Michelin Guide reveals 2016 French stars

Two Paris restaurants saw their Michelin star rating upped to three following the launch of this year’s Michelin Guide France yesterday; Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée and Le Cinq.

Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée at the Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris

Inspired by the “fish-vegetables-cereals trilogy”, Alain Ducasse has introduced a “bold change of direction by designing his cuisine in harmony with nature,” said Michael Ellis, international director of Michelin Guides.

“His cuisine offers unusual combinations of flavours and shakes up the standard conventions of haute cuisine. The results live up to the scale of the challenge: a meal at the Plaza Athénée is a unique, memorable, and emotional experience – with stunning décor and a journey accompanying every dish.”

Its wine lists meanwhile is now classified by “generation”, eschewing the traditional even further. Wines are grouped by their age from 10 to 55 years old.

A stone’s throw from Plaza Athénée, Le Cinq in the Four Seasons Hotel George V also received a third star this year, overseen by chef Christian Le Squer, described by Ellis as a “true virtuoso.”

“His signature is all over the superb dishes, mastered to perfection and demonstrating exceptional skills and a deep knowledge of the very best produce. Enjoyed in a sumptuous decor inspired by the Grand Trianon, each of Christian Le Squer’s dishes is a true work of art, a shining example of the best of French gastronomy.”

The French Guide has this year created 10 new two star restaurants: –

• Jean-Yves Schillinger’s JY’s restaurant in Colmar
• Joël Robuchon’s La Grande Maison in Bordeaux
• Jean-Georges Klein’s La Villa René Lalique in Wingen-sur Moder
• Julien Gatillion’s Le 1920 in Megève
• Nicolas Decerchi’s Paloma in Mougins
• Christophe Moret’s l’Abeille, Paris
• Jérôme Banctel’s Le Gabriel, Paris
• Mathieu Pacaud’s Histoire, Paris
• Sylvestre Wahid’s Sylvestre, Paris
• Jean-François Piege’s Le Grand Restaurant, Paris

“The strong attraction exerted by Paris on chefs is a particularly striking element in the 2016 selection,” says Michael Ellis. “Whether small bistros or more luxurious restaurants, chefs and investors continue to believe in Paris and want to set up in business there. Moreover, among the 380 establishments that appear in the Guide for the first time, 100 are in Paris. This is proof that Paris is still a city in which chefs want to open new establishments.”

This year 42 restaurants have acquired their first star, including La Table de Merville in Toulouse, Initial in Caen and le Château de Sable in Porspoder in the Finistère. Young French chefs getting their foot on the michelin-star ladder include Angelo Ferrigno at La Maison des Cariatides in Dijon, the youngest in the selection aged just 23, and Jean-Baptiste Lavergne-Morazzani, the 24 year old chef at La Table du 11, in Versailles.

Michelin’s 2016 guide to restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland was unveiled in September last year, with 17 restaurants achieving stars for the first time.

The Michelin Guide France 2016 will be available from Friday 5 February at €24.90.