Alain Ducasse is affiliated with MIX, and he is one of Michelin's favorite sons...

After some years of following Michelin's antics in Spain, France, and now the US, their way of assigning stars is starting to make some sense, but is still quite unpredictable.

Guy Savoy and Alex are exquisite, "better" by most objective measures than any of the * restaurants. Elaborate, unique preparations of unusual and expensive ingredients are the rule of the day at ** and *** places. If you are looking for simple food, well prepared, any Michelin ** or *** is not your place. Some * places will fit into that category. Other * restaurants are more ambitious and "on the way up" while others are old dinosaurs on the way down from past *** glory.

Frankly I am surprised Picasso is still (or ever was) **, it seems more like a "high *" to me.

I have never been to Joel Robuchon...after one mediocre and one disappointing experience at L'atelier, I am just not willing to take the risk at that price point when there are so many outstanding choices in the neighborhood.

I believe Daniel Boulud was * in last year's guide, and it does seem to represent good value compared to other starred restaurants. The cuisine is a bit more rustic than most places considered for a star, but there again is the bias toward French celebrity chefs...I think Bouchon is similar and as good as Boulud, but the LV branch is not starred (Yountville is *)

Another question: Would Daniel Boulud Las Vegas be a * if it were located in Paris? I seriously doubt it. As I glance down the list, I ask myself "Would any of these * places be starred in France?" I think only L'Atelier, Le Cirque, and Restaurant Charlie would be one star. (Alex and Guy Savoy are frankly BETTER than most ** restaurants I have been to in Europe and could presumably retain that ranking even in Paris.)

Michelin claims to only evaluate the food when assigning stars, but any restaurant with 2 or 3 stars is extremely formal in terms of decor and service as well. So, come to think of it, Le Cirque LV has the "infrastructure" to be ** and if their food preparations were a bit more cutting edge, they probably would be.

BTW, I have heard and read that DJT is no longer a fine dining restaurant but due to lack of demand has been converted to a much more casual cafe menu...can anyone confirm?