Michelin France 2019 - lots of surprises

Regional Dining Discussions France
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3 losses and 2 wins for this year’s 3 stars , which is quite historical for this year’s guide, announced today. Usually, for the 3 stars category, we don’t see a lot of movement, I guess the red guide wants to send out the signal that nothing is forever. Both 3 stars winners have an emphasis in vegetable, another breakthrough.

New 3 stars

  • Laurent Petit - Le clos des sens (Annecy) - a vegetal and lacustrine cuisine, reflecting the products of its region
  • Mauro Colagreco - Le Mirazur (Menton) - dedicated its gastronomy based on vegetables from garden

3 to 2 stars

  • Marc Haerbelin - L’Auberge de l’Ill (Alsace) - 3 stars for more than 50+ years
  • Marc Veyrat - La Maison des Bois (Savoie) - got 3 stars last year, but lost it instantly
  • Pascal Barbot - L’Astrance (Paris) - rewarded in 2007 for his 26 seats unique menu restaurant

New 2 stars

  • Hugo Roellinger - Le Coquillage, Bretagne (Cancale)
  • Christophe Hay - La Maison d’à côté, Loir-et-Cher (Montlivault)
  • Stéphanie Le Quellec- La Scène, Hôtel Prince de Galles (Paris)
  • David Toutain - restaurant David Toutain (Paris)
  • Alexandre Mazzia - restaurant AM, Bouches-du-Rhône (Marseille)

2 to 1 stars

  • Alain Dutournier - Carré des Feuillants (Paris 1er)
  • David Bizet - Taillevent (Paris 8e)
  • Alain Montigny - L’Oasis (Mandelieu-la-Napoule)
  • Nicolas Decherchi- La Paloma (Mougins)
  • Thierry Drapeau - La Chabotterie (Saint-Sulpice-sur-Verdon)
  • Guy Lassausaie (Chasselay)

Note that Family Bras - Le Suquet has returned the 3 stars to Michelin in 2017, the restaurant got 2 stars this year.

New 1 stars (68)

PARIS

  • La Poule au Pot (Paris 1er)
  • Accents Table Bourse (Paris 2e)
  • ERH (Paris 2e)
  • Frenchie et Racines (Paris 2e)
  • Baieta (Paris 2e)
  • Oka et Sola (Paris 5e)
  • Yoshinori (Paris 6e)
  • Tomy & Co (Paris 7e)
  • L’Abysse au Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris 8e)
  • La Condesa (Paris 9e)
  • Louis (Paris 9e)
  • NE/SO (Paris 9e)
  • Abri (Paris 10e)
  • Automne (Paris 11e)
  • Virtus (Paris 12e)
  • Pilgrim (Paris 15e)

PROVINCES

  • L’Orchidée (Altkirch)
  • Lait Thym Sel (Angers)
  • Nature (Armentières)
  • Château de Vault de Lugny (Avallon)
  • La Table de Castigno (Assignan)
  • La Mirande (Avignon)
  • L’Allée des Vignes (Cajarc)
  • La Signoria (Calvi)
  • Les Oliviers (Bandol)
  • Côté Cuisine (Carnac)
  • L’Or Q’idée (Cergy-Pontoise) - winner of Top Chef 2013, Naoëlle D’Hainaut
  • L’Ostal (Clermont-Ferrand)
  • Hostellerie de la Pointe St-Mathieu (Le Conquet)
  • Sarkara (Courchevel)
  • L’Aspérule (Dijon)
  • Le Pourquoi Pas (Dinard)
  • Le Royal (Epernay)
  • L’Oustalet (Gigondas)
  • L’Anthocyane (Lannion)
  • Rozo (Lille)
  • La Sommelière (Lyon 5e)
  • Saisons (Marseille)
  • La Table du Hameau (Maussane-les-Alpilles)
  • Prima (Megève)
  • L’Evidence (Montbazon)
  • Le Grill (Monte-Carlo)
  • Lulu Rouget (Nantes)
  • La Table d’à Côté (Orléans)
  • Un Parfum de Gourmandise (Périgueux)
  • Restaurant de Lauzun (Pézenas)
  • Racines (Rennes)
  • Auberge Quintessence (Roubion)
  • La Source (Saint-Galmier)
  • Le Brouillarta (Saint-Jean-de-Luz)
  • La Terrasse (Saint-Raphaël)
  • Restaurant de Tourrel (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence)
  • Lalique (Sauternes)
  • Villa de l’Etang Blanc (Seignosse)
  • The Marcel (Sète)
  • Les Funambules (Strasbourg)
  • La Carambole (Strasbourg / Schiltigheim)
  • La Tour des Sens (Tencin)
  • Ursus (Tignes)
  • Le Cénacle (Toulouse)
  • Ambroisie (Saint-Didier-de-la-Tour)
  • Äponem - Auberge du Presbytère (Vailhan)
  • Le Moulin de Léré (Vailly)
  • La Table de l’Ours (Val d’Isère)
  • Auberge de Montfleury (Villeneuve-de-Berg)
  • L’Ours (Vincennes) Close to Paris
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So many new 1* places. Is that very unusual? Are there also many places that have lost their 1* so that, overall, there are still similar numbers ?

3

In 2018, the new 1 stars was 50. 70 in 2017. Looks like this year’s number 68 is in the range.

2019 - 524 1* (27 3-stars, 85 2-stars)
2018 - 505 1*
2017 - 508 1*

For 2019, 75 tables earn stars, while 64 lose one or more. From what I read, this year with a new Michelin direction, they are more generous with stars.

4

@Harters Do you know how many 1* in UK?

5

The published list also includes restaurants in Ireland but, if I’ve counted correctly, these are the UK starred places:

3* - 5
2* - 19
1* - 143

There were 18 new 1* places this year

6

Interesting the differences in numbers. France is only twice bigger than UK.

7

OT for France but I looked at Hungary and see that the place in Budapest where we had the best dinner of our lives - and got their 1* after I made my res - still has that *. Yippee :slight_smile: (Even more OT is that Hungary is the second largest producer of foie gras behind France.)

8

Actually more startling:

UK population - 66 million
France population 67 million

And, according to a quick Google, both countries have around the same number of restaurants at 86k.

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9

IMHO Mirazur certainly deserved that third star

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Stéphanie Le Quellec (winner of top chef in 2011 edition) is leaving Hôtel de Galles, announced yesterday. In reality, she should quit 31/12/18 already due to the hotel’s decision to close la Scene, and their new strategy to orient towards more simple restauration. Michelin gave pression that the chef’s presence was necessary at the award ceremony in January, then came the 2 stars.

Personally, I don’t know if it is wise or stupid of Marriott to close a restaurant that has just awarded 2 stars. Time can tell.

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Recently, about a month ago, “Complément d’enquête” by France 2, has made a thematic episode focused on Guide Michelin with the arrival of new international boss Gwendal Poullennec. Comments made by several chefs, food journalists and ex inspector about the new orientation - more marketing approach to make buzz. An ex inspector Pascal Remy tested a newly promoted one star restaurant, most probably Racine (derived from the decorations), didn’t feel that the restaurant was up to 1 star standard. It was there just because it was popular and affordable.

Also to be noticed that every establishment can pay 60€ each month to appear on the site of Michelin, whether they are good or bad. A few felt that they have been selected by the paper version, decided not to pay to appear online and all of them were striped from the paper guide in 2019.