Strasbourg

[Adam Balic]

Ooh Goodie, and we can get an emoticom of a half a cricket team for the English? Very iconic.

Then we could get one of half a brain to represent an australian academic. is there such a thing? Don't you get a degree in Oz for knowing how to open a can of XXXX without cutting yourself?

thank god for those emoticons, eh?

S

Simmo - "XXXX" was only drunk by Up North, I don't really know much about it. Australia is not a monoculture. I imagine you remember it as an Australian Icon, due to it being promoted by Allan Border during one of the many times he whipped the English cricket "Team". My mention of Cricket and implying that you chaps weren't very good at it most likely brought all these memories out, sorry.

Magnolia - it roughly means " in spite of the frogs".

[Bux]

Magnolia - it roughly means " in spite of the frogs".

Ad hominem attacks and slander are one thing, well actually two, but spiting the frogs seems inappropriate here.

[menton1]

Balic - My gluten intolerance is something that happened in 1990. Prior to that I ate as many bowls of pasta as anyone.

You ate your pasta out of Bowls? Christ that is so un-hip, its a wonder that your legs didn't fall off.

Sorry to tell you, but eating pasta in a bowl is quite normal in Italy!! (And also in Asia)

[Adam Balic]

It was a joke son.

[peterpumkino]

Thanks to Adam Baltic, Peter Rodger, Magnolia, Jaybee, menton1, margaret pilgrim, yes and even Mr Polinski for warning me about Kammerszell.

Look forward to it and thanks again,

[peterpumkino]

Well I'm back after two and a half days in Strasbourg. My restaurant comments as follows:

La Cloche a Fromage:

Absolutely amazing selection of cheeses. To sample some of it you order a platter (from a selection of 4 platters) on which there are twenty (albeit small) pieces of cheese (including two types of Stilton - I didn't think the French acknowledged we had cheeses in the UK!). Incredible. I really tasted some wonderful cheese that I have never tasted. Sue had a different platter so we a choice of 40 cheeses between us. I'm sure there are many restaurants like this throughout France but this was my first and I loved it (sorry Margraet I just didn't have time to go to Vieux-Ferrette, next time).

Chez Yvonne:

Very nice. Had Quenelles di Foi. Good. Nice place also.

Winstubs:

Frankly I was not impressed by 'traditional Alsace cuisine'. I know, I know I'm a philistine but that's the way it is (sort of like Polinski with his Pasta - but at least I admit it's me and not the food!). Choucroute, schweinhaxxen, baeckeoffe - pah. I didn't even think the local Gewurtztraminer wine was that great either - although I like the local Tokay. Must be me. The Pate Foie Gras was great though.

Maison Kammerszell:

It's a wonderful looking place, stunning. BUT on inspecting the menu it looked like an up-market French Weatherspoon's! For the one and only time I agree with Polinski.

Sis the touristy canal cruise which was lovely.

[jaybee]

Kammerszell of beloved memory...an upmarket French Weatherspoons...oh no...What, pray tell, Pumpkinowitz, is a Weatherspoons? And an upmarket one at that. Any relation to an American Applebee's?

[Tonyfinch]

Its a themed chain of pubs in the UK. The sell cheap beer and some of them are pretty downmarket.

[peterpumkino]

It's very slightly better than Applebees (but not much) and it's a restaurant/boozer rather than what is traditionally known as a 'pub'. I was being a bit facetious about Kammerszell (but not much). Again it's my opinion only.

[Adam Balic]

Frankly I was not impressed by 'traditional Alsace cuisine'.

Sad, I guess that you didn't get it then. Often people eat authentic Alsacien cook and don't like it because they are expecting some type of Americanised version. I blame Jamie Oliver and his "Pukka Tarte Flambe with Grilled Aubergine". Bastard.

[peterpumkino]

Frankly I was not impressed by 'traditional Alsace cuisine'.

Sad, I guess that you didn't get it then. Often people eat authentic Alsacien cook and don't like it because they are expecting some type of Americanised version.

Hey, I didn't get it and I appreciate it's my loss (unlike some other people with Italian food as served in Italy, on this site who 'don't get it' and are not willing to admit that it's their loss!).

