Luxeat

Michelin France 2009

 
© VectorZilla.com - Fotolia.com

The recipients of Michelin stars in France have been announced. You can see the full list here (the pdf under the text).

L’Auberge de L’ill

L'Auberge de L'ill was rewarded  its 3rd Michelin star in 1967 and was able to keep them to this day.Like Paul  Bocuse and Troisgros family, other two French gastronomy legends,  Haeberlin family managed to maintain the high level of their Alsatian auberge for decades, although the style of cooking reminds me much more  the cooking of Paul Bocuse , than Michel Troigros (which i adore and consider one of the best restaurants in the world).

Have you seen  "Le grand restaurant" ,the funny  Louis de Funès movie about a Parisian gastronomic restaurant in the sixties? Well, i think that Bocuse and  Heaberlin family  cooking has remained in those times. Of course, the very warm welcome at L'Auberge de L'ill has nothing to do with Monsieur Septime character, the despotic owner of the restaurant from the movie, but food was nothing that one would expect from a modern 3 Michelin stars restaurant.

The breakfast difficult to forget

Some images from the grand (i don't know how to call it otherwise!!) breakfast at  Marc Veyrat last month.

La Maison de Marc Veyrat

Update 24/02/2009  As Le Figaro announced today , Marc Veyrat is giving back his 3 Michelin stars.

My dinner in La Maison de Marc Veyrat last week was like a breath of fresh air - so different from what most of other 3 Michelin stars in France can offer.You just can't forget such experience - not only because its not cheap(dinner - 368 € per person, breakfast- 79 € per person), but also because everything was delicious, creative and,most of all, entertaining.

Coming from Savoie,Marc Veyrat interprets savoyard speciliaties such as deconstructed tartiflette served in a "tetra pak" box.

L'Arnsbourg

The K Hotel

The first thing that is striking at the three Michelin stars L'Arnsbourg is it's location. The restaurant and the K hotel (owned by the Klein family) are hidden in the Black Forest.It is a little fairy tale like- when you arrive in the early evening, the night is beggining to fall and the Black Forest becomes even blacker and more mysterious... (Thanks goodness for the GPS system as without surprise- this place cannot be found easily.)Then there is the cutting edge design K hotel which was the first thing that catched my eye in the Relais§Châteaux book one year or so ago. It is built in the way that the forest is "present" even when you open your eyes in the morning- huge windows won't let you forget that you are in the middle of nature.

La Villa du Havre

No other restaurant in France is rated as controversially as  La Villa du Havre . On one hand, it  has only one Michelin star and that has been going on for a while already, on the other hand, Gault Millau guide (which is as reputable as the Guide Rouge, but not as present internationally) gives 18/20, a top rating. To give an idea what Gault Millau ratings mean, some other restaurants that have 18/20 in 2007 are "Le Grand Vefour ", "Le Maurice",or "Le Louis 15- Alain Ducasse"...  Moreover,the only restaurant that has 20/20 is "La Maison de Marc Veyrat" and it has been a historical award as no other restaurant in France has ever got 20/20...

So the ratings of the guides do seem weird from the first sight... Especially that i have been following the cooking of  Jean-Luc Tartarin since few years and there is some force that does make me to come back.... Basically, every time i go to Deauville for a weekend, i go to La Villa du Havre...
This is what i did this weekend and one more time didn't regret my choice... Located in a villa like house, the restaurant is a charming place to be. The rooms are decorated with surrealistic paintings and sculpures...
The menus change very often and even if i wouldn't dare to call it "the softer version of El Bulli", i would defititely describe Jean-Luc Tartarin's cooking very creative and sometimes even mad.

The gorgeous food of Deauville

Turbotin (small turbot) as seen in the Deauville's fish market( Place du Marché). Images from trateur "Le Breton" , voted as " le meilleur ouvrier de France". ( 1 Place Morny,Deauville).

Le Clos des Sens

I wanted very much to revisit "La Maison de Marc Veyrat" on my way back from my small trip in Switzerland,but it will be reopened only at the very end of March.And, considering that his restaurant in Megeve is sold, Marc Veyrat seems to be on long holidays:)
So the only  possibility of dining well that evening  in Annecy was Le Clos des Sens,  one star.Update 22/02/07. It has received its second Michelin star in 2007.

Michelin France 2007

The Michelin France 2007 edition  has particularly many changes... Some restaurants lost one  star dramatically-some got so expected (or unexpected) promotions.Here is a small summary of todays Le Figaro  article:

The restaurants that have been rewarded with their third star :

Pic (Anne-Sophie Pic)

L'Astrance (Philippe Barbot)

Lamelouse (Jacques Lameloise)

Le Pré Catelan ( Frédéric Anton)

Le Meurice ( Yannick Alleno)

Who lost stars?

La Ferme de mon père (Marc Veyrat ) . Lost all the three stars because the restaurants was sold.

Bueherisel( Marc Westermann) lost one out of three.

Le Taillevent  lost one out of three.

Le Cinq( Philippe Legendre)lost one out of three.

My feelings about the new Michelin ratings... I am not surprised at all about the downgrading of  Philippe Legendre's Le Cinq. I dined there few weeks ago (this is what i wrote ) and although there were some nice dishes, i didn't think the restaurant was worth the highest award. The same concerns Le Taillevent where i dined few years ago and already then i though it lacked personality.

The third star for  L'Astrance was somehow expected considering the hype around this restaurant.  I dined there twice when it still had only one star: the first dinner was impressive, the second- not so much. Will try to get a reservation to see how it is now....

Anyway... I agree with most of the ratings-it seems that Michelin France  has done some good  work... (Not New York though! I wrote about the Michelin New York here )

There are two restaurants that i would give different ratings though.  Jean-Pierre Vigato's Apicius  is definitely worth three stars. Vigato's cooking is inventive and delicious.  One of the best restaurants in the world...

Meanwhile , i don't understand how  Paul Bocuse still has three stars... I've been in his restaurant this summer and it seemed that both, and the food ,and the place ,have  been conserved in time (seventies or even sixties?) . Yes, eating at Paul Bocuse's might be sentimental, but without any question, this restaurant is not worth three stars...

Update 22/02/07 . The guide is finally out. You can find some more information on the Michelin France 2007  in Adrian Moore's post.

La Côte Saint Jacques -a painting in your plate

Jean- Michel Lorain ,the renown chef of La Côte Saint Jacques,is not only one of the best chefs in the world but a smart businessman as well. Apart of his 3 stars Michelin restaurant,his other businesses, the Relais§Châteaux hotel as well the culinary school are fluorishing. (All located on the beautifull Yonne river).

The food was beyond  perfection. Below you can see the images. Its better to see once than two hear thousand times :).