Sacramento, California boasts some fine restaurants, a few of which now boast Michelin plates or Bib Gourmands. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, it seems.

Drive by the East Sacramento eatery, Allora, on a given Tuesday and you’ll see a restaurant packed with patrons. On a Tuesday. This Michelin plate restaurant is a gastro delight and well deserving of the Michelin plate which has been bestowed. Interestingly, Bacon & Butter, the super-popular Tahoe Park breakfast spot sits in the same Michelin category. And, while delicious, I can’t quite categorize a delicious sausage sandwich and coffee with the same emotionally rich offerings available at Allora on a given Tuesday.

So, how much credence do we give the Michelin guide? It’s been around since 1889 and it’s been awarding stars to restaurants since 1926. Clearly, it’s a great place to start, but perhaps even better to understand what the ratings mean.

Bib Gourmand restaurants are recognized by the Michelin guide as serving good food. These restaurants are judged by the same five criteria as the starred restaurants. They are designated restaurants with “good cuisine at reasonable prices,” like the famed Frank Fat’s or relative newcomer (in comparison to Frank’s) to the Sacramento restaurant scene, Canon.

Restaurants neither having a star or a Bib Gourmand might receive a Michelin Plate, as in the case of Allora and Bacon & Butter, as well as a few others. These restaurants, you can be assured, serve good food, consistently, and may well be on their way to a Michelin star or two.

The only restaurant in Sacramento with any stars is the famed Kitchen restaurant, a Sacramento institution since its inception in 1991.

The criteria used by highly trained Michelin inspectors includes:

• Quality of the ingredients used

• Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques

• The personality of the chef in her cuisine

• Value for money and consistency between visits

So, while Sacramento is getting there, the city still has a way to go before becoming a gastro-travel destination. Let’s just hope the locals can still get reservations when the time comes.