New tables to book according to Gault&Millau's director of surveys

Père et Fils Raingeard in Contes (06)

In the central square, at the foot of the XIXᵉ century church and in the shade of the plane trees, chef Raingeard has set down his pans. He who, for over ten years, made the Cap Estel brass shine, has decided to take up the apron again to play a father and son score where all the accumulated experience takes its most accomplished form here. The cuisine is bistronomic, sincere and built around the market and local produce. Marinades, infusions, reductions: behind an apparent simplicity, each plate hides a true chef's work. Grilled prawns on a bisque of carcasses softened with roasted almond milk; roasted lamb like a Sunday leg of lamb; brandade of poultry on a parmentier of confit thighs; cassolette of Paimpol coco beans with citrus bouillon and juice; roasted figtie on a siphon of warm mascarpone cream, hiding a praline heart with cracker, escorted by a fig sorbet... The cellar, with its 80 references, offers a fine balance between classic appellations and accessible nuggets. Meanwhile, in the dining room, Édouard Raingeard enjoys working with his father, sometimes taking a back seat to the stature and outspokenness of the chef, who doesn't hesitate to come and present his dishes himself. And perhaps that's the key: everything converges on the cuisine, on the gourmet sincerity that endears the place.

• 14.5/20 (2 toques)
• Where? 8 place de l'Abbé Cauvin, 06390 Contes
• See Gault&Millau's review of Père et fils Raingeard

thomas Boyron - French Riviera Photography

Hervé Busset in Rodez (12)

Hervé Busset describes himself as a "cook-gatherer". His background in the Aveyron region, first in Conques where he was Grand de Demain, then in Rodez, is a strong argument in favor of his loyal customers. In the choice of produce offered by nature for each season, as well as in the creation, through hidden menus following the evolution of the market, of beautiful, graphic plates, the re-covering of vegetables and herbs, this chef is a master of the art of cooking.this doesn't prevent us from using noble products to good effect, such as caviar, foie gras, truffles or Normandy scallops. We loved these dishes full of flavor: the free-range egg with asparagus in different textures, morel cream and moliterno; the duck foie gras shabu-shabu style, generous and balanced, with ashabu-shabu style, with Granny Smith apple jus and sorbet; guinea fowl cooked at a low temperature, with a very light but intense wild buckthorn jus and porcini mushroom aromas - a real treat! Wines from an attractive cellar with a penchant for the South-West.

• 15/20 (3 toques)
• Where? 24 place du Bourg, 12000 Rodez
• See Gault&Millau's review of Hervé Busset

julien Rougny

Bulle d'Osier in Langres (52)

This restaurant, which owes everything to Laurent Petit's desire to recreate gastronomy in his native region, can be as much a lark as a springboard for the young couple who run it. The chef, who sold his Clos des Sens in Annecy-le-Vieux, has created a superb place at the entrance to the historic town, in a beautiful old house, to which he has entrusted the keys. valentin Loison, a chef of Korean and Jura origin, and his partner Anaïs Bercegeay, from Saint-Nazaire in the Loire Valley, whom he met at Mauro Colagreco's Mirazur. So there's a lot of work to be done, a willing young team and a tool to be put to good use. The slightly unavoidable modish tics, the locavorist discourse, the manners and mannerisms, the horrifying imposed hidden menu, make us think of yet another recitation for country bumpkins (Haute-Marne is so much more exotic than Bali!). But we have to bow our heads, because there's talent here, lots of talent. Anaïs is a very good director, who knows her score and finds the right arguments with sincerity. Then, the plates speak for themselves: if the appetizers, served one by one like relics, are a little anodyne, after the artichoke herb and flower starter, and the shallot soup marked by the polypode, here come raw crayfish, verbena, zucchini corolla, which have taste, freshness and allure, with a well-worked XO sauce and the scent of agastache. Excellent pike-perch in ikejime, sudachi, bergamot, celery, with a gourmet vinaigrette like an eating sauce and, the highlight, the duck. A beautiful work in three plates, the heart on a skewer, the leg shredded, the fillet very well cooked, condimented with yuzu kosho, duck juice, garden angelica. It's the chef who makes the pastry: his chef's desserts are a great success and do not detract from the overall picture: fig tartlet and cream, fig leaf granita or Vosges blueberries or "brimbelles" with goat's cheese ice cream. A cellar under development, but already quite interesting, commented on with confidence by the hostess. Let's take a gamble on youth and immediately award the three toques to this united, determined and talented young couple, who will undoubtedly make their own mark on this promising ensemble.

