It doesn’t matter how many steaks we slice into or bowls of noodles we slurp — ranking the top 25 restaurants in our annual Top 100 list feels like the summit push on our Mount Everest–sized project.

HOUSTON — The Michelin Guide returns to Texas on Tuesday, nearly a year after making history by awarding its first-ever stars to barbecue restaurants in the Lone Star State. At Corkscrew BBQ in Spring ...