Michelin Releases Latest Edition of San Francisco,
Bay Area & Wine Country

San Francisco (Oct. 22, 2007) - Michelin today released the second edition of the Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country. The Michelin Guide contains more than 80 new establishments in this year's guide. The new edition features 445 establishments in all, a number that includes 384 restaurants - representing 36 types of cuisine - and 61 area hotels.

The results of the Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 will be celebrated during a special panel discussion event at 7 p.m., Wed., Oct. 24 at Book Passage in the Ferry Building. Panelists will include Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide, and Marcia Gagliardi of Tablehopper.com. The event will also include a wine tasting.

The Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 again features the Bib Gourmand category, which indicates Michelin inspectors' favorites for good value. This year's Bib Gourmands include 50 restaurants that serve a menu with two dishes and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. The restaurants awarded this distinction can be identified by a red pictogram depicting the head of Bibendum(r), the Michelin Man.

The Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 also includes 58 restaurants serving a meal (two dishes and a glass of wine or dessert) for $25 or less. In the selection, these establishments are indicated by the coins pictogram.

As a result, almost a third of the Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 selection is comprised of highly affordable restaurants. While the Michelin Guide is known around the world for its famous stars, these restaurants account for just five percent of the selection. With more than one million copies sold in approximately 100 countries, the Michelin Guide has always built its success on the diversity of its selection and especially on small establishments offering a high-quality dining experience at an affordable price, of which the best are included in the "Our inspectors' favorites for good value" category. Moreover, inclusion in the Michelin Guide is, in itself, synonymous with quality, since only the best establishments in each comfort and price category are selected.

The Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 includes a total of 34 "starred" restaurants, of which one - The French Laundry - has received three stars, six two stars and 27 one star. To ensure a consistent selection, the same five criteria are used for awarding stars in all countries: product quality, preparation and flavors, the cuisine's personality, value for money and consistency.

One star means a very good restaurant in its category.
Two stars mean excellent cooking, worth a detour.
Three stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.

The presentation of each hotel and restaurant in the Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 includes a description of the atmosphere, interior decoration, chef's background, etc. These descriptions are intended solely to provide readers with additional information about the establishment.

Present in North America since late 2005, the Michelin Guide has two local editions: The Michelin Guide New York City, now in its third edition, and the second edition Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country. Two new North American guides will be published in November: the Michelin Guide Los Angeles 2008 and the Michelin Guide Las Vegas 2008.

In Europe, the collection currently comprises 17 Michelin Guides, including English-language versions of the Michelin Guide France and the Michelin Guide Paris. The Michelin Guide is also making its entry into Asia with the publication of the first edition of the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2008 in November.

Thanks to a rigorous selection process that is applied independently and consistently around the world, the Michelin Guide has become an international benchmark in gourmet dining. The selection is made by anonymous, professional inspectors who are Michelin employees and is based on the same working methods in all countries.

The Michelin Guide San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country 2008 goes on sale on Wed., Oct. 24 for $16.95. Langenscheidt Publishing Group, premier publisher of map, travel, and language brands, is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Michelin Maps and Guides. For more information, please visit www.langenscheidt.com/michelin. Available for the first time in November 2007, the Michelin Guide Los Angeles 2008 and Michelin Guide Las Vegas 2008 will complement the existing catalog of Michelin maps and guides, as well as Langenscheidt's own extensive catalog of leading U.S., international, and regional maps, guides, and atlases.

For more than a century, Michelin Guides have helped travelers enjoy better mobility by offering qualified restaurant and hotel recommendations throughout Europe. Now representing 21 countries and two continents, the collection of 17 Michelin Guides includes more than 45,000 addresses. Its team of highly trained inspectors visits establishments anonymously, applying Michelin's international standards for quality across many categories. In North America, the company has introduced Michelin Guides for New York City and San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country, with plans to publish 2008 guides to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Michelin has also announced that it will introduce the Michelin Guide to Tokyo, Japan.

For more information, visit www.michelinguide.com.