Food is one of those basic needs. We need it to survive. In the Stephenson's Dallas home, food is more than that.
"Food is definitely my biggest passion," Drew Stephenson said. "So when I heard an announcement late last year that the Guide would be coming to Texas, I lost my mind!"
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WATCH HEREStephenson was referring to the Michelin Guide, a who's who of exceptional dining. For Stephenson, Texas had been noticeably left out of the Michelin Guide.
"I was insanely excited, and I kind of thought to myself, 'Well, depending on how many restaurants are going to be in the guide, why don't I just go around Texas and try to eat at them all?'"
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SIGN UP "Yeah, I thought it was a good idea," Stephenson's wife Alanna said. "I just thought we'd do it over a longer period of time. Like, you know, within the year before the next Guide comes out."
They did it in the first 6-weeks of 2025. Drew ate at all 15 Michelin Star restaurants in Texas. Alanna went to 9 of them with him. Stephenson documented their culinary adventure on his Instagram @drewthefoodguy.
"Getting to do this is truly that sort of Christmas morning feeling, and I get it pretty much every single time," Drew said. "Yeah, you just kind of feel like you're being taken on a journey," Alanna said.
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The Stephenson's dining room walls are lined with framed menus; and mementos from their travels through dining.
"When this is your hobby, you learn to budget for it," Drew said. "As you can tell by our apartment, we're not rich and we're also not allowing this to put us in debt."
Stephenson said they spent about $3,000/person for their Texas Michelin star tour. Only one of the restaurants, Tatsu, was in North Texas.
"That was our one Star in North Texas. Very disappointing," Drew said.
One of the couple's favorite restaurants, Lucia in Bishop Arts, got a Bib Gourmand, a Michelin Guide distinction for exceptional restaurants that are more affordable. "I thought they were gonna get a Star. That hurt pretty bad," Drew said. "You're usually going to be eating dishes at a lot of these places that would make a short-list for best thing you ate all year."
Most of the year, the couple eats at home, saving up for their next culinary trip.
