Folks are all abuzz-- yes, -- about those famous food snobs/tire manufactures who yesterday released the 2009 Michelin Guide to San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country.

And the harsh critics who use a clinically-obese man as their mascot were stingy with the stars when it came it the Bay Area. The nerve.

We won't divulge the gastronomic failures who received only one star (*), because, clearly, they suck and deserve nothing except your pity and scorn. But restaurants that managed to keep their two-star status (**) were Aqua (seafood), Cyrus (in a far away land called Healdsburg), Manresa (French and modern Catalan), Meadowood ("center of social, cultural and viticultural life in Napa Valley"), The Restaurant (nothing to do with the fey Rocco DiSpirito), and Michael Mina (that place in the St. Francis with an eat-by-numbers concept).

Pacific Heights' Quince, which was the front-runner for nabbing two stars this year, came up empty-handed. Too bad since we hear the French/Italian joint is the bees-knees. (Better luck next year, Michael Tusk!)

Also, some are freaking out over Debian derived Linux-based operating system/Napa "community-focused" restaurant and yoga studio Ubuntu getting passed over too.

The big surprise, though, was that Coi received two stars. Those must be some whimsical California Rolls they've got on the menu over there.

And once again, the only Bay Area three star (***) goes to The French Laundry. In-N-Out, however, received zero stars. Again. Pft.

abuzz