India, Dec. 4 -- Which is the most critically respected and awarded restaurant in the world today? Okay, I concede that there are many ways of measuring critical acclaim, and these days, the international restaurant world has more awards than McDonald's has French fries.

But there is one measure of quality that most chefs will tell you they respect.They may not always agree with the Michelin guide's opinions, but they admire the gravity and the integrity of the process that goes into the awarding of stars. This is one kind of recognition you can't buy. It doesn't depend on how many influencers you feed or how many critics you pay off. The guide relies on anonymous but highly trained and experienced inspectors, whose opinions (at least on...