ameiden

OK, dear friends, let me jump in here. I totally agree with Julot -- Bocuse is an outstanding restaurant to me in the sense that it is hosted by the only still active chef who came from the Fernand Point school. Alain Chapel, Raymond Thuilier, Pierre Gaertner and Francois Bise are all dead, Louis Outhier and Pierre Troisgros are retired. Bocuse nowadays is the only link we still have to the greatest French gastronomy of the 20th century. I have been visiting his restaurant on a yearly basis throughout the past decade and found nothing less than consistency and perfection, both in service and on the plate. The great man himself was there to greet me every single time, and I got the feeling that the quality I experienced was directly linked to his presence. Yes, some of his marketing strategies are ridiculous, yes, the wine list could be better for this type of place, yes, the decor has seen better days. But I tremendously enjoy everything I get there, it's best ingredients, classic preparations and the best silver service imaginable under the magnificent Maitre d', Francois Pipala. My last visit is only four weeks ago and here is what I had: Duck meat dodine à l’ancienne, stuffed with foie gras and pistachios Filet of sole with noodles, à la Fernand Point Beaujolais winemaker’s sherbet Whole spit-roasted pigeon Fromage blanc (unfermented cottage cheese) with double cream Crepe as a pre-dessert Traditional baba au rum with vanilla ice cream And a view of the kitchen with the immaculate copper pans ... As you can tell by my list, I am not against innovative cooking. In fact, tomorrow I'm off to Arzak, Berasategui and Akelare. But whoever has a sense of tradition, should go to Bocuse as long as the great master can still stumble his "Bienvenue".

Great Pic Vendome Schwarzwaldstube Good Ledoyen Bocuse Troisgros Georges Blanc Haeberlin L'Arnsbourg Dieter Müller Waldhotel Sonnora Heinz Winkler Schloss Berg Enoteca Pincchiorri Waterside Inn Fat Duck Gordon Ramsay Not quite so good De Karmeliet Louis XV

Although I liked the decoration of the room, I had the worst meal of my recent Brussels trip here. Food was worse than in a tourist trap, incredible a three star chef would want his name associated with it, poor wine selection, service incompetent on all levels. They will not see me again.

The story is probably that he lost his third star recently and wants to make a fresh start with a new team somewhere else. This had been rumoured for a long time.

Been there over a year ago and was not impressed. Although there was nothing wrong with the food, it did nothing to support the grandeur of Cliveden. Could be better now. Fairly good wine list though. Retrospectively, we should have driven down to Bray ...

The claim that he had given back his two stars was not the only bizarre statement that Mosimann made in this short interview. He also claimed that his restaurant at the Dorchester was the first one to receive two stars outside France. This is so wrong that it was outright amusing. There were even three star restaurants outside France long before Mosimann started cooking at the Dorchester.

Last weekend I read in the Times that Ramsay wanted to focus his efforts on "fixing Pétrus". Does anybody happen to know what went wrong there? From my point of view, this used to be his second strongest restaurant in London. At times, it was very hard to get a table there, specially for weekend dinners.

One would have to add "in Britain". There is other airport restaurants with Michelin stars abroad, in Stuttgart / Germany for example.

Well, my body shape is actually not too dissimilar from the great man, and since he is no longer with us, I had to settle for the next best thing! (By the way, I am pretty sure that Fernand Point knew Anne-Sophie's grandfather André Pic very well.)

Yes, the egg was truly amazing, especially when the yolk ran into the truffle foam. The truly interesting bit about the asparagus dish was the warm liquid chocolate hidden under the green foam on the left. Over the years, I have been able to sample the cuisines of Jacques Pic (1987), Alain Pic (1993) and now Anne-Sophie Pic (2008). Her style is rather different from what her father used to do, much more elaborate and inventive, although on the same level quality-wise. The difference is probably the same as between Michel and Pierre Troisgros. The famous "Filet de Loup au Caviar" that her dad created is still on the menu, yours for only 240 Euros!

