakazawa pre-Omakase @ Barracks Row.

The bottom line: "It's a dissemination of talent," says Poullennec. "Chefs opening projects with their own philosophy and commitment."

Here's a full list of D.C.'s Michelin-star and Bib Gourmand winners.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say two restaurants lost a Michelin star (not one): Pineapple & Pearls and Maydan.