Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay earned two Michelin stars for his New York restaurant on Monday, while Tom Colicchio lost his one precious star.

Famously hot-tempered chef Gordon Ramsay said he felt “vindicated” upon learning his New York restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at The London, had been granted two Michelin stars from the prestigious international guide.

Ramsay, whose NYC restaurant opened less than a year ago, has gained widespread attention as much for his cooking talents as for his antics as host of Fox's “Hell's Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares.”

He has been harshly criticized by many for his frustrated outbursts, but Ramsay told the New York Daily News: “I feel vindicated. It feels amazing, fantastic. I am so happy.”

“Today is about revenge,” he said about winning two Michelin stars.

Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret defended Ramsay’s restaurant, explaining that that 10 American inspectors visited The London 12 times over the year.

“Gordon Ramsay deserved two stars,” Naret told Reuters Monday, “not because of his name and TV fame, but because of the consistency of the multiple visits by inspectors throughout the year.”

The chef in turn told Reuters: “I still won't sleep until I get three stars in the bag! If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.”

James Oseland, editor-in-chief of the food magazine Saveur, likewise defended Ramsay as a chef to the Daily News: “No matter what his shtick is, he has a lot of integrity when it comes to food. They didn't give a TV show to this guy because he yells really good.

“He has a really extensive background, verging on phenomenal experience in food. He's been at it a long time. He's no flash in the pan,” Oseland said.

Not all restaurants in the Michelin Guide were as lucky as Ramsay’s though. Tom Colicchio, known as the head judge on the Bravo reality TV show “Top Chef,” saw his NYC restaurant Craft lose its one star.

Naret told Reuters: “It doesn't mean that the chef has less talent. It's just that the consistency was not there.”

Some things did not change in this third edition of the Michelin Guide of New York restaurants, with Jean Georges, Le Bernardin and Per Se retaining the three stars rating they received last year.

Michelin Guide New York City 2008 will be available in stores and online starting Oct. 10.

Photo credit: michelinguide.com