How very interesting! Not only did we visit Maison Pic in the same week, maybe even on the same day, but we sat at the same table and had some identical dishes! I went for the ten course truffle menu and thought that was 320 Euro well invested (excluding drinks!). One of the best lunches in years, as Anne-Sophie and her team managed to integrate intense truffle aromas into anything from seafood to poultry and pineapple. Very attentive service, an excellent three star experience all around. AMUSE BOUCHES The same that you had. L’ŒUF DE POULE ET LA TRUFFE NOIRE œuf moelleux/mollet, composition autour d’une pissaladière truffée The egg in the middle was runny and melted together with the truffles. Pure indulgence! LE FOIE DE CANARD DES LANDES ET LA TRUFFE NOIRE tranche épaisse rôtie au poêlon, transparence et croquant de radis mousseline de panais et bouillon de canard truffé Very good combination of flavours. L’ASPERGE DE MALLEMORT texture d’asperge, croquante et crémeuse, légèrement chocolatée à la truffe noire Unexpected combination of asparagus, chocolate and truffles that worked surprisingly well. LA SAINT JACQUES DE NORMANDIE les noix rôties, spaghettini à la truffe noire mousse de lait aromatisée au rhum vieux agricole de la Martinique Not sure about the rhum foam, as rhum reminds me more of desserts than seafood. LE HOMARD BLEU medaillon rôti et crémeux de celeri à la truffe noire, consommé de clementine The clementine sauce was a real treat and perfectly complemented the lobster. LE RIS DE VEAU pomme truffée rôtie au poêlon, potiron à l’arabica The pumpkin jelly did nothing for me and I could not taste the coffee but the sweetbread was perfect LA POULARDE DE BRESSE morceaux choisis rôtis au poêlon, compression de petits légumes à la truffe noire Very good execution. LES FROMAGES FRAIS ET AFFINES I agree, would like one of those in my living room too! L'ANANAS VICTORIA ET LA TRUFFE NOIRE crème glacée à la truffe noire, tube croustillant marmelade d'ananas Victoria LE CHOCOLAT, LA TRUFFE NOIRE ET LA CACAHUETE croustillant cacahuète, gelée et ganache montée au chocolat et truffe noire And Anne-Sophie Pic greeting the guests.

As meal-of-a-lifetime place I would definitely consider "Waldhotel Sonnora" in Dreis near Wittlich, just north of Trier. Helmut Thieltges is the most humble of all German three star chefs, the place is a real hideaway in the middle of the forest and the food simply out of this world.

Stay at the Traube Tonbach if you can afford it. A wonderful hotel, splendid wellness area, huge breakfast buffet, very good bar, service and friendliness around the clock. Some rooms are as spacious as other people's houses, prices can vary accordingly. If you want to pay less, the Hotel Tanne Tonbach is just round the corner and costs only a fraction. For something simple in the evening I recommend the "Bauernstube" next to the Schwarzwaldstube. Excellent regional dishes in what is the oldest and most authentic part of the hotel. Try Maultaschen and Linsen mit Spätzle und Saitenwürsten.

Does anybody have a link to the Michelin press release?

Schwarzwaldstube should always be your first choice. It's all downhill from there.

No, this is not the offer. These are the normal prices. I got the same E-mail. This "exclusive" offer only consists of the following: "Experience lunch or dinner at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester: as a special treat, a complimentary glass of Champagne will be waiting for you on arrival". Gosh, that will hurt their margins. I am not sure I will take them up on it though if the glass is already waiting there on my arrival ... who knows for how long ...

For local specialties, nothing beats the "Brauerei im Füchschen", Ratinger Str. 28. Old traditional brewery, very rustic, huge portions and very authentic. Of course, not to be compared to any of the above mentioned Michelin star restaurants.

The New Angel in Dartmouth has still got its star? Surely, that has to be a joke. (Or the guides had to be printed before John Burton-Race went off into the jungle and his wife closed the place down.)

Winteringham Fields have just lost their Michelin star.

And here the very well written obituary in today's (London) Times: Jean-Claude Vrinat

AP reports today: "Jean-Claude Vrinat, who ran the Paris restaurant Taillevent, died Monday. He was 71. Vrinat died of lung cancer at a Paris hospital, said his daughter, Valerie Vrinat. The restaurant opened under Vrinat's father, Andre, in 1946. Jean-Claude joined in 1962, and Valerie Vrinat now runs the establishment after taking over in 1987. Vrinat put in long hours at the restaurant, rising early to help prepare for the lunch service and staying on to greet the last diners on most nights, his daughter said. Jean-Claude Vrinat was born in Villeneuve l'Archeveque, in eastern France. He studied at the prestigious HEC business school and had his heart set on a career in the automotive industry but entered the family restaurant business as a stopgap measure and ended up staying, Valerie Vrinat said. The restaurant was known for its innovative French cuisine and its extensive wine cellar. It won its third Michelin star in 1973, under Jean-Claude Vrinat's management, but lost it last year." I was sad to read your recent negative report but am now even more sad to hear this latest piece of news. To me, it explains a lot though - surely your disastrous dinner experience can be attributed to Jean-Claude Vrinat's sudden, unforeseen and severe cancer outbreak. Family and staff will have been elsewhere in their minds. Rest in peace, Jean-Claude Vrinat.

I had three dinners at Le Gavroche during last year and every single time it was a three-star experience (and may I modestly add that I have been to about half of the world's three star restaurants, some of which unfortunately are not on the level of Le Gavroche). It would be faboulous if Michel and the entire brigade finally got the rating they deserve.

Went to the Comme Chez Soi recently to see how some of Pierre Wynants' great classics (here called "Les indémodables") would stand the test of time, now that his son-in-law Lionel Rigolet has taken over and now that the restaurant has one Michelin star less. After a glass of the famous house cocktail (a kir with Cointreau and Gin) I started with "Les filets de sole, mousseline au riesling et aux crevettes grises". This dish has lost nothing of its appeal over the years, it was marvellously executed with a wonderful sauce and once I nearly finished it, there were second helpings! The only unnecessary (new) addition are the green dots on the right hand side, some kind of herb sauce that adds nothing to this great classic dish that should have really been left without further plate decoration. As there is no half bottle of Riesling on the wine list, I had a Saint Joseph from Cuilleron which worked quite well. My main course was "Le filet de boeuf aux truffes noires", at 105 Euros the most expensive dish on the menu. Well worth it as the beef was of the finest quality and masterly cooked. The only truffle element are the slices on top of the beef. Although the jus based sauce was very good, somehow I would have wished for a truffle sauce to go with this. Excellent potatoe puree. All in all a real treat with a 1996 Chateau Lynch-Bages. To finish off, "L'ile maison en surprise", a dessert made of various fruits, coulis and egg white. Despite the artistic presentation, I was slightly underwhelmed by this. The fruits used where mostly out of season (December!) and the egg white tasted overly sweet and had a rubbery consistency. Some nice petits fours at the end. It has to be said that the service was very good and that Laurence Rigolet, Wynants' daughter and the current chef's wife, is a wonderful host - attentive, charming and elegant at once. The bill at the end has always been very high at Comme Chez Soi - and so it was this time. Exorbitant prices on food and unusually high markups on wine make the overall experience here more expensive than meals at say Bruneau or the Sea Grill. But who else would present the bill on a beautiful Art Nouveau tray like this? If you want to treat yourself, it is worth the expense.

I am sorry to hear about your experiences as I have always been a great fan of Taillevent, the classic food, the wonderful wine knowledge and selection, the space and elegance of the rooms, the perfectly orchestrated service. My first visit dates back to the late eighties when it was wonderful and truly worth three stars. No question that there has been a slow decline stretching over the last years. Back in 1994, I remember us chewing on a dry duck breast for quite some time and once we had finished, Vrinat arrived with some more sauce, withdrawing it again with the comment "Trop tard, peut-etre". I also do not think that the recent renovation has added to the appeal. The modernization took away most of the appeal of this grand old house. We were also squeezed into some narrow space recently and my wife was not able to go to the bathroom without me and a lady from the next table getting up for her and the table being moved ... and the same again when my wife returned. Is this perhaps also a problem of succession? I can imagine that there are easier jobs than stepping into Jean-Claude Vrinat's footsteps. During your visit, was there any sign of Valérie Vrinat? I understand that she is being prepared to take over her father's role in the not too distant future (he will be 72 years old in April).

I find it quite sad that the hotel ratings aren't visible any more on Viamihelin but have been replaced by a hotel booking system that is clearly advertisement-based. Does anyone know of a list of all European Hotels that Michelin rates with three red houses (such as the Ritz or Plaza-Athénée in Paris)? As lists of three star restaurants are available online, why can't we have a list of the best hotels? I am hesitant to buy all different European guides to find out.