This is the most anticipated list of the year in the small world of gastronomy.
Last Monday, the 2024 vintage of the annual Michelin Guide star award ceremony was in full swing at the Vinci-Palais des Congrès in Tours.
A generous list which awarded 52 establishments a first star, compared to 39 last year.
Much more than a wall plaque to nail at the entrance to your establishment, this distinction symbolizes the recognition of years of hard work, mastered know-how, and for some, one step closer to the holy grail, the coveted circle of triple stars.
A cuisine of very high standard which does not systematically rhyme with a salty addition when you opt for a lunch menu.
Rooted in the four corners of France, here, by region, are the newly-starred establishments offering menus for less than €50.
To discover
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Also read: The 12 women who marked the 2024 edition of the Michelin Guide
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes stands out as the cradle of a myriad of freshly starred restaurants.
In Châtel-Guyon, in the Puy-de-Dôme department, L'Impulsif (which lives up to its name) stands out for its contemporary decor, its family atmosphere and its ever-changing cuisine.
Opened in 2019 by a couple of restaurateurs, chef Rémi and restaurant manager Noëlline Laroque, we taste “satellite plates”, in the words of the Guide inspectors, in which we can distinguish a singular touch, drawing an Auvergnat terroir with Asian influences.
To be discovered during a four-course lunch menu, available only during the week, for €45.
Noëlline Laroque in the L'Impulsif room.
L’Impulsif / Press photo
Near Puy-en-Velay, another couple shines with a new star for their restaurant Le Chamarlenc (2): chef Yoan Delorme, and restaurant manager Cellia Baudelier.
In the historic building which houses their very first address, this young couple of only 25 years old stood out in the Guide for their “tasty, precise and imaginative” dishes, composed from the treasures of local producers.
To be enjoyed at lunch, in four courses, for €35.
On the Lyon side, at L'Atelier des Augustins (3), chef Nicolas Guilloton creates dishes "constructed with a constant locavore concern and a strong sense of taste balance", according to the Guide's inspectors.
Inspired by his travels to Mali where he worked in the kitchens of the Bamako embassy, he created a cuisine full of flavors to discover at lunch, with an appetizer, a starter, a main course, a dessert and sweets, for the very reasonable price of €39.
The Lyonnais have a lucky star.
This year, a second address in the capital of gastronomy is offering its freshly starred cuisine for the modest sum of €45.
In this restaurant called Burgundy by Matthieu (4), chef Matthieu Girardon composes a blind menu to the rhythm of the seasons in a contemporary decor.
On the plate?
A cuisine that is “uninhibited, personal and technically very accomplished”, according to the inspectors, to be discovered during the week, during a lunch menu.
(1) L’impulsive, 19 avenue Baraduc, 63140 Vhâtel-Guyon.
Tel.: 04.73.86.48.89.
(2) Le Chamarlenc, 19 rue Raphaël, 43000 Le Puy-en-Velay.
Tel.: 04.71.02.17.72.
(3) L’Atelier des Augustins, 17 rue Hyppolyte Flandrion, 69001 Lyon.
Tel.: 04.72.00.88.01.
(4) Burgundy by Matthieu, 24 quai Saint-Antoine, 69002 Lyon.
Tel.: 04.72.04.04.51.
Brittany
Louise was the first name of chef Julien Corderoch's great-grandmother, the one who passed on to him a taste for cooking.
From now on, this is the name of its very first restaurant (5).
In this Lorient establishment with contemporary decor, family references are everywhere, like the Tadorne menu, the name of the chef's grandfather's fishing boat.
On the plate, his work around seafood and land products can be discovered through a surprise sea/city menu, available at lunch, during the week, for the unbeatable price of €30.
(5) Louise, 4 rue Léo le Bourgo, 56100 Lorient.
Tel.: 02.97.84.72.12.
Center-Val de Loire
After having cut their teeth at the Auberge de L'île Barbe in Lyon, or at the Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge in Dijon, chef Kévin Gardien and room manager Stéphanie Marques take over the reins of the 12th century Auberge (6), in Saché, in 2020. A successful bet, the couple won a star in Tours last Monday, in the same city where they met.
In this half-timbered building overgrown with cork, you can taste the best of the Loire region: poultry pâté from Ingrandes-de-Touraine, barbecue-roasted veal, potato mousseline with smoked butter jus gras and sweet clover, or even , naturally cooked leeks, crispy veal head, whelks with light béarnaise sauce.
To be discovered from Wednesday to Saturday, during lunch, for the price of €38.
(6) 12th century inn, 1 rue du château, 37190 Saché.
Tel.: 02.47.26.88.77.
Tops of France
Big winner of Top Chef in 2018, Camille Delcroix won her first star for her restaurant located in Saint-Omer.
Named Bacôve (7) in reverence to the large boats used by market gardeners to transport vegetables, the 34-year-old chef invites you to taste his local cuisine “with beautiful technical precision”, underlines the Guide.
To be discovered through a menu in three sequences called Baudequin, for €48.
As for desserts?
The great classics of our grandmothers.
Confidence for confidence, at the Auberge de la Grive (8), in Trosly-Loire, chefs Nicolas and Cécilia Gautier welcome just 12 guests in a most intimate atmosphere.
Installed around an island which invites discussion, the customer observes the ballet of the hands of the cooks handling vegetables, meats and fruits.
Result ?
Plates with “off the beaten track” pairings, which have seduced the inspectors’ palates.
It remains to be seen whether it will appeal to yours, during a three-course “migration” menu, available only at lunchtime, from Wednesday to Friday, for the price of €39.
(7) Bacôve, 8 rue Caventou, 62500 Saint-Omer.
Tel.: 03.21.95.21.33.
(8) Auberge de la Grive, 5 rue du Logis, 02300 Trosly-Loire.
Tel.: 07.71.61.20.02.
Ile-de-France
It's hard to find starred menus for less than 50 euros in Paris.
Luckily this year, among the rewarded Parisian establishments, Hémicycle (9) offers a lunch menu for €49, served from Tuesday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
The opportunity to discover the “personal and subtly tinged with transalpine references” cuisine of the Italian restaurateur couple, chef Flavio Lucarini and pastry chef Aurora Storari.
An address born under the leadership of restaurant-entrepreneur Stéphane Manigold.
(9) Hémicycle, 5 rue de Bourgogne, Paris, 75007. Tel.: 01.40.62.98.04.
New Aquitaine
“Beyond short circuits, hyper-local, without concession”, we can read on the website of the restaurant Cueillette (10), located between Lot and Corrèze.
In this 19th century mansion, the ultra-committed chef Oscar Garcia cooks fruits and vegetables from his vegetable garden, aromatic herbs from his garden and many other products born less than 90 km from the restaurant.
A conscious cuisine to discover at lunch, during a three-course menu available from Wednesday to Friday, for the modest sum of €35.
(10) Picking, 3 La Raufie, Altillac, 19120 Altillac.
Tel.: 05.19.90.00.19.
Occitania
At the gourmet restaurant L'Almandin (11), located in Saint-Cyprien, chef Frédéric Bacquié draws the Roussillon terroir with “precise and elegant” recipes, according to the Guide.
Cooking according to arrivals, local fishing and his personal inspirations, his signature can be discovered during the week, during a lunch menu, for the price of €49.
(11) L'Almadin, boulevard de l'Almandin, 66750 Saint-Cyprien.
Tel.: 04.68.21.01.02.