PARIS — There are three new stars in the firmament of French gastronomy: “L’Auberge du Vieux Puits,” in a village in southern France, has climbed to the Michelin Red Guide’s top ranking, where it joins 25 others at the summit of fine dining, Michelin announced today.
One restaurant, “La Maison de Marc Veyrat,” on Lake Annecy in the Alpine foothills, lost its perch at the top — and all of its stars — with the departure a year ago of chef Marc Veyrat, always distinguishable by his large black hat.
In the Michelin Red Guide’s 2010 edition, 10 eating establishments in France gained two-star status, bringing the total in that category to 77.
At least one departure, chef Jean-Francois Piege of the Paris hotel Le Crillon’s restaurant, “Les Ambassadeurs,” took that luxury eatery off the two-star list. The restaurant is currently closed. The “Chateau les Crayeres” in Reims suffered the same fate, going from two stars to none.
The arbiter of fine dining, which uses anonymous tasters to see what’s cooking and score humble and luxury kitchens, punished three other two-star establishments, dropping them to one, including “Helene Darroze” on Paris’ Left Bank, whose chef of that name is one of the rare women to reach gastronomical renown.
In the one-star category, totaling 455 restaurants, Michelin added 47 new names.
Acclaim went to chef Gilles Goujon whose “L’Auberge du Vieux Puits” in the village of Fontjoncouse, near Narbonne and some 40 miles from the walled medieval city of Carcassonne is the standout winner in the annual classification.
After winning its first star in 1997 and its second in 2001, it now has three.
“It’s enormous. This is something my entire family has invested itself in. The entire team worked for this,” Goujon was quoted as saying on the Web site of the regional newspaper Midi Libre late Sunday, before the announcement was official. “I think I will open the champagne. But first I think I’ll cry a bit.”
Restaurants with the coveted three stars usually have long waiting lists so eager diners will have to start making plans.
Michelin’s 2010 French edition also awarded 555 restaurants — 105 new to the list — with what it calls a “Bib Gourmand,” a sign of good value for money with meals costing no more than euro35 ($48) in Paris and euro29 elsewhere in France.
Michelin, which celebrated its hundredth French edition last year, now has 25 guides and is present in 23 countries on six continents.
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