Five Star Wine Tour

It's been a while since I've done a Five Star Wine tour and as dining in a Michelin Star restaurant is on the itinerary, I had to check to see what restaurants in the Pyrenees Orientales were awarded this coveted prize in 2009.

After a little bit of research, I discovered there are 5 Michelin star restaurants in our area :

Pascal Borrell in Maury
La Galinette in Perpignan
Parc Hôtel in Perpignan
L’Ile de la Lagune - Saint Cyprien
Le Relais des Trois Mas - Collioure

Collioure and Saint Cyprien both have very pleasant views and are by the coast so it will be a toss up between these two for our tour of 8 yanks visiting from NY City.

So! What makes a Michelin Restaurant so special? According to the guidelines in the Michelin guide it's a combination of :

The quality of the products
The mastery of flavor and cooking
The "personality" of the cuisine
The value for the money
The consistency between visits

Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants offering the finest cooking, regardless of cuisine style. Stars represent only what is on the plate. They do not take into consideration interior decoration, service quality or table settings.

Yum, getting hungry and it's only 10am ! Will report back anon ...