• 15/20 (3 toques)
• Where? Place du Colonel de Grouchy, 52200 Langres
• See Gault&Millau's review of Bulle d'Osier - Clos Vauban

matteo Carassale

La Table du Liziec in Vannes (56)

Olivier Samson has left his Gourmandière on the edge of town. Now he's in a radically different world, that of a beautiful hotel, in the middle of a six-hectare park that gives way to numerous ornamental gardens and rectilinear vegetable patches. He's quickly acclimatized, and this new challenge gives him a boost we can only applaud. After amuse-bouches that are not just conventional nibbles, but beautiful creations, it's time for this candied abalone that leaves its natural environment for terra firma, with a buckwheat cream that's a real treat.meux au sarrasin (buckwheat cream), and gros lait (milk), so misnamed because of its subtly sour notes, punctuate this composition, which is also enhanced by a racy pig jus. A few sea herbs sprinkle the dish with just the right touch. Next, the sole holds its own: impeccable quality, freshness and cooking. It's not a show-stopping sequence, but it's effective: the green asparagus goes best with the kumquat and bok choy cabbage. The gin-scented bone butter is a model of balance. The Morbihan pigeon, fleshy and delicate, is enhanced by a cocoa-flavored cooking juice. The peas are worked in the "French style", but, by the grace of a pirouette, it's the Colonnata bacon that finally invites itself to the table. Cabbage and artichoke are also featured, and the tour ends with a royale d'abattis topped with a leg of pigeon confit. A well-crafted and deftly executed dish of great scope. Finally, grapefruit and orange, pepper and ribot milk come together for a well-thought-out dessert whose freshness is matched only by the different flavors that juxtapose and respond to each other in perfect harmony. What more can we say? That the dining room is elegant and comfortable, and that the service is smooth, efficient and smiling! Another word about the thick cellar book, which offers some great bottles, but also has the wisdom to propose affordable wines.

• 16/20 (3 toques)
• Where? 20 route de Rennes, 56000 Vannes
• See Gault&Millau's review of La Table du Liziec

dR

Coup de Main in Lille (59)

A logo in the shape of a fennel and a corkscrew, a large workshop window and a small room that smells of life, camaraderie and a love of good produce and good wines. Victor Berthe and Clément Delécluse, France's Best Young Sommelier 2021, bring this neighborhood bistro nugget to life. The two partners are well versed in their craft, and the fluidity of their service is on a par with the high quality of their cuisine, thanks to a chef who scrupulously follows what nature offers him according to the seasons, choosing his meats and fish in the region before maturing them, and picking his herbs during his walks in the countryside. It's like a shortcut to modern cuisine: short choices, mono-products on certain dishes, characterful seasonings, a menu that can change every day, or at least every week. The soft Artois trout and its vegetables of the moment, which could reconcile some children with greenery, is preceded by focaccia and its pan-fried snails.lée d'escargots with a wild garlic leaf sauce, before a kiwi, mint and lemon balm ganache for dessert. We also come here for the cellar and the sommelier's discoveries.

• 14/20 (2 toques)
• Where? 112 rue Saint-André, 59800 Lille
• See Gault&Millau's review of Coup de Main

dR

L'Orchidée in Ensisheim (68)

The Klanklong brothers have left Altkirch and set up shop in Ensisheim, in a beautiful Renaissance mansion said to have seen Louis XIV and Napoleon. From the former comfort of a bistro, they moved into a spacious dining room, with round tables spaced far apart. Having become hoteliers, the brothers had to start from scratch: recruit a large team, tame the house and orchestrate the accommodation, a far-reaching program that the enthusiasm of the young brigade carries off with conviction. There's no à la carte menu here, but two surprise 4-course or 6-course menus, in tune with French cuisine with a Thai twist. The rosette of daikon radishes, two varieties superimposed in petals, conceals a slice of marinated tuna and is enlivened by a ballet of seasonings: soy, nuoc-mâm, green kaffir oil and red chili oil, whose finesse, freshness and balance are the charm. The tom yam, chef Chatchai Klanklong's signature dish, this year with wild prawns, tomato and Alsace chanterelle mushrooms, is topped with an infusion of coconut milk, galanga, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf: the abundant liquid takes over too much, and the spiciness, stronger than usual, upsets the usual balance. Thierry Laurent's pigeon, smoked for modernity, offers a tender fillet and a melting thigh. shiitake bok choy, a full-bodied tamarind jus and glutinous rice with red curry and coconut milk, with an almost umami sapidity. The dessert combines chocolate, miso and Thai red tea in a play of textures and temperatures; it is thwarted by an overly hard ice cream, but the chocolate sauce poured at the table imposes itself with its nuanced richness. In the dining room, the abundance of staff is impressive. The sommelier, alert and precise, watches over and advises with skill. Nevertheless, the selection by the glass, limited to four wines with no Alsatian roots, is disappointing, whereas the wine list by the bottle is ambitious. We leave convinced by the intention, the distinction of the cuisine and the Thai inspiration, saying to ourselves that we must give the duo time to consolidate the precision of the dressings and the balance of the seasonings. The house is beautiful and lively, and the best is yet to come.

