Michelin stars 2017 list
Both feared and eagerly awaited by many of France's top restaurateurs, the Michelin Guide unveiled its long-awaited 2017 list on February 9, awarding or removing new stars to several hundred culinary establishments.
Summary of the Michelin Guide's 2017 awards
First, what do the famous "Michelin stars" mean?
The stars, or "macarons" as Michelin employees like to call them, are awarded each year according to a very precise ritual, and are intended to reward or sanction restaurants for the quality of their cuisine and their services.
First, inspectors rigorously selected by the guide (also called "red guide" because of the color of its cover), taste, compare the dishes, and judge the service, in a totally anonymous and objective way, based on their experience, their feeling.
5 main criteria are taken into account for the rating of the dishes:
- The quality/price ratio
- The mastery of cooking, seasoning, and flavors
- The creativity and originality of the cuisine and dishes
- The quality of the products used
- The regularity of the dishes
After a collegial decision between inspectors and the director of the Michelin Guide, the stars can finally be awarded or withdrawn:
- 1 star --> very good restaurant in its category
- 2 stars --> excellent cuisine, worth the detour
- 3 stars --> exceptional cuisine, not to be missed
The winners and losers of the 2017 awards
In total, the Michelin guide counts for the year 2017 no less than 616 starred restaurants, including 54 in Savoie(73) alone, which represents more than 8% of starred restaurants in France! In second place we find Paris(75) with 13 stars on the counter, which is a little over 2%.
To their great joy, 70 new establishments have appeared in the red guide, while 52 restaurants have lost their one and only star. This is good news for the former, who are rubbing their hands together because a new star represents a real financial windfall. The media coverage of recently starred restaurants generates an increase in the number of visitors, and therefore an increase in turnover of nearly 30% on average.
In total, 27 establishments received or kept their 3 stars, and no 3 star restaurant was downgraded, among them the chef Yannick Alleno of the famous 1947 restaurant of the Cheval Blanc hotel in Courchevel, the only one to have received a 3rd star for this year 2017.
Of the 86 double-starred restaurants in the Michelin guide, 12 new ones received their second star, while 57 new ones appeared with one star out of a total of 503.
To consult the starred restaurants near you, discover the interactive map:
Blue: 1 star
Red: 2 stars
Green: 3 stars