You are spot on. It is not a bad thing, I believe. It is a brand (Michelin) with their taste. If you agree with their taste it can open similar recommendations

You are spot on. It is not a bad thing, I believe. It is a brand (Michelin) with their taste. If you agree with their taste it can open similar recommendations. Like music recommendations from Pitchfork or NME. It can also work as a reverse-recommendation: avoiding movies that won an Oscar, or from a certain Director, or that your cousin loves ;). If somebody likes the imperfections of vinyl, or of traditional firm photography, good for them. It does not need to be a hipster thing.