Michelin has awarded three stars to La Bouitte in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, located in France's Trois Vallées ski area. The kitchen a La Bouitte is run by father and son René and Maxime Meilleur. La Bouitte was awarded its first Michelin star in 2003, a second star followed in 2008.
Michelin's International director Michael Ellis (translated): "The cuisine of the Meuilleur family, rooted in the identity and history of the Savoie, is a real tribute to heritage of the region and its art of living. The dining experience offered by the Meuilleur family is worth the journey. The dishes are precise, generous and exceptionally creative".
Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris has also been re-awarded 3 Michelin stars. The restaurant had held 3 Michelin stars under the reign of chef Christian Le Square, who left Ledoyen last year. Yannick Alleno succeeded Le Squer in July 2014 as executive chef.
Michelin's Michael Ellis on Yannick Alleno (translated): "Yannick Alleno is currently at the top of his game, that is undeniable."
Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée is included with 2 Michelin stars in the 2015 guide, effectively meaning the restaurant has lost its third star. Last year the restaurant wasn't included in guide, because it was closed for refurbishment. Alain Ducasse's flagship restaurant at the Plaza Athenée hotel reopened in September 2014, announcing a menu change at the same time. The menu at Ducasse is based on his so-called "naturalness cuisine", meaning a menu that focuses on vegetables, fish and grains, and features hardly any of no meat at all. Ducasse's other fine dining restaurant in Paris at the Le Meurice hotel, has maintained it's three-star ranking.
Le Côte St-Jacques in Joigny has also lost its third star, and following the departure of executive chef Jean-Georges Klein in December 2014, l'Arnsbourg in Baerenthal has been stripped of its three stars altogether. Just last month l'Arnsbourg appointed Philippe Labbé (previously of l'Abeille in Paris) as the new executive chef. The restaurant is still featured in the 2015 guide but without any stars.
With these movements in the three-star category, the number of three-star restaurants in France drops from 27 to 26, the same number as in 2010.
(Map of all three-star restaurants in France)
In the 2015 guide 6 restaurants have gained a second star: La Grand'Vigne in Martillac (Bordeaux), Auberge du Chevel Blanc in Lembach, Le Neuvième Art in Lyon, Casadelmar in Porto-Vecchio (Corsica), La Table du Lancaster in Paris, and l'Atelier d'Edmond in Val-d'Isère. Five restaurants have been demoted to one star: Relais Louis XIII, Lasserre and l'Abeillein Paris, Le Strato in Courchevel and La Rotondo in Charbonnières-les-Bains (near Lyon). The 2015 guide will feature 80 two-star restaurants in total, compared to 79 last year.
In the one-star category Michelin has found 37 restaurants worthy of this accolade, of which 6 are located Paris. The new one-star restaurants in Paris are: Les Climats, Penati al Baretto, Helen, La Table d'Eugène, David Toutain, and Garance. Chef Guillaume Iskandar of Garance and David Toutain are both l'Arpege alumni. No fewer than 38 restaurants have lost their star, taking the number of one-star restaurants in France down from 504 to 503.
France's 2015 Bib Gourmand (3 courses for €32 or less, €36 or less in Paris) guide called 'Bonnes petites tables France' was released last month. The 2015 guide has 646 entries (2014: 651), with 102 new additions.
A full list of Michelin the new stars and Bib Gourmands in France can be found here Stars2015 and Bib2015