Alsace - The non-Michelin star part of my vacation

I spent a delightful and charming week in Obernai in the Alsace region with siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews. Even more picturesque than some of the other French regions I have visited: Provence, Normandy, Savoie, Southwest, etc. Beautiful countryside and villages with flowers tumbling out everywhere paired with delicious wine and food. I will keep gushing commentaries to a limit, and allow the pics to speak for themselves.

We made it to Michelin 3-star, The Auberge de L’Ill, and I was not impressed with the food at all. This was my first Michelin any-star, and hope that others are much more impressive. I know it’s just me, but I much prefer the simple charm of well executed food and service in modest restaurants. So the following posts are about the simple joy of discovering modest kitchens that put out delicious local food and wine.

Starting with Wissembourg, where spent a nice afternoon after the rain finally stops to allow for cooler weather that is more normal for France. We took a break for an aperitif and tarte flambé, which we soon found to be our favorite after a week long search:

beautiful pictures,

I may need to get to France someday.

Moving onto my ALL-TIME favorite place in Alsace and actually France (for now), Riquewihr. We enjoyed it so much we came back the next day with another contingent of the family. For historical background on these lovely villages, please Google them. I took a bunch of pictures of this most charming village (PM me if you are interesting), but I will limit the pics here to food related ones.

Scene right outside the small medieval city:



We enjoyed a most delicious foie gras dinner at Sarment D’Or in Riquewihr, paired with elegant and affordable local wine. The restaurant is an Inn tucked away on a side street away from the main drag.

Started with a perfectly chilled (not too warm) Muscat:



Rillette d’Oie was my favorite, and the gelee luscious bursts of flavors:



Surprisingly refreshing melon carpaccio, so sweet and fragrant, seasoned lightly with fresh herbs, pepper and a fruity olive oil. So simple, yet such depth in flavor:



Foie gras d’oie, elegant, smooth, silky, and rich goose liver mousse.



Foie gras ravioli, the weakest of the appetizers (entrée in France), surprisingly:



Fragrant dry Pinot Gris to stand up to our entrees (plat in France) :



Can’t really remember everyone else’s entrée, because I was so enthralled with my seared foie gras d’oie and galette (potato pancake). By the way, if you ever have a choice between goose and duck liver, it’s a no-brainer for me, choose the goose!



This place also had the best choucroute as well, perfect balance of sweetness and acidity and texture. So good, we ordered an extra side of it:



The desserts were good, but nothing out of this world, however, I am not a dessert person unless it is life changing, which I have been lucky to experience now and again. Shrugs…
This, however, is another story, the eau de vie cart:



This is a bar top I aspire to have:

Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing those gorgeous pics. And I'm impressed with the amount of goose liver you managed to put away!

jimswside wrote:beautiful pictures,

I may need to get to France someday.

Going next year again, come with... My family would love LOVE Shay. You and Vangie, too.

thaiobsessed wrote:Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing those gorgeous pics. And I'm impressed with the amount of goose liver you managed to put away!

Glad you enjoy them, there are plenty more. Slowly posting them.

I love Alsace...my wife and I did the wine route for the second time in as many years this spring after picking up our new Volvo at the factory in Sweden (we called it our driving THEN drinking tour of Europe). Sorry to hear that the L'Auberge de l'Ill was not good, but I've heard as much from several folks, now. In my opinion, the way to go for Michelin rated food in the area is L'Arnsbourg outside Baerenthal. The restaurant and the small hotel (Hotel K) that was built for its guests are extremely top notch, the epitome of ***, truly a place worth traveling for. They also happen to be the site of four of the best meals of my life (including the best breakfasts I've ever had).

Riquewihr is extremely picturesque and home to some of my favorite wines in the region, the Dopff & Irion Crémants. Oh, and if you love Riquewihr, you'll adore Eguisheim.

Short afternoon trip to Colmar:



Wine and tarte flambé festival:

kl1191 wrote:I love Alsace...my wife and I did the wine route for the second time in as many years this spring after picking up our new Volvo at the factory in Sweden (we called it our driving THEN drinking tour of Europe). Sorry to hear that the L'Auberge de l'Ill was not good, but I've heard as much from several folks, now. In my opinion, the way to go for Michelin rated food in the area is L'Arnsbourg outside Baerenthal. The restaurant and the small hotel (Hotel K) that was built for its guests are extremely top notch, the epitome of ***, truly a place worth traveling for. They also happen to be the site of four of the best meals of my life (including the best breakfasts I've ever had).

Riquewihr is extremely picturesque and home to some of my favorite wines in the region, the Dopff & Irion Crémants. Oh, and if you love Riquewihr, you'll adore Eguisheim.

I will have to keep that in mind, because I would love to go back for another visit, perhaps around Christmas when it's rocking.

More Sarment D'Or in Riquewihr, no more I promise.

Front entrance:


Menu:



Cremant to start:


More foie gras d’Oie and rillette:





Simple side salad:



I think it was the porcelet:



Extra side of choucroute:



Chef:



Some lovely desserts…sorry for the lack of caption on the desserts, but...

I’ll let you guess this one:










Recommendations from French guides, apparently a little more well-regarded with some integrity. (not to imply other guides are not, just saying French ