On Sunday, Michael Bauer unleashed his annual Top 100. A total of 21 restaurants were dismissed this year, either due to closure (Cyrus, Masa's) or because the noted food critic fell out of love with them (Incanto, Range). "While it’s fun to welcome the newcomers to the Top 100 list...it’s never easy to say goodbye to some one-time favorites. Each year the bar gets raised, and with new places gaining the momentum it’s hard for established places to keep up and stay fresh," he writes.
But, according to food scribes, few of the dropped restaurants were a shock. Jay Barmann of Grub Street, for example, notes, "None of these removals are huge surprises given some of Bauer's recent reviews of these places — Incanto, for instance, got a somewhat negative two and a half star review back in February." Barmann goes on to point out, "Some restaurants are dropped without any elaboration, like Dosa, Absinthe, Baker and Banker, and Baumé in Palo Alto (despite its two Michelin stars)."
Check out the dropped 21 at Inside Scoop.
This year’s Top 100, we should point out, is available only in print edition of The Chronicle or behind a paywall. Have at it, folks.