Anecdotally, the Michelin restaurants in Japan optimize for much much more than just food. The most expensive meal I&#x27;ve ever had was at Kikunoi in Kyoto (3 Michelin stars). I was excited about this meal for MONTHS. And although I do love traditional Japanese food, the meal was - to be honest - worse than most Bib Gourmand meals I&#x27;ve had here in SF. Atmosphere and presentation - divine - but the food wasn&#x27;t nearly as tasty as the 1000 yen bentos.