2011 Michelin restaurant ratings announced for New York; The Breslin at Ace Hotel receives its first star

Yesterday was a big day in the New York foodie world, as Michelin released its restaurant ratings for 2011. The day arrives but once a year, with everyone waiting on edge to see which restaurants will lose their stars, which ones will gain, and which ones will be newcomers to the list.

As we've said before, some of New York's finest restaurants are inside hotels, so we thought we'd update you on where their new Michelin ratings stand.

The biggest news for us is that The Breslin, the meat-heavy restaurant from April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman that opened in the Ace Hotel earlier this year, has earned a very honorable and well-deserved Michelin star. The joint opened to a fanfare of good press and plenty of praise for dishes like pig's foot for 2 ($45), crispy sweetbreats with curried lentils ($16), and boiled peanuts fried in pork fat ($6). And the restaurant's hodgepodge barroom decor coolly complements the hip, eclectic hotel to which it is attached.

Other than The Breslin, the Michelin stars given to hotel restaurants in New York remained the same. Here is a quick rundown of the hotels that offer starred restaurants:
Three Michelin stars:
Jean Georges, Trump International Hotel and Tower
Two Michelin stars:
Gilt, The New York Palace
Gordon Ramsay at The London, The London NYC
One Michelin star:
Adour, The St. Regis New York
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Four Seasons New York
The Breslin, Ace Hotel

In addition to the very prestigious and very sought-after stars, Michelin also awards Bib Gourmand awards to restaurants that are the "Inspectors' Favorites for Good Value." This year the list includes 95 restaurants, all of which are affordable and extremely tasty. One of the newcomers to this list this year is Asia de Cuba, at the Morgans hotel. The Asian-meets-Latin cuisine and trendy atmosphere have been quite popular in New York for some time, and this year Asia de Cuba has been added to the Bib Gourmand list for the first time. Try the honey-rhum glazed pot roast of pork ($35) or the tropical hoisin roasted duck ($39), both designed, like all dishes on the menu, to be shared family-style.