milkman

The list of starred restaurants in the Michelin France 2011 which was released on 28 Feb is now available on various web sites e.g. http://francoissimon.typepad.fr/Michelin/Michelin%202011.pdf (about 6.5Mb download) and the Bib Gourmand restaurants http://www.michelin.com/corporate/content/newsAndPress/products_and_services/CP_MG_BPT_EN_2011.pdf (about 540Kb download)

Reading through all these posts it is easy to see Boeuf a la Bourguignonne is no longer just a red wine stew of beef, onions, and mushrooms. Carrots (and even peppers!) now seem to be a necessity. I do not think those recipes should really be referred to as Boeuf a la Bourguignonne. It is interesting to look back on the history of the dish - there is a good summary of the dish in French cookery books(in French) from Escoffier in 1902 onward http://www.apartes-uchroniques.org/index.php/post/2008/10/27/Un-boeuf-a-la-bourguignonne I have noted carrots only seem to make an appearance in recipes around the time of the WWII so perhaps they were more a way of extending the meal (and continued in bistro versions to reduce the cost)? Or possibly the carrots (and tomato puree) were added as a shortcut to producing a stock with characteristics similar to sauce espagnole of Escoffier? My collection of both French and English cookery books seems to show a similar transiton. Richard Olney (The French Menu Cookbook 1970) does include carrots whereas James Beard (American Cookery 1972) does not. Of the versions I have in more recent books, I think Simon Hopkinson (The Prawn Cocktail Years) comes nearest to the spirit of the original in ensuring a rich, well-flavoured stock and the addition of a pig trotter. The version at http://forkncork.com/boeuf-a-la-bourguignonne/ is very similar to the Hopkinson version although he includes carrots and redcurrant jelly (and eight cloves of garlic) in the red wine reduction.

Matthew Norman suggests a Big Mac on the way home afterwards http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/05/bar-boulud-london-restaurant-review

L'Arnsbourg and Auberge de l'Ill are the starred restaurants near to Strasbourg. For either you'll need to book well in advance. They are both about an hour's drive from Strasbourg. I've not eaten at L'Arnsbourg but the food at Auberge l'Ill was very good. You'll probably get nearly as good food at other restaurants as near to Strasbourg but possibly without the repeatability given the lower number of staff and without the same level of service. You should note Au Crocodile has changed ownership in June 2009; Emile Jung retired and Au Crocodile was taken over by Philippe Bohrer (who runs several restaurants). You should be careful when reading any older reviews. In general you should be aware many restaurants are closed Sunday evening, and all Monday, and/or Tuesday. http://www.restaurant-ranking.com/en/index.html is a good web site for seeing the ratings according to a range of French guides: Bottin, Champerard, GaultMillau, Michelin, Pudlo.

Haut Rhin bus timetables here http://www.cg68.fr/horaires-des-bus/horaires-des-bus.html and more generally in Alsace http://www.transbus.org/reseaux/r_alsace.html Trains http://www.ter-sncf.com/Regions/alsace/fr/

AEG are not part of the Bosch Siemens Home Appliances Group. Bosch, Siemens, Neff, and Gaggenau are their main European brands. see http://www.bsh-group.com/index.php?page=1070 for a full list of the brands.

Emile Jung retired from Au Crocodile last year. It is now part of the Philippe Bohrer chain: http://www.au-crocodile.com/crbst_27.html and http://philippe-bohrer.fr/restaurant-gastronomique/ so the change is the reason for loss of a star. Bohrer hasn't yet managed to get two stars at his Rouffach restaurant.

If you haven't found it, there are quite a few reviews of mainly Michelin one star in Alsace and Lorraine here A few brief updates: The Auberge Frankenbourg, La Vancelle now has a new grander dining room. The Blanche Neige, Labaroche has changed chef and all other staff. We found the food rather salty on our last visit. The former chef of the Blanche Neige has moved to Auberge de la ferme Hueb, Marckolsheim http://www.auberge-ferme-hueb.com/ There is a cheap 2/3 course lunch menu for less than 15€; if you want one of the more expensive menus at lunchtime it is better to mention when booking. The Elisabeth, La Vancelle has shut.

I posted some reviews of various Alsace restaurants on eGForums Restaurants in Alsace and Lorraine Some changes: Mike Germershausen is no longer at the Blanche Neige. He has opened his own restaurant http://www.auberge-ferme-hueb.com/fr/index.php in Marckolsheim (near to Illhaeusen) with simpler, lower priced menus. You will need to request the 25 and 45€ set menus if you want them when booking for lunchtime eating. The standard lunchtime menu-of-the-day is 15€. The Auberge Frankenbourg has opened a new dining room. Emil Jung has retired from Au Crocodile in Strasbourg and it is now run by Philippe Bohrer.

And which town is this in?

