What might be open on Sunday, 15 July?

[VivreManger]

I am travelling from Germany to Paris, the day after Bastille day and was considering a stop in Strasbourg on a Sunday afternoon, before hopping back on the TGV.

Unfortunately the train connections would drop me in Strasbourg around 2 and I would get back on the train around 6, that is an awkward time for dining in France. The problem is even greater since it is the Sunday of Bastille weekend.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what would be open in Strasbourg and Paris on such a day? For S. it would be the afternoon. For P. it would be the evening.

Edited June 12, 2007 by VivreManger (log)

[John Talbott]

I am travelling from Germany to Paris, the day after Bastille day and was considering a stop in Strasbourg on a Sunday afternoon, before hopping back on the TGV. 

Unfortunately the train connections would drop me in Strasbourg around 2 and I would get back on the train around 6, that is an awkward time for dining in France.  The problem is even greater since it is the Sunday of Bastille weekend. 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what would be open in Strasbourg and Paris on such a day?  For S. it would be the afternoon.  For P. it would be the evening.

←

My rule is that even on holidays and holiday weekends, restaurants stick to their opening/closing schedules. Sunday PM in Paris presents some problems, see our Sunday compendium, but all brasseries are fair game. Always double check by telephoning, however.

[VivreManger]

Thanks for the responses. After checking around I learned that the best place that will be open that Sunday afternoon is the three-star Auberge de l'Ill, a bit outside of Strasbourg.

With one or two exceptions it has gotten consistent praise. I welcome any further comments from those who have dined there recently.

[markk]

Thanks for the responses.  After checking around I learned that the best place that will be open that Sunday afternoon is the three-star Auberge de l'Ill, a bit outside of Strasbourg. 

With one or two exceptions it has gotten consistent praise.  I welcome any further comments from those who have dined there recently.

←

It's considerably more than "a bit" outside of Strasbourg. You'd have to figure a half hour (minimum) each way if you're driving. And I ate there just a few years ago, and had an incredibly, incredibly mediocre meal; truly, it struck me as something you'd eat on an airplane. And I have had many hundreds of meals in the area around Strasbourg.

How fancy a meal are you looking for? If you've never been to Strasbourg, it might be worth it to wander around and scrounge (as it's a wonderful city!)

[John Talbott]

And I ate there just a few years ago, and had an incredibly, incredibly mediocre meal; truly, it struck me as something you'd eat on an airplane.  And I have had many hundreds of meals in the area around Strasbourg.

←

This is one of the (many) wonderful things about eGullet and esp the France Forum. We're not at all part of a unified force field.

My one and only meal there was some 16 years ago and it was terrific. But there are lots of other reports/reviews and you should definitely check them out before making (what I agree is) a big schlep.

Whatever you decide, please report on it here. Thanks.

John

[VivreManger]

I have friends who ate there even earlier than you, John, but they still remember it fondly.

As for the consensus, MarkK's opinion may be extreme, but there is at least one other foodiee out there who dislikes the place. She preferred Beureheisel in Strasbourg. However that establishment is closed on Sunday and seems to have fallen out of the stars, according to recent reports.

You are right. Illehausern is in fact about thirty miles from Sbourg. And I will have to depend on taxis and trains to get there, but for a variety of reasons I think it worth the schlep. The setting, by universal account, is supposed to be lovely.

In fact I am getting there by a somewhat round-about route that will allow me to spend a short bit of time in two lovely cities, Freiburg-im-Breisgau and Colmar. Eventually I will have about two hours to explore Strasbourg itself before TGVing it to Paris.

[42390]

In the other direction north of Strasbourg is 3 star l'Arnsbourg, also very much worth the drive but has a style of cooking which is about exactly opposite of Auberge de l'Ill.

[VivreManger]

My preference in this choice is a bit Proustian, a la recherche des temps perdus. The Auberge is by most accounts distinctly not modern. It well represents a type of traditional French Alsacian cuisine which rarely is now maintained at this level. My introduction to French cooking in general dates from the fifties when that tradition still held sway. While certainly not a table I would always like to set, on this occasion I want to turn the clock back a bit. If I am going to do it, I should do it at its best representation.

[winemike]

VivreManger, I must admit that I find you're quite "motivated" if your train arrives at 2pm in Strasbourg and you have to be back at the same train station at 6pm, wanting to spend time at L'Auberge de l'Ill in between. You will be able to make it, but you'll be rushing.

Without discussing the restaurant itself, it is quite a stretch from Strasbourg (60 km). A taxi will take you 45 minutes to get there...

L'Arnsbourg is just as far in the other direction (even a bit further, I think). And the cuisine is in the opposite direction too. JG Klein is a soul mate of Ferran Adria, Haeberlin not quite...

Buerehiesel has given back its stars because Antoine Westermann retired and his son Eric took the restaurant over. I have not had time to visit it since the takeover but it's clearly changed. More simple, less formal. Cheaper... but the dishes look good and the reviews too. I will have to drop by when I can.

It depends on what food style you're after but Strasbourg does have quite some good places to offer. If the plate content is the most important to you, I suggest my favourite restaurant in Strasbourg: "Le Pont Aux Chats" rue de la Krutenau. It's Buerehiesel (when it had the 3 stars) without the price tag. Even the chef is the same (sous-chef at Buerehiesel for 13 years)...

And stroll around in Strasbourg is indeed something to be done. It's a wonderful city...

[VivreManger]

In fact my itinerary is much more complicated than I have detailed. I am beginning the day in Heidelberg and then heading by train in Germany to the south of Strasbourg. The schedule allows me a bit of time in Freibourg bfore heading to Colmar. So I will not be in Strasbourg at all until after my lunch.

From Colmar I will taxi to the Auberge for lunch and from the Auberge I will taxi to Selestat whence I take a train to Sbourg arriving only around 4:30. I will then have three hours to explore before continuing the day of travels.

This itinerary allows a combination of some (admittedly limited) sightseeing in three of the most beautiful cities of the German-French frontier along with a meal in a lovely setting at a 3-star resto. So what I have sought is a combination of sights and tastes.

Please note that Beurehiesel is closed on Sunday so given my schedule it is not an option.

Edited June 22, 2007 by VivreManger (log)