Europe’s famed Michelin Guide blew into San Francisco last month, awarding stars and creating controversy. At the Ferry Building press event, waiters in black ties and white gloves paraded the little red book on silver platters and handed them to guests that included chefs Thomas Keller, Roland Passot, Ron Siegel, and Laurent Manrique.

Many questioned the number of stars awarded to some of San Francisco’s best restaurants – for example, highly regarded Gary Danko and La Folie both received one star, lumping them in the same category with casual bistros like Bouchon. But the controversy hit a fevered pitch when errors were discovered – big errors – throughout the guide, making some critics question whether an inspector even paid a visit. The entry for La Folie says that Roland Passot’s wife, Jamie, will greet them at the door, but Jamie hasn’t worked at the restaurant since giving birth to their daughter Charlotte 13 years ago. For Gary Danko – a restaurant many felt should have received two stars rather than one – the guide introduces Nick Peyton as Danko’s “partner and maitre d’,” but Peyton left the restaurant in 2000.

Controversy aside, Bay Area chefs and restaurant proprietors breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was over. “Every time I noticed someone with a French accent dining alone, I’d break out in a cold sweat,” one restaurateur told me. So who exactly are these “Michelin inspectors,” and how do they decide which restaurants are deserving of their stars? I sat down with Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret recently to find out.

What does it take to be a Michelin three-star restaurant?
A little je ne sais quoi – perfect every day, from when the curtain rises until it closes.

What are the primary differences between U.S. and European restaurants?
In Europe, your table is your real estate – it’s yours for the night. In the U.S., a table might turn three times, but they do it fairly seamlessly, so you don’t really notice.

What are the biggest differences between restaurants in the Bay Area and restaurants in NYC?
They have the same passion, attention to detail, and exceptional cuisine. There’s really no difference at this level – we are rating them against other restaurants internationally. If you get three stars, it means you are amongst the 60 best restaurants in the world; two means you are in the top 360; and one means the top 1,000. Even restaurants that get no stars, but are mentioned in the guide, may be a three- or four-star restaurant to some food critics.

How would you describe Bay Area cuisine?
Excellent product and the guests are all foodies! Other cities, you hear people in restaurants talking about movies, politics … here, they talk about food. The restaurants here are nice, friendly, welcoming – they’re still sophisticated, but they’re very warm.

How does one qualify to become a Michelin inspector?
One has to be passionate about food, have an eye for detail, and be in good physical condition because there is so much eating out. It’s a full-time job – this is not part-time fun where you can go to nice restaurants and bring a date. For New York and San Francisco, the inspector is American. We had 3,500 people apply on our Web site. We picked the most qualified and they went through a six month “boot camp” for Michelin inspectors and then were sent to eat at other Michelin starred restaurants so they had a reference point to start from.

What is the process for “inspecting” potential Michelin restaurants?
We start by preselecting them, based on local publications’ reviews and so forth, and then we say to the inspectors, “Go have lunch and dinner.” In between lunch and dinner, they can go around and try to find other restaurants besides the 1,000 we preselected. We saw another 250 restaurants from that, and only maybe two made the list, so I think we were right with the original 1,000 we chose.

What is the last restaurant you ate at?
Aqua.

Where would one find the best croque monsieur in Paris?
Most small bistros in Paris do them well, but the best I would say is a little place near Rue du Cherche-Midi. There is a restaurant called Poilâne, and next door is their little sandwich shop where you’ll find the best croque monsieur.

What up and coming trends do you see on restaurant menus around the world?
Wine pairing is big here, and it’s starting to move around Europe. A very simple menu with no choice – the chef goes to the market in the morning and creates the menu based on what is fresh and seasonal, like here at Chez Panisse – that is happening in Northern Europe. And in New York and Las Vegas, it’s all about celebrity chefs.

Is there one dish that you see on menus over and over that you wish would go away?
Foams – I wish the chefs would stop playing with their foams and make real food!

What would your last meal on earth be and where would you have it?
It would be at my country house with my wife and kids having a turkey dinner – which means that the meal is home-cooked and I’m not traveling.