Hotel Restaurant le Bon Laboureur à Chenonceaux – bizarre Michelin decision

Le Bon Laboureur, Chenonceaux

Founded back in 1786 as a coaching inn Le Bon Laboureur has long been indisputably the best hotel and restaurant in Chenonceaux, whose famous château (Chenonceau) draws visitors from all over the world. Henry James dined there and mentioned the hotel in his A Little Tour of France published in 1884. James was impressed: the cuisine was not only excellent, but the service was graceful. When we are in Touraine this is our nearest fine restaurant.

Recently we have been taken to lunching there during the week when their 32€ lunch menu is available. What a bargain it is! Nominally three courses, you get fine nibbles with your apéro followed by a mise en bouche and then your first course – choice of two dishes. Next up main course – choice of fish or 72-hour cooked shoulder of lamb. A pre-dessert precedes dessert. The bargain lunch menu concludes with a choice of mignardises. My choice is invariably the cherries steeped in kirsch. With the exception of the vegetarian option, the other menus are considerably more expensive.

We have never had a bad experience at the Bon Laboureur the food  – prepared by owner chef Antoine Jeudi – is excellent , the wine list has plenty of interesting bottles  – in early this January we enjoyed a bottle of François Pinon's 1997 Vouvray Sec – reasonably priced and delicious. Fabrice Dagaut and his team offer impeccable service in the restaurant.

Given this quality it came as a great surprise to learn that Le Bon Laboureur lost its Michelin star early this year. Certainly there was nothing from our visits – around three a year – to suggest that its étoile was threatened. From our experiences Guide Michelin's decision to strip Le Bon Laboureur of its star appears bizarre.

In any case we will continue to eat at Le Bon Laboureur. 

Three of our favourite Loire restaurants have Michelin stars in 2017

La Table de la Bergerie, Domaine de la Bergerie 

Champs-sur-Layon  

David Guitton's restaurant – first Michelin star 2017 

David Guitton (on the phone at the entrance to the restaurant)

David at the Salon des Vins de Loire – February 2015

The 2017 edition of the Michelin Red Guide lists three of our favourite Loire restaurants: one new – La Table de la Bergerie – and two well established: La Promenade in Le Petit Pressigny and Le Bon Laboureur in Chenonceaux.

Many congratulations to all three restaurants and their staff with particular congratulations to David Guitton on La Table de la Bergerie's first Michelin étoile! David is married to Anne Guegniard, who runs Domaine de la Bergerie with her father Yves. The restaurant is attached to the Domaine and in the middle of the countryside.  

Although it is commonplace in other parts of the world, such as California and Australia, to have restaurants attached to wine estates, it is fairly rare in France. I don't know of any other Loire restaurant like this. The closest I can think of is La Côte des Monts Damnés in Chavignol run by Jean-Marc and Karine Bourgeois in the same village as Domaine Henri Bourgeois. 

Le Bon Laboureur, Chenonceaux

La Promenade, Le Petit Pressigny