Two out of three ain't bad

The new 2007 Michelin French guide has been released and two Parisian restos have lost one of their three stars.

Both Le Cinq and Taillevent, the Paris restaurant that held three Michelin stars for 34 years, have been demoted.

Although there have been grumblings of rebellion in the food industry against the ratings system which began in the '30s, for the most part gaining the elusive stars is an obsession with chefs and owners.

So losing one is a big deal.

But according to this article in the International Herald Tribune, Jean-Claude Vrinat, the owner and chief executive of Taillevent, said: "What surprises me is that in the past year we've received 614 unsolicited letters of congratulations from customers and only four complaints. I'm not discouraged. Sometimes a kick in the behind is a good motivator."

That's the spirit!