Chas Martin might need to stop naming his restaurants after himself. The Michelin Guide mistook one of his restaurants for another and accidentally honored the wrong one at the Monday night ceremony inaugurating its Texas guide. It has taken the unusual step of making a late substitution.
At the ceremony, The Charles was honored with a “recommended” designation, the unstarred inclusion that denotes “good cooking” and functions as a sort of honorable mention. But its description on the Michelin Guide website was, in every single detail, a description of Mister Charles. Michelin praised “corn and truffle beignets,” “canapés like a lobster roll on a petite brioche bun,” “Texas wagyu beef Wellington,” and “signature baked Alaska,” all dishes at Mister Charles. It did not describe any dishes from The Charles. (The Guide also mentioned a “sample” pasta, an apparent typo for “simple.”)
After an honoree showed me the mistake, I inquired with Michelin this morning. It prepared the following statement on the miscue: “This was an internal error caused by our geolocation process. The problem will be corrected in the most expeditious manner.”
The online press release has been corrected and the Guide will be fully updated shortly to include Mister Charles, but not The Charles.
Martin, owner and namesake of both restaurants, said he is a little frustrated at the mistake, but overall glad for Texas that Michelin is here—and glad for his crew that two of his restaurants are included. (El Carlos Elegante also was awarded a “recommended.”)
“My guys [at The Charles] have been celebrating all night and all day and patting each other on the back,” Martin said. “The Charles has been around for six years, it’s a successful business, I’m blessed to be involved with it. And I have to go tell 30 people, hey, you didn’t win, actually.”
Next I asked if Martin will reconsider his scheme of restaurants named Charles and Carlos. Then he laughed. “That’s a good question,” he said, and then repeated that comment four more times. “Don’t know about that yet.”
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