Michelin, London and great things to come.

Its that time of year again, well I say it is but it isn’t really is it? These Michelin boys seem to have more leaks than the proverbial sieve. This year they have decided to announce their listings for Great Britain & Ireland early due to a potential leak. I seem to recall that being an issue last year as well?

Anyway this year’s listing does provide some movement, possibly a sign of the hard financial times in the year that passed. Some restaurants made adjustments to their menus to better suit their diners’ budgets hoping to keep them around. However, Michelin seem to have a different take on how to deal with the declining market. Indeed I believe this is the first time I have heard one of their executives state that Michelin is concerned with “value for money.” What?! Has the “value for money” monster taken over the mighty Michelin guides? It was supposed to be the definitive list of top restaurants based on an absolute scale, wasn’t it? One star equals one star anywhere in the world, an easy guide for the wary traveler. The guides used to say that one star was worthy of a stop, not best meal under £50. Remind me to write a complete blog on the faults of the “value for money” disaster that seems to getting a grip on society all over.


Inhale…exhale…and relax…

Oh yes the movements on the UK list, some restaurants have take steps in the right direction according to the guide. And the big winner this year is Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester taking that final step onto 3 stars. And don’t get me started on the French chef bias of Michelin. This combined with a less than great year for Gordon Ramsay takes Alain to second place with regards to who has the most combined stars worldwide beaten only by Joel Robuchon. Of course the internal competition between these three has widely been considered to be silly, as they clearly are not cooking at all these restaurants themselves. However, if you consider this as more of a struggle to be the best restaurateur and not the best chef it might make more sense.

Gordon Ramsay at Clariges is one of the less fortunate this year and they are striped of their one star following the departure of Mark Sargeant late last year. Indeed if I do a quick count it seems to me that Gordon may have lost five or more stars this year, with the loss of his LA, New York and Versailles restaurants to other operators. If I have forgotten any please feel free to correct me.

Also the Capital lost both stars following the departure of Eric Charvet and Foliage lost its star after Chris Staines packed up his knives following rumors that Heston Blumenthal was in talks to take over. As some of you may know these were two of my favorite restaurants in London, I can only hope that they will re-emerge as wonderful as they once were. Foliage of course sits in the same room that was once Marco Pierre White’s three star restaurant, and we expect nothing less than greatness from its new occupants. The room will keep its current split and both Heston Blumenthal and my friend Daniel Boulud are confirmed tenants of the two restaurants. Two three star chefs under one roof in the Mandarin Oriental, all designed by Adam Tihany. That will be hard to beat as a destination hotel in London.

Turning the page

At the turn of the year I believe it is customary to summarize it all. You know, what was good, what was bad and to look in to the crystal ball for what the future will hold. So I figured that it might be a good place to start the New Year. And I promise to stay away from lengthy and annoying list that everyone seem to be throwing mercilessly around.

Surprisingly good
This summer I had the good fortune of visiting The Goodstone Inn in Middleburg, VA once again. Although this resort caught us completely off guard the first time we stumbled upon it during a unplanned road trip some years ago, they once again took the essence of hospitality to a level you would expect to find in places of much higher merit. This is a place to watch in the coming years. They have taken the kitchen to a new and exciting level and the sights are still second to none. I can only agree with my beautiful wife’s observation “It is the only place were I completely relax within minutes of arriving.” Well done guys and keep it up!

Worrying
Anyone keeping up with the hospitality industry must have been up nights (at least one night) considering the future of Las Vegas. Ok, I know some of you love to hate the dessert mirage that is Las Vegas, but when all is said and done there is no place like it for volume, diversity and talent. No other place has taken a harder beating in the “finance crisis” and at one point the MGM Mirage group almost tumbled. As they now seem to be pulling through City Center is adding 10.000 rooms to a discounted market and adding 12.000 jobs to go with it. Worse off is the half-cooked Fountainbleau, with carpet and furnishings in all the rooms up to the 30th floor of the 68-floor hotel condo where Algiers once stood. Lenders have pulled out and if it is ever finished it will add almost 4.000 rooms to Sin City.

Will it be worth the wait?
In December of 2007 The Savoy hotel in London closed its doors to undergo an 18 month restoration budgeted to come in at £ 100 million. With innovations like a greeting in the lobby instead of the traditional check-in, I wonder what they will call that. The Beauford room will be converted into a bar with the largest selection of Champagne in London no less. The River Restaurant will spring back into life (is was closed for dinner the last few years prior to the hotel closing) and will offer al fresco-like dining with the windows open to the Thames. Gordon Ramsay’s man Stuart Gilles is still rumored to be heading up the Savoy Grill and ambitions for a Michelin star is also in the grapevine for the River Restaurant. I will be sure to check it all out once they finally get around to opening some time before summer 2010.