Early peek at Michelin stars

Spago, Mélisse and Urasawa earned two stars, while one-star restaurants include Providence, Sona, Water Grill, Ortolan, Patina, Ritz-Carlton Huntington Dining Room, La Botte and Joe's. No local eatery got three stars (although the absurdly priced Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas did). Three is a huge deal in the gastronomic world, but getting even one star is notable - well, at least to some people. Ratings for the first-ever Michelin Guide for L.A. and Las Vegas were supposed to be announced on Monday, but some chefs somehow found the results on Michelin's Web site. The names had been put up by accident. From the LAT:

With Michelin stars come prestige, but stars also bring business. "It was one of the single greatest factors in affecting our business and the demographic of our clientele," says David Kinch, chef-owner of Manresa in Los Gatos. Last year the restaurant received two stars when the "Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country" was published for the first time. "It changed everything. It's been amazing. Visitors coming from all over the world. All of a sudden we became a part of the trail."