The one thing I don't admit too however was that I was expecting 'Americanized' food. Heaven forbid. But you are so right, it's a shame I didn't get it!

[scamhi]

I am going to Strasbourg on the 21st of January.

Airfare to Frankfort on Luftansa was $315.00 round trip, that is probably the last of my bargains.

I am looking for reccomendations for in town restaurants and winstubs.

[winemike]

For high end restaurant experience :

Buerehiesel, parc de l'Orangerie. It's only open for diner during the week and

booking might be required.

For typical winstub experience :

the famous (and fairly good)

Chez Yvonne, 10 rue du Sanglier, near the cathedral.

Or (better food IMHO):

S'munsterstuewel, 8 place du marche au cochon de lait (200 m from the cathedral,

towards the river). The "wadele" there is fantastic.

Just out of town in Schiltigheim, if you like very creative and "surprising" food,

you should try :

"Serge and Co", 14 rue des pompiers.

Serge Burckel used to be the chef/owner of "One" in L.A. (some of you might know).

His food has strong asian accents but is executed with perfect french technique.

He's a bit unknown at the moment (I have not seen him in any restaurant guide yet)

but he's likely to enter them very quickly

[sieve]

you should stop by "les trois brasseurs" for all you want tarte flambee and giant schoppe of house brewed beer. a great bargain.

jean joho reccomends the crocodile, but it was way out of my league. have a great time.

[picaman]

I am going to Strasbourg on the 21st of January.

Airfare to Frankfort on Luftansa was $315.00 round trip, that is probably the last of my bargains.

I am looking for reccomendations for in town restaurants and winstubs.

My partner and I are thinking about a quick trip to Strasbourg from Paris when we visit at the end of March. I'd really appreciate a follow-up post--let me know where you end up and what you thought of it!

Jamie

[scamhi]

I'll do that.

For our big splurge we are going to Auberge de Ill.

Thank you winemike and sieve.

Still looking for more suggestions.

Winemike,

I would like to either visit Marcel Diess, Albert Mann, Zind Humbrect,Domaine Weinbach if near to town or find a good retailer to buy some wine while visiting.

Any stores you can recommend?

[winemike]

Weinbach (Faller), Zind-Humbrecht and Deiss are all near Colmar

about 1 1/2 hour drive from Strasbourg.

They're all worth a visit but you'll need an appointment, I guess.

Other visits which I think are worth it :

Domaine Ostertag in Epfig and

Domaine Etienne Loew in Westhoffen (about 30 minutes drive from

Strasbourg to the west).

Etienne Loew is a rising star in Alsace. Probably not very known

yet but this will change. He's passionate about what

he does and he does it well.

In Strasbourg, a nice wine shop I like to go to is :

Au millesime, 7 rue du temple neuf. It's near place Broglie on the way

to the cathedral.

You'll find a great selection of not only Alsace wines (Deiss, Zind-Humbrecht,

Weinbach, Loew, Ostertag ...) but also rare, great and

(implicetely) difficult to find French wines. Not necessarily the best

place for bargains but some things there are just great (Selosse champagne

for instance).

You'll also find a nice selection of Alsace wines at :

La boutique d'Antoine Westermann, 1 rue des Orfevres.

It's got a nice selection in its cellar but though it's not mainly a wine shop,

it's clearly worth a visit. Especially the saturday morning when JM Zimmerman

(the sommelier of Buerehiesel) is there.

The SGN from Loew are not to be missed if you go this shop (if you haven't

bought them at Loew's domaine first ).

Other wine shops are worth a visit in Strasbourg but these are the two

I know best...

Enjoy Alsace !

[scamhi]

Thank you winemike. Today you're the Shell answer man!

[Sandra Levine]

A feast for the eyes (in Colmar) is The Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grunewald.

[Bux]

Pim has a food blog running in the General Food forum. It covers a week when she goes from California to Germany to Alsace and there's a great report, illustrated with photographs. on lunch at Julien and dinner at Buerehiesel, but the whole report is worth reading.