STRASBOURG, France, May 10, 2008 (AFP) - Paul Haerberlin, the chef who founded one of France's oldest three-star Michelin restaurants, L'Auberge de l'Ill, died Saturday at the age of 84, his son Marc, its current chef, told AFP.
    The restaurant in the little village of Illhaeusern, 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of the historic town of Colmar in Alsace, last September celebrated 40 unbroken years of three-star status since 1967.
    The feat, extremely rare in French gastronomy, is only bettered slightly by Paul Bocuse, a friend of the Haerberlins, who has held his coveted third star since 1965.
    The Auberge on the banks of the Ill river, which rises in the Jura and flows through the Alsatian plain, was opened in 1950 by Paul and his brother Jean-Pierre. With Paul in the kitchens and Jean-Pierre front of house, they formed a formidable duo, rapidly putting their restaurant on the gastronomic map.
    It was awarded its first star in the famous red Michelin guide in 1952 and a second only five years later in 1957.
    Popular with crowned heads and presidents, the Auberge has held on to its place at the pinnacle of French fine-eating by mixing tradition with modernity.
    Its signature dishes include mousseline of frog 'Paul Haeberlin', quail stuffed with calves sweetbread, lacquered mallard and brioches stuffed with foie gras.