2008 French Food Guides Chapters 1-6 Pudlos,

[John Talbott]

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 1 - Gault/Millau

Set to be released Nov 1.

Metro reported that it has named Jean-Luc Rabanel of l'Atelier de.... Chef of the Year and Web Radio du Gout said it has allowed only one chef/resto, Marc Veyrat to keep his 20/20 rating. Also Expatica announced that it named seven restaurants "icons of French cuisine" who were Alain Chapel at Mionnay, L'Auberge de l'Ill at Illhaeusern, Paul Bocuse at Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, and four Paris restaurants, La Tour d'Argent, Alain Senderens, Lasserre and Laurent.

[John Talbott]

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 2

This weekend's Figaro had a full page spread devoted to Francois Simon's evaluation of the five guides appearing soon.

First he rates them thusly:

Gault/Millau + Omnivore Yes

Pudlo France + Bottin Gourmand Bof

Guide Champerard No

Of definite note though is a tiny add-on that says that where it's really happening is on the websites/blogs: eg les restos.com, lefigaro.fr, lefooding.com, les Gourmandises de Philippe, Table a decouvert, Simon Says, Adrian Moore, les chroniques du plaisir, foodgeek, le Bouche a Oreille, la Radio du Gout, le Miam.......

Finally, Simon noters that there's much yet to come: the Guide des Bistrots de Paris, Michelin, le Fooding, Guide Lebey, Routard, Time Out, Zagat + Gantier for the south.

[John Talbott]

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 3

Today I acquired by purchase and “gifting,” the new Pudlo, G/M + Bottin. They were incredibly expensive: GM and Bottin are now 30 € or a few cents less - and the Pudlo was 18. And there are some pretty interesting surprises.

For Gilles P. no surprise in:

Lasserre as Best of the year

Cameleon Best Bistrot of the year, however is

Les Fougeres Best price/quality of the year? and wait, wait…….

Demoted were:

Le Pre Catalan

Les Trois Marches

Bastide Odeon

Ze Kitchen Galerie

W +

Les Magnolias,

And interestingly promoted were:

Toustem

Le Soleil

Cottage Marcadet +

Cristal de Sel

But IMHO fully meriting their elevation were:

Fables

Spring

L’Ecallier….

Rech

Point Bar

Fish….

L’Agassin

Le bis de Severo

Grand Pan

Bath’s

Le Clocher Pereire

Le Café qui Parle +

Le Winch, the latter two for which I must declare a COI cuz I can walk to them and they’re great.

Onto Le Gault-Millau. The surprises here involve:

1) That it's still alive.

2) That it's elevated (eg kicked upstairs) the “icons” (read – elephants) to a new category (so they don’t have to rate them – clever eh?): including: Bocuse, l’Auberge de I’Ill, Chapel, Tour d’Argent, Senderens, Lasserre, Laurent + Maximin.

3) That they chosen these for their biggies:

l’Atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel Chef of the Year

l’Auberge Basque Revelation of the Year

and that they've chosen for their

“hopes for the future” as well as

“young talents,” largely unknowns and only one in Paris (apologies Dave) – Sensing.

OK, finally the “sick man” of the bunch – Le Bottin Gourmand, which as a contrarian publication, uses 4 stars as its scale rather than 3 or 5 or 20.

In Paris: only three merit the “favorites:”

Jean

Le Pre Cadet

Le Bouclard

Again, I apologize to those outside the Ile de France for being Parocentric.

On the other hand, I have some advice that will save you big bucks: only buy the Pudlo!

PS The effects of the strike are vastly over-rated/over-reported.

Edited November 16, 2007 by John Talbott (log)

[BigboyDan]

Interesting.

The food guides have true competition for validity (internet poster/diners). Le G/M's response is telling. And, it is pointless to "rate" the iconic restaurants, as a particular review makes no difference in any tangible way... like someone saying the Eiffel Tower is "over-rated".

[John Talbott]

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 4 – Lebey Guide

Claude Lebey and Sylvain Verut have just published their 2008 edition.

Their coups de coeur are listed (as usual) in several categories:

Great places

Le Meurice

L’Ambrosie

Le Pre Catalan

Dropped were Senderens + Astrance

Traditional

Chez Christophe

Le Cameleon

Josephine (Chez Dumonet)

L’Ami Jean

Le Violin d’Ingres

Le Repaire de Cartouche

Cristal de Sel

Le Baratin

Dropped were Ribouldingue, Comptoir, Cerisaie, Table Lauriston, Caves Petrissans + Le Chambord

Modern

Ze Kitchen Galerie

Auguste

l’Arome Caution: the chef has changed between when they went (31 Aug) and now.

Spoon Food and Wine

Le Temps au Temps

Dropped were Le Chateaubriand + l’Avant Gout.

Of note also is their Preface in which they laud meals in addition to those above at: l’Arpege, Pierre Gagnaire, le Plaza, La Tour d’Argent, Au Gourmand, La Marlotte, Les Cocottes de Christian Constant, Afaria + Karl & Erick.

[John Talbott]

Today, in Le Monde Jean Claude Ribaut wrote an article on the various food guides: two things of interest,

one - that there are now 510 Michelin Bib gourmands of which 94 are new,

two - that so many guides now have web presences:

www.michelinguide.com

www.bottingourmand.com

www.guides-gaultmillau.fr

www.routard.com/guide

www.tables-auberges.com

www.relaisdusilence.com

www.relaischateaux.com

[MichaelCE]

Today, in Le Monde Jean Claude Ribaut wrote an article on the various food guides: two things of interest,

one - that there are now 510 Michelin Bib gourmands of which 94 are new,

two - that so many guides now have web presences:

www.michelinguide.com

www.bottingourmand.com

www.guides-gaultmillau.fr

www.routard.com/guide

www.tables-auberges.com

www.relaisdusilence.com

www.relaischateaux.com

←

John,

This leaves out www.guidegantie.com which is excellent for South East France.

[John Talbott]

Interesting you mention this; Just 2 hours ago I went to their website for Toulon and Hyeres and it was quite helpful.

But as always, I was just reporting what Ribaut reported.

Today, in Le Monde Jean Claude Ribaut wrote an article on the various food guides: two things of interest,

one - that there are now 510 Michelin Bib gourmands of which 94 are new,

two - that so many guides now have web presences:

www.michelinguide.com

www.bottingourmand.com

www.guides-gaultmillau.fr

www.routard.com/guide

www.tables-auberges.com

www.relaisdusilence.com

www.relaischateaux.com

←

John,

This leaves out www.guidegantie.com which is excellent for South East France.

←

[John Talbott]

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 5 – Two new Michelins

Web Radio du Gout announced the publication of two new Michelin guides: the first of 510 good small restos, eg Bonnes Petites Tables, of which 94 new ones have 3 course menus for 28 Euros in the country and 35 Euros in Paris; the second, a guide of 330 B&B's of charm and character, 129 of which are less than 100 Euros.

[John Talbott]

2008 French Food Guides Chapter 6 – New Pudlo France

Web Radio du Gout mentioned that yesterday the Pudlo France 2008 came out and named Gérald Passédat of Le Petit Nice in Marseille, Chef of the Year, Resto of the Year going to Jean-Louis Nomicos of Lasserre and young chef of the year to Pascal Favre-d'Anne of Le Favre d'Anne in Angers.