From Paris with love

Whether you believe in the cult of Michelin or not, the gossip is what it is, and this year, it may just shake things up. Word on the street (and in the kitchens) is that the guide is an archaic old boys club. And while they have commended young chefs such as Daniel Rose from Spring, some of us still remain non-plussed (with Rose as well). The French guide comes out March 6th but Adrien has got an impressive low-down that reads something like this; Ze Kitchen Gallery gets a star (yum!), L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon gets two and Alain Ducasse gets one for Jules Verne. But the big question on everyone’s tongue is whether Alain Passard will lose one of his three stars. The potential loss is being chalked up to bad phone manners, go figure. I happen to quite like L’Arpege (it’s hard not to), and when I cash in my new years greeting card worth a lunch for two, I’ll certainly pay attention for telephone faux pas, but come on! Who remembers the reservation phone call after a meal there, who cares.