New Westermann "Sandwicherie"

[cabrales]

Since February 2002, the Westermann family has had a very informal and inexpensive "sandwicherie" up and running in Strasbourg.  Secrets de Table is located at 39 "rue du 22 novembre" in Strasbourg (03 88 210 910). It is open from Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:00/10:30 (?) until 18:00.  The facility is apparently being handled by the eldest son Jean of Buerehiesel's Antoine Westermann.

Based on a review of its menu, this facility might have significant take-out traffic. However, if members happen to be in the area of the sandwicherie, it could be a good bet relative to sandwich shops with less impressive backgrounds.

The sample menu for Secrets de Table mentions the following:

-- The soup selection (2.90 euros for 25 cl; 4.60 euros for double that size) consisted of (1) consumme with Japanese pearls (likely tapioca or a barley-like product), white meat of fowl and Thai herbs, (2) a veloute of fowl (possibly chicken?) with mushrooms, (3) seasonal vegetable soup, (4) cream of lentils with chestnuts, (5) cream of carrot with coriander, and (6) veloute of pumpkin with ginger and orange.

-- Sandwiches (2.90-5.30 euros) can be made with the following fillings, among others: (1) duck confit with spices and lemon (sounds good); (2) salad of cod, mayonnaise sauce with tomato; and (3) ham from farm-raised pigs, Comte cheese and butter.

-- Tartines (unclear what this dish consists of; possibly smaller sandwiches??) (4.90-6.40 euros) can be filled with, for example: (1) mushrooms, ham, Comte cheese and tomatoes; (2) tomatoes, aubergines, zucchini and pumpkin confit; (3) a creamy mixture of artichokes with herbs, on bread toasted with thyme; and (4) aubergine "caviar", pork fat and tomato confite.

-- Galettes (small cake-like items, presumably) include (1) risotto, mushrooms and flat parsley; (2) tortellini, tomatoes, thyme and basil; (3) carrots and coriander; and (4) fowl (likely chicken), lemon confit, thyme, rosemary and basil.

-- Salads include (4.30-6.40 euros) include: (1) Taboule, parsley, coriander and "crunchy" vegetables (this appears interesting); (2) green salad with artichokes, ham, parmesan and grilled sesame; (3) beef, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, cornichons, onions and herbs; and (4) white meat of chicken, rocket and dried raisins.

Please note I have not sampled the food at this sandwich shop. However, it's likely such a shop affiliated with the Westermanns would provide a reliable, informal meal. Prices appear to be no higher than those a regular takeout sandwich facility would extract.  ;)

[Bux]

Sound like a terrific place for a light lunch American style, but with French style. ;)

I'm sure a "tartine" is an open faced sandwich. Cuisine de Bar, a small place in Paris on rue Cherche-Midi serves excellent tartines on grilled pain Poilâne. For someone who's been coming to Paris for as long as we have, this seems so un-French, but it's really all I want for lunch sometimes, expecially if I'm intending to have a large dinner in the evening.

I'm curious to know what the "galettes" are. In Brittany and perhaps in some Parisian creperies, a galette is just a crepe, although often used to distinguish the savory buckwheat crepes from the white flour dessert crepes. Of course we say cake as well when we say pancake. I'm not inclined to think anyone would stuff a crepe with risotto or tortellini, but then I would not have expected to find potato salad sandwiches in such disparate places as Japan and Spain and have already been told about French fry sandwiches in England. Come to think of it, I've passed some fast food, gyro places in France that offered sandwhiches with fries inside. All bets are off.

[cabrales]

Bux -- Speaking of Westermann, I have been contemplating ordering the "Poulet de Bresse cuit comme un Baeckeoffe" (Bresse chicken cooked in a special casserole) at the main Buerehiesel restaurant in the near future.

http://www.relaischateaux.com/site/fr/Fich...ode=buerehiesel (dish on left)

The restaurant recently noted in passing that there is an épicerie (delicatessen) in Strasbourg that offers "plats traiteur" (packaged dishes) made by Buerehiesel. Apparently, this epicerie has the same chicken dish in vacuum-packed individual portions!  ;)  I will do my best to obtain the name of this epicerie.  :p

So far, non-cream-based Bresse chicken dishes sampled in France that utilize steaming/poaching/boiling-type cooking methods include (not technical names): (1) J-M Lorain's chicken in champagne preparation at La Cote Saint-Jacques (Joigny), (2) Bernard Loiseau's chicken "Alexandre Dumaine" style at La Cote d'Or (Saulieu), and (3) La Mere Brazier's version of chicken in half-mourning (Lyons). Other such non-cream-based Bresse chicken dishes identified, but not yet sampled, are (1) Patrick Henriox's Bresse chicken with truffles cooked in a pig's bladder, along the style of Ferdnand Point, at La Pyramide (Vienne), and (2) Paul Bocuse's Bresse chicken cooked in a pig's bladder (essentially in Lyons). From the picture of the Westermann dish, his Bresse chicken might well rely on a steaming/poaching-type preparation method (??).  ;)

[Bux]

From the picture of the Westermann dish, his Bresse chicken might well rely on a steaming/poaching-type preparation method (??).

It appears as if it's sealed in a glazed earthenware casserole with a pastry crust around the perimeter of the lid and the chicken is sitting on a bed of some vegetable--onions or leeks? My guess is that it's cooked in the oven, but that it might steam more than roast, even if there's little liquid aside from the vegetables, because it's sealed that way. The bird looks more poached than roasted and it doesn't appear to have been browned beforehand. The photo enlarges when clicked. I'm inclined to agree with you, but it's hard to be absolutely sure.

[cabrales]

Speaking of Westermann, I have been contemplating ordering the "Poulet de Bresse cuit comme un Baeckeoffe" (Bresse chicken cooked in a special casserole) at the main Buerehiesel restaurant in the near future.

Bux -- The restaurant has confirmed it will serve me "La Poularde de Bresse cuite entière comme un baeckeoffe, aux pommes de terre, artichauts, citron confit et au romarin" (Bresse poularde cooked whole in a special dish, with potatoes, artichokes, confit lemon and rosemary).  

The price is 106 euros for a mandatory serving for two, but the restaurant kindly offered to "doggie bag" the second portion (my first doggie bag ever at a three-star restaurant)  :p  Given the 1 hour-plus cooking requirement, members visitng the restaurant might wish to consider pre-ordering this dish (not a requirement).  ;)

[cabrales]

"Poulet de Bresse cuit comme un Baeckeoffe" (Bresse chicken cooked in a special casserole) . . .

The restaurant recently noted in passing that there is an épicerie (delicatessen) in Strasbourg that offers "plats traiteur" (packaged dishes) made by Buerehiesel. Apparently, this epicerie has the same chicken dish in vacuum-packed individual portions!  ;)  I will do my best to obtain the name of this epicerie.  :p

The epicerie/delicatessen which specializes in Buerehiesel products is called, aptly, La Boutique d'Antoine Westermann.  It is located at n°1 rue des Orfèvres in

Strasbourg, in the general region of the famous Cathedral (03 88 22 56 45).