• 15/20 (3 toques)
• Where? 47 rue de la 1ère Armée Française, 68190 Ensisheim, France
• See Gault&Millau's review of L'Orchidée

WineYouWant in Lyon (69)

The former XIXᵉ century building, located on the banks of the Saône, has been rehabilitatede into a place where you can drink a glass of wine 7 days a week and enjoyHubert Vergoin 's (ex-Substrat) crafted plates. Recently, we lost ourselves in the 600-strong wine list, while enjoying Saint-Brieuc scallops confit with smoked butter and cider vinegar, as well as a second plate with a strong character, featuring celeriac chiffonade, flavored with a tapenade of snails from the Monts du Lyonnais. For the main course, venison with cabbage and foie gras, accompanied by succulent pommes dauphine, or arctic char and Jerusalem artichoke, garnished with numerous trompettes-de-la-mort, give way to well-executed desserts. well-executed desserts, from chocolate with tonka and peanut, to a more tangy citrus plate. Very pleasant service.

• 13.5/20 (2 toques)
• Where to eat? 2 place de Serin, 69004 Lyon
• See the Gault&Millau review on WineYouWant

g.Perret

Chalet Flachaire in Abondance (74)

How do you open a restaurant in a chalet while maintaining the " codes " of a classic restaurant? Several great chefs have already asked themselves this question, from Julien Gatillon to Christophe Bacquié and Marc Veyrat. And we can only salute the courage and dynamism of Thomas Flachaire , who, with his wife, has just opened his own restaurant in a tiny chalet made of blond wood and pretty Alpine inspirations. The young Gault&Millau award-winner offers a variety of different menus. The cuisine is fine and well-constructed, and there's already a fine knowledge of local produce. Local chestnut delicacy, a lovely duo of beet and trout with a beurre blanc made with Savoy roussette, toasted and herbaceous Arctic char, or Vinzier beef passed through the binchotan with a light onion tartlet. For desserts, the chef masters the sweet arts: "Comme un mont blanc" is a pretty proposal based on wild blueberries, cream and chestnut mousse. The wine list is still in its infancy, but you'll be able to find some fine offerings from the Alpine region at reasonable prices. The two toques are already here.

• 13/20 (2 toques)
• Where? 24 impasse du Cottage, 74360 Abondance
• See Gault&Millau's review of Chalet Flachaire

morgane Brasier

Prévelle in Paris (75)

Together with Alain Ducasse,Romain Meder laid the foundations of natural cuisine when the Plaza Athénée reopened in 2014, propelling and sustaining a cuisine that was meat-free on the à la carte menu, and thrilling audiences with its obvious panache. Having lost his way for a time in the depths of the Perche region, at Domaine de Primard, without ever really finding his audience, this gifted chef has returned to the heart of the city, a stone's throw from the Invalides and the ministries. He has lost none of his exceptional technique and sensibility, and now allows himself nothing but products that are not of the highest quality, delivering a breathtaking demonstration from amuse-bouche to dessert: a combination of carrot, oyster and spruce with total balance and delicate flavors, the oyster barely warmed, the carrots as if candied; an octopus ofan infinitely tender octopus with its mousseline of octopus and mustard skins, followed by exquisitely cooked and moist poultry, fennel and cuttlefish, all tied together with a cuttlefish ink sauce. The demonstration continues through to the desserts (cherry, melilot and verjuice, chocolate, coffee and lentils) for a total spectacle.

maki Manoukian

• 17/20 (3 toques)
• Where? 34 rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris
• See Gault&Millau's review of Prévelle