Michelin will expand its authoritative hotel and restaurant guides in North America to include San Francisco and the Bay Area. The Michelin Guide San Francisco and the Bay Area 2007, the first-ever Michelin Guide for a West Coast city, is scheduled to arrive in American stores October 2006, according to a release issued by PR Newswire.

The Guide will cover hotels and restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Berkeley, as well as the Wine Country, which includes Napa and Sonoma. The announcement was made by Jean-Luc Naret, the Michelin Guide's worldwide director. The Michelin Guide, whose rating system is internationally recognised as the height of culinary success, is already published in 12 editions covering 20 European countries, apart from New York City, which was added in November 2005.

For its debut in the San Francisco area, the Guide will provide a selection and rating, in all categories of comfort and prices, of restaurants in Frisco and the Bay Area in a reader-friendly layout made especially for the American market.

"The diversity, breadth and depth of San Francisco's restaurant and hotel scene, coupled with its rich gastronomic history, clearly mark the city and surrounding areas as the logical choice for the next North American title in the Michelin Guide series," Naret said. "As with our recently published Guide to New York City, we are making every effort to produce a comprehensive selection that does full justice to the region's exciting restaurant and hotel culture and also meets our readers' expectations."

During the announcement, Naret described San Francisco as unique among
US cities, citing its reputation as a world-class tourism destination and stressing the importance of its treasured culinary traditions, including the genesis of organic cooking, the foundation of California cuisine and the 'Slow Food' movement, as well as the production of renowned wines nearby. "The Bay Area's food-conscious residents value innovative cuisine and are passionate about using fresh ingredients, including some of the country's highest quality organic ingredients that are produced here," Naret said. "We are eagerly anticipating the Michelin Guide's entry into this wonderful city known for its cuisine, culture, beauty and innovative spirit."

As part of its meticulous and highly confidential evaluation process, Michelin inspectors -- both European and American -- are currently conducting anonymous inspections in Bay Area restaurants and hotels. As with all Michelin Guide inspections, the process involves test meals or overnight stays at each establishment by Michelin inspectors to assess the level and consistency of the establishment. These inspectors pay their bills at the restaurants and hotels.

"The Michelin inspectors are the eyes and ears of the customers and thus the anonymity of our inspectors is key to ensure they are treated the same as any guest would be treated," commented Naret. (To learn more about the Michelin Guides, go to www.michelin.com