:Le Louis XV (restaurant)

Le Louis XV is Ducasse's flagship restaurant. It is located inside the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo in Monte Carlo.{{cite news |last=Tullio |first=Paolo |title=Restaurant review: Paolo Tullio at Le Louis XV Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo |url=http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/food-drink/restaurant-review-paolo-tullio-at-le-louis-xv-hotel-de-paris-monte-carlo-3100948.html |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=The Irish Independent |date=5 May 2012}} He opened the restaurant in May 1987, having been challenged by Prince Rainier III of Monaco and the Société des bains de mer de Monaco to win three Michelin stars there within four years, becoming the first hotel-based restaurant to win that level of the award. Ducasse won the three stars for the restaurant 33 months later, some fifteen months earlier than his objective.{{cite web |title=Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse – 25 years of essential cuisine |url=http://www.visitmonaco.com/News/News/Le-Louis-XV-Alain-Ducasse-25-years-of-essential-cuisine |website=Visit Monaco |accessdate=7 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130205143736/http://www.visitmonaco.com/News/News/Le-Louis-XV-Alain-Ducasse-25-years-of-essential-cuisine |archivedate=5 February 2013 }}

The wine cellar contains around 400,000 bottles of wine.{{cite web |title=Le Louis XV |url=http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/france/the-french-riviera/review-182517.html |publisher=Fodor's |accessdate=7 September 2012}} A number of food trolleys are used by the waiters, including for champagne, cheese and one holding herbs to make herbal teas at the tableside.

Several chefs who went on to lead Michelin starred restaurants underwent training at Le Louis XV, including Helene Darroze, Alexis Gauthier, Massimo Bottura, Clare Smyth{{cite web |title=Alexis Gauthier, Esq |url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/g/22595/Alexis%20Pascal+GAUTHIER.aspx |publisher=Debrett's |accessdate=8 September 2012}}
- {{cite news |last=Gardham |first=Duncan |author2=Peterkin, Tom |title=Revealed: First three Michelin star female chef |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/1570604/Revealed-First-three-Michelin-star-female-chef.html |accessdate=29 January 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=27 November 2007}} and Thierry Laborde.

Le Louis XV first gained its three Michelin stars in 1990,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/14/garden/tales-told-in-stars-michelin-adds-and-subtracts.html|title=Tales Told in Stars: Michelin Adds and Subtracts|author=New York Times|work=The New York Times |date=14 March 1990 |access-date=July 21, 2016}}{{cite news|url = http://www.lemonde.fr/m-gastronomie/article/2016/02/01/michelin-trois-etoiles-pour-alain-ducasse-au-plaza-athenee-et-le-cinq_4857129_4497540.html|title = Michelin : trois étoiles pour le Plaza Athénée et Le Cinq|date = 1 February 2016|access-date = 19 November 2016|website = Le Monde}} holding for 7 consecutive years before losing one star in 1997.{{Cite news |last=Whitney |first=Craig R. |date=1997-03-05 |title=Michelin Gives and Takes, and Adds a Symbol |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/garden/michelin-gives-and-takes-and-adds-a-symbol.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} However, the restaurant quickly regained the lost third star just one year later,{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=1998-03-04 |title=A First for Michelin Guide: One Chef Wins Six Stars |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/04/dining/a-first-for-michelin-guide-one-chef-wins-six-stars.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and yet lost it again in 2001.{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=2001-02-28 |title=Michelin Demotes Ducasse, Again |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/28/dining/michelin-demotes-ducasse-again.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Eventually it regained the third star again 2 years later in 2003 and the restaurant has been holding three stars ever since.{{Cite news |last=Prial |first=Frank J. |date=2003-02-15 |title=THE SATURDAY PROFILE; Michelin's Briton Keeps France's Cuisine Haute |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/15/world/the-saturday-profile-michelin-s-briton-keeps-france-s-cuisine-haute.html |access-date=2024-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web | url=https://www.winespectator.com/articles/louis-xv-regains-third-michelin-star-le-cinq-also-earns-top-honors-21538 | title=Louis XV Regains Third Michelin Star; le Cinq Also Earns Top Honors | work=Wine Spectator | date=11 February 2003 }}{{Cite web |last=Shaw |first=David |date=2003-02-12 |title=The word on Michelin's newest stars |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-feb-12-fo-michelin12-story.html |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2003-03-25 |title=Chefs win back third stars in new Michelin |url=https://www.thecaterer.com/archive/chefs-win-back-third-stars-in-new-michelin |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=The Caterer |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2003-02-06 |title=Michelin 2003 results ...Promotions and Demotions |url=https://forums.egullet.org/topic/16591-michelin-2003-results-promotions-and-demotions/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=eGullet Forums |language=en-US}}

Food critic Paolo Tullio described Le Louis XV as one of the "great French restaurants". In 2003, The Guardian identified it as one of the top five restaurants in the world. Howard Jacobson was sent to review it by the newspaper, who thought initially that the dishes served were "droll" but changed his mind when he tasted them. He enjoyed the ambiance of the place, and thought that the numbers of staff gave it an air of professionalism.{{cite news |last=Jacobson |first=Howard |title=What happened when five great writers dined at the world's five best restaurants? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2003/oct/12/foodanddrink.features16 |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 October 2003}}

Fodor's travel guide described Ducasse's cuisine as "superb", while also describing the interior of the restaurant as "magnificent". It was included in the first published list of the world's 101 top restaurants by The Daily Meal in 2012.{{cite news |title=101 best hotel restaurants around the world |url=https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/101-best-hotel-restaurants-around-the-world |access-date=7 September 2012 |newspaper=Fox News |date=30 April 2012}}

It has also been included in The World's 50 Best Restaurants by Restaurant; in 2003 it was ranked the third-best restaurant in the world behind the French Laundry and El Bulli,{{cite news |last=Paterson |first=Michael |title=Critics say world's best restaurant is French – but in California |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1428681/Critics-say-worlds-best-restaurant-is-French-but-in-California.html |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=29 April 2003}} by 2006 and 2007 it had dropped to eighth place,{{cite news |last=Vines |first=Richard |title=El Bulli Topples Fat Duck as Best Restaurant in Poll |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a8YOQ1NyzBNA&refer=culture |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=11 April 2006}}
- {{cite news |last=Vines |first=Richard |title=France Tops U.S., U.K. in Best Restaurant Awards; El Bulli Wins |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aujvvTPizCqU&refer=muse |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=23 April 2007}} dropping to fifteenth in 2008.{{cite news |last=Vines |first=Richard |title=El Bulli Named World's Best Restaurant; Per Se, Noma Advance |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aC4vpwlNb2BU |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=21 April 2008}} It had a significant drop in rankings in 2009, falling to 43rd place.{{cite news |last=Vines |first=Richard |title=Ramsay's Protege Attacks Celebrity Chefs After Awards Triumph |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aXB.iAyBmNA0&refer=muse |accessdate=7 September 2012 |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=21 April 2009}}

The restaurant has been the recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award since 1995.{{cite news |title=Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse |url=http://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/show/source/search/id/2951 |work=Wine Spectator |date=1 January 2015 |accessdate=19 August 2015}}

• List of Michelin-starred restaurants in Monaco
• List of Michelin 3-star restaurants

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• {{Official website| https://www.montecarlosbm.com/en/restaurant-monaco/le-louis-xv-alain-ducasse-hotel-de-paris}}

{{Michelin Guide 3-star restaurants in France}}

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Category:1987 establishments in Monaco

Category:Restaurants in Monaco

Category:Michelin-starred restaurants in Monaco

Category:1987 in Monaco