I first heard about Michelin-Star restaurants at university in a product development class on innovative methods in cookery. The modernist ideas included thermacirculators which are ovens that operate at a constant low temperature. This allows vegetables to cook evenly with no loss of flavour and colour, and the connective tissue in meats dissolve away without overcooking producing tasteful results. Another method called liquid nitrogen causes food to freeze rapidly. Rapid freezing changes the food’s texture producing a pleasant mouthfeel when compared to the traditional freezing method. Lastly, transglutiminase, a meat enzyme, that has glue-like qualities. It’s been used to glue together different meats and fish transforming regular dishes into phenomenal ones. All of these innovative methods created not only inspiring new dishes but works of art too! Furthermore, I learned about these pioneers in food preparation and presentation; Ferran Adria, Grant Achatz, Heston Blumenthal and Wylie Dufresne. They are exceptionally talented chefs. Fine dining has vaulted to a new level. I decided I am going to experience many Michelin-Star restaurants!

My latest trip to San Francisco in the summer of 2018, was my first Michelin-star dining experience! When my friend and I were preparing for the trip, we reviewed a Michelin-star website. I was pleasantly surprised that the prices were not out of this world and we each chose a restaurant. I was not aware of a rating system until my friend mentioned it. She was viewing the website and said the restaurants we chose were one-star. I said “What does that mean?” She Googled it. One-star is given to a restaurant of high standard where the dishes are perfectly executed every time and worth a stop. Two stars indicate outstanding cuisine, skill and creativity in crafting the dishes, and you’ll want to go out of your way to eat there. Three-star status is beyond exceptional. The dishes are over the top and worth traveling to to experience a meal. Other elements like service and ambience are also apart of the rating system. So much goes into creating an exceptional dining experience. Great tasting food is not the only factor!

The one-star restaurants we chose were Octavia and SPQR. What I experienced felt like a three-star so I cannot imagine how much better it could be but I will find out one of these days! I felt both meals were exceptional. I couldn’t say which one I liked better. The feeling on my palate was dreamy as the texture and creaminess of the dishes were perfectly executed and the emotions it evoked caused me to mindfully savour each bite. Service was delicious too. It takes a certain personality to do the job well and both places had employed servers who were above and beyond. The difference between the restaurants was its ambience. Each place was small but their decor created different dining experiences.

Octavia had an upbeat feel about it. The room was light and airy. There were windows on two of the four walls. The contrasted painted walls from off-white to dark grey was so stunning. Accompanied with it was grey wood incorporated by tables, flooring and shelves. This presented an aesthetically pleasing look and so well balanced that it accomplished a cozy and warm atmosphere. Added to this was the perfectly dimmed lighting. All of these carefully thought out exquisite elements and details executed an exceptional dining experience from start to finish. SPQR was stellar in almost all categories but fell short in the decor component. It was dull in comparison to Octavia. I have realized that a full-on rich dining experience includes more than the food, it also includes a feeling. If I had to choose between the restaurants, I would dine at Octavia as the ambience positively enriched my experience.