Starr Restaurants facts for kids
Starr Restaurants is a famous group of places to eat, started by Stephen Starr. You can find their restaurants in many big cities like Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., sunny South Florida, and even Paris, France. Stephen Starr is the boss and founder of this whole restaurant family.
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About Starr Restaurants
Starr Restaurants is known as one of the biggest restaurant companies in the United States. They have many different kinds of restaurants, from New York to Miami. These places are special because they focus on "theatrical details." This means they pay close attention to things like the music, lighting, and even the decorations. The magazine Travel + Leisure said that Starr Restaurants creates "complete environments" with an artistic touch. Most Starr Restaurants are unique, but a few, like Buddakan and El Vez, can be found in different cities.
How Starr Restaurants Started
The story of Starr Restaurants began in 1995. Stephen Starr opened his very first restaurant, "Continental Restaurant & Martini Bar," in September of that year. It was located in Center City, Philadelphia. The mayor at the time, Ed Rendell, said that this restaurant brought a lot of excitement to the Old City area and helped start a "restaurant revolution" there. After this first success, Stephen Starr opened many more restaurants in Philadelphia.
In 2006, Starr Restaurants started to grow beyond Philadelphia. They opened new places in New York City and Atlantic City. By 2009, the company had 18 restaurants, including one in Florida. Starr Restaurants kept expanding, and in 2013, they opened restaurants in Washington, D.C. This brought their total to 30 restaurants! A big step happened in 2016 when Starr opened its first restaurant outside the United States, called Chez La Vieille, in Paris.
Awards and Honors
Stephen Starr, the leader of Starr Restaurants, has won many important awards. Both Bon Appétit and Zagat magazines named him "Restaurateur of the Year." In 2013, Restaurant Hospitality magazine gave him the Richard Melman Innovator of the Year award. A very special honor came in 2017 when Starr won the James Beard Award for "Outstanding Restaurateur." This is like winning an Oscar for restaurants!
Some of Starr's restaurants have also won big awards. Le Coucou, a Starr Restaurant with Chef Daniel Rose, was named "Best New Restaurant" in 2017 by the James Beard Foundation. Food & Wine magazine also picked Le Coucou as one of its 2017 Restaurants of the Year. The Clocktower, another Starr Restaurant with Jason Atherton, earned a star in the 2018 Michelin Guide. Getting a Michelin star is a huge achievement for a restaurant!
Starr Restaurant Locations
As of 2019, Starr Restaurants had many locations. Most of them, twenty, were in Philadelphia. There were seven in New York City, five in South Florida, two in Atlantic City, New Jersey, two in Washington, D.C., and one in Paris, France. The restaurants in Atlantic City closed in 2020.
Restaurants in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is home to the most Starr Restaurants. Here are some of them:
- The Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar (opened 1995)
- Buddakan (Modern Asian food, opened 1998)
- KPod (Modern Korean food, opened 2021)
- Morimoto (Modern Japanese food, opened 2001, with Masaharu Morimoto)
- El Vez (Modern Mexican food, opened 2003)
- Parc (French food, opened 2008)
- The Dandelion (British Pub, opened 2010)
- Frankford Hall (Beer Garden, opened 2011)
Restaurants in New York City
New York City has several popular Starr Restaurants:
- Buddakan (Modern Asian food, opened 2006)
- El Vez (Modern Mexican food, opened 2014)
- Upland (Modern American food, opened 2014)
- The Clocktower (opened 2015, has a Michelin Star)
- Le Coucou (French food, opened 2016, won "Best New Restaurant" award)
- Veronika (inside Fotografiska New York)
Restaurants in South Florida
You can find these Starr Restaurants in sunny South Florida:
- Steak 954 (Steakhouse, opened 2009)
- Makoto (Sushi, opened 2011)
- Le Zoo (French food, opened 2015)
- El Vez (Modern Mexican food, opened 2018)
Restaurants in Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. has two Starr Restaurants:
- Le Diplomate (French food, opened 2013)
- St. Anselm (American food, opened 2018)
Restaurants in Paris
Starr Restaurants has one location in Paris, France:
- Chez La Vieille (French food, opened 2016)
