Michelin Guide 2020 France - Paul Bocuse lost its third star

New 3 stars
Kei, chef Kei Kobayashi (Paris 1er)
Christopher Coutanceau, du chef éponyme (La Rochelle, 17)
L’Oustau de Baumanière, du chef Glenn Viel (Baux-de-Provence, 13)

New 2 stars
Le Skiff Club, chef Stéphane Carrade (Pyla-sur-mer, Bassin d’Arcachon, 33)
Le Sarkara, chef Sébastien Vauxion (Courchevel, 73)
La Table de l’Alpaga, chef Anthony Bisquerra (Megève, 74)
La Table Saint-Crescent, chef Lionel Giraud (Narbonne, 11)
L’Abysse au Pavillon Ledoyen, du chef Yannick Alléno (Paris 8e)
L’Atelier Joël Robuchon-Etoile, du chef Thierry Karakachian (Paris 8e)
La Scène, du cheffe Stéphanie Le Quellec (Paris 8e)
Le Taillevent, du chef David Bizet (Paris 8e)
La Voile, du chef Eric Canino (Ramatuelle, 83)
Racine, du chef Kazuyuki Tanaka (Reims, 51)
Py-R, du chef Pierre Lambinon (Toulouse, 31)

New 1 star - Paris
Fleur de Pavé (2e)
Marcore (2e)
Anne (3e)
Le Sergent Recruteur (4e)
Solstice (5e)
Le Jules Verne (7e)
PavYllon (8e)
Aspic (9e)
L’Innocence (9e)
Le Rigmarole (11e)
L’Oiseau Blanc (16e)
Le Faham by Kelly Rangama (17e)
Jacques Faussat (17e)

New 1 star - Provinces
L’Oiseau Bleu - Bordeaux
Soléna - Bordeaux
Tentazioni - Bordeaux
Les Apothicaires - Lyon
Les Saisons - Lyon/Écully
Hedone - Toulouse
Pure & V - Nice
Château de la Gaude - Aix-En-Provence
La Vieille Fontaine - Avignon
Holen - Rennes
Nicolas Carro - Carantec
Château de Locguénolé - Kervignac
La Magdeleine – Mathias Dandine - Gémenos
Le Charlemagne - Beaune/Pernand-Vergelesses
L’Atelier Alexandre Bousquet - Biarritz
Moulin d’Alotz - Biarritz/Arcangues
L’Empreinte - Buxy
La Table du Boisniard - Chambretaud
Azimut - Courchevel/Le Praz
La Table d’Hôte - Gevrey-Chambertin
Claude Darroze - Langon
L’Arbre au Soleil - Lavandou
Origines - Le Broc/Issoire
A Casa di Ma - Lumio
Moulin de la Tardoire - Montbron
La Chapelle - Montluçon
La Huchette - Replonges
Grand Hôtel du Lion d’Or - Romorantin-Lanthenay
Le Mas Bottero - Saint Cannat
Le Dallaison - Saintes
La Meynardie - Salignac-Eyvigues
L’Auberge de Montmin - Talloires
Manoir de Lan-Kerellec - Trébeurden
La Flibuste-Martin’s - Villeneuve-Loubet/Villeneuve-Loubet-Plage
Choko Ona - Espelette
Maison Hache - Eygalières

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Biggest news Paul Bocuse in Lyon is striped of its third star after 55 years.

Montée in Paris lost its only star this year, same as the top chef star Florent Ladeyn for his restuarnt Auberge du Vert Mont near Lille.

This year’s guide has added 1 new category this year:

  • gastronomie durable

Last year, they added “passion dessert”.

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And in what might be the most French thing ever, fans at Lyon FC have displayed a banner in protest during their match against Lille. I can’t imagine Glasgow Rangers fans doing that if Gordon Ramsay lost a star.

https://images.app.goo.gl/dGhsr1rziKh6eVPp8

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True, football fans hommage for a chef, quite unusual even in here. But he was the biggest chef ever.

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Yes. I have a friend who lives in Lyon and used to live 5 mins from the restaurant. He offered to take me their till he saw the prices. We did go to his bistros Nord & Ouest in Lyon itself. They were ok but I do regret being so close and not going. This was 15 years ago while Bocuse was still with us and cooking there.

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Wow, Bocuse still cooking! Actually he lived above the restaurant. After his retirement, he ate his lunch everyday in the restaurant, so he was around to give autograph talked a bit to people etc.

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This is terrible … Paul Bocuse Le Gastronomique has had three stars for decades.

Truly injustice …

Have you eaten there in the past year? I have some trouble imagining that Michelin would take such a step lightly given the restaurant’s history and Bocuse’s importance in the French restaurant world, but otoh, Michelin stars aren’t given for “historical performance” and they aren’t “lifetime achievement” awards either. And it’s not as though it was stripped of all its stars… Perhaps in the post-Bocuse era, it has losing its former edge, at least for now? I don’t pay all that much attention to Michelin, though probably more in France than outside it, but the more interesting question, I think, is how the current management will respond to the loss, and what happens next year…

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Agreed. In the UK, Michelin seems to be losing touch with modern dining and seems, to me, stuck in a mode of a decade ago, when only a long tasting menu should be recognised as “good food”.

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From 1 star to 3 stars menu, now a menu carte blanche seems the standard. 15 years ago, it can mean inventive, not now anymore.

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There are some talks going on discussing about the possibility of a red star (for example) for those legendary restaurants. Once you get it, you keep it. In a way historical restaurants that is famous for a few signature dishes, people are coming just for this, they don’t want the place to have small plates tasting menus either. I’m not sure trying to compete back to get the lost star is of any interest.

Since 2019, a few 3-stars chefs lost their 3rd star, including Marc Veyrat, Marc Haeberlin (3* for 51 years), Pascal Barbot’s Astrance (11 years) and the restaurant of Paul Bocuse (55 years).

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To me it seems that they are “hitting on” senior Chefs with long standing reputations.

The publishing company is currently based on younger “inspectors” with another approach.

Chef Sébastien Bras had declined being in the guide a couple of years ago. He prefers to have his freedom …

They refuse to remove him, still 2 stars in the guide.

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Question is: Does he follow their regulations ?

I shall read this … Thanks Naf.

I saw a tv interview when he handed back the stars, he said his aim was to expand the Bras empire by opening restaurants in Japan or China, something like that. I think he doesn’t want to just stay in the kitchen but more the Ducasse model.

Sebastien Bras has a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan …

His executive Chef is Italian and Simone speaks French fluently … He is quite well known too.