Chez Michele, 57 rue Principale, 57810 Languimberg tel: 03 87 03 92 25 http://www.chezmichele.fr/ was awarded one star for the first time in the 2009 Michelin Guide (14 in GM 2008). The chef Bruno Poiré was the jeune talent de Lorraine 2007. By chance we’d booked to go there for lunch on the day the 2009 Michelin Guide was published. The restaurant is in a small village and is installed in an old house; it has two areas, two adjoining rooms in the front in the old building and a tent-like permanent conservatory at the back. Mirabelle and champagne aperitif We all chose the menu Plaisir at 27€ (or 35€ with a glass of wine with the starter and with the main course and with coffee). A set menu with no choices. There were three other set menus at two with two starters at 46€ and 50€ (each 6€ less with one starter) and the grand menu de saison 68€ Menu Plaisir L'éveil du palais *** Filet de porc au épices *** Moelleux de Brochet et Tube de pomme de terre truffées *** Pomme meringuée et mousse au caramel L'éveil du palais - A warmish potiron soup and cold lamb tagine on bread with parmesan and wasabi cream. An mildly interesting amuse bouche which had some flavour and we hoped the awakening would be carried through to the following courses. Filet de porc au épices - Bland cold slices of flavourless pork with a mild chutney-style sauce and a tiny salad. This was disappointing with very little flavour in any component except the salad dressing. Moelleux de Brochet et Tube de pomme de terre truffées – Extruded pike quenelles and potatoes with a mild fish sauce. No hint of a truffle in the potatoes. Again very bland, too much with too little flavour. This course became an endurance test. Pomme meringuée et mousse au caramel – Cold caramelised crushed apple, apple mousse and extruded meringues – again no special flavours (and some of us had had an as tasty home-made apple puree with our muesli that morning!) Barbe à papa to finish seems to be fairly ubiquitous in Alsace at present. Coffee and petits fours – rather tired and wilting rather than freshly baked. We were all disappointed with our food at this visit. None of the courses excited the taste buds and the small salad and lack of main course vegetables to provide more flavours was disappointing. It was obvious everything had been pre-prepared and hardly any cooking (or even just warming) had taken place for this menu. We hopefully thought perhaps the lack of vegetables was because it was a Monday? A Michelin star for ambience and service (although we found the service possibly a bit over-bearing) but the food was nothing. We had expected more, especially as it turned out to be their first official day with the star. We will possibly return sometime in the future (but not on a Monday) and will hope for something much better. And, after barbe à papa, is extruded food going to be the next fad?

Émile Jung, Crocodile, Strasbourg may retire this year. According to ViaMichelin "As for handing over the baton, Émile and Monique Jung have been thinking about it for some time; they’re ready for some well-deserved peace and quiet. It is said that the baton may be passed as early as this year to Philippe Bohrer, who was chef at the Élysées of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand". Presumably Bohrer will keep his Rouffach business Restaurant Philippe Bohrer?

Abra, what are you expecting of Colmar? There isn't much you won't find something similar in Strasbourg apart from the world famous Musee d'Unterlinden (medieval and renaissance art). Gastronomically there is not really much in Colmar worthy of a special trip. Without a car a long day trip might well be sufficient (ignoring Christmas markets, etc.) see also http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=115500 for some earlier comments on Colmar and http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102842 for some restaurants in Alsace and Lorraine including Strasbourg.

I assume the original question should have included "in Paris"? After all, this forum is a France forum not a Paris forum.

Yesterday we visited Le Grenier à Sel, rue Gustave-Simon 28, 54000 Nancy tel: +33 (0)3 833 231 98 (Michelin one star; GM 2008 16) which is in the very centre of Nancy only a couple of hundred yards from Place Stanislas. Possibly it was not the best day as it followed a long French weekend of holidays although the restaurant was closed Sunday and Monday. We were the only four lunchtime diners in the first floor dining room which only has eight tables and probably seats no more than 30. But it was for a birthday celebration. One side of the room is dominated by an Art Nouveau wood buffet apparently by Majorelle but, to our eyes, definitely not one of his better works. There doesn't seem to be any air-conditioning apart from opening the windows. It was hot when we were there and with thw windows open there was constant noise from the busy street below. Several of the tables are close to the kitchen doors and any diners seated at them would probably be disturbed by the staff passing by. One couple arrived early, some twenty minutes before the others (who got stuck in traffic) but, after they had been welcomed and ordering apéritifs, the staff disappeared. The staff reappeared when the second couple arrived and something similar occurred. The apéritifs finally appearing after about thirty minutes after the first couple had arrived. Not a good start! The set menu had little choice: a menu "de bouche à oreilles…" at 32 euros or a 65 euro Menu Dégustation (only for all the table). A 45 euro Menu Plaisir is served only in the evenings and Saturday lunchtime. Otherwise it was a la carte. And the females in our party received unpriced menus. There was an extensive wine list but nothing under 40 euro for a bottle and most at least 50 euro – nothing particularly special at the lower end. As the Menu Dégustation contained several courses which one of did not like we opted for the menu of the day once we'd managed to negotiate one change of dessert. As that menu was not printed, the following descriptions are from memory: Amuse bouche of vegetables – nothing distinctive - just a few vegetable shavings and an odd sauce Crab, langoustine sauce, and avocado cream under foam – no distinct flavours apart from the crab; it might have been better if the components had been in different (not nose-height) glasses where they could have be tasted separately Duck breast and déclinaison des légumes – the duck had a slight coating but had not been marinaded; it was rather raw, fairly tough to cut with the knives provided (unfortunately I’d cooked a much more tasty duck breast the day before). The déclinaison might better have been described as a disparition given the quantity - hardly worth the effort Roast bananas, chocolate mousse, coconut cream and mango coulis separated by honey/sugar - a rather peculiar combination but there were some different flavours alternative dessert: (Irish whiskey) coffee cream – although the alcohol seemed to be missing and was very bland - just like a packet whip We decided not to have coffee but these still appeared The bread rolls were nothing special, although they seem to pride themselves on the choice of fillings lardon, lardon and chevre, olive, dried tomato, etc., not too fresh and with no butter. We were all very disappointed with our first (and quite probably last) visit to this restaurant, especially given the Michelin and GM ratings - we'd expected a much more interesting eating experience. We found the service cold and unwelcoming and the food had no particularly interesting or challenging flavours with just about everything seeming bland in flavour. A simple coffee in Place Stanislas afterwards, watching the world go by, was a much greater pleasure! (If you decide to go, check your bill carefully; ours had two figures (128 euro and 30 euro (for aperitifs) which were totalled to 168 euro. And I've now checked various French customer reviews on the internet and opinions seem to vary from the very positive to the very negative in nearly equal proportions with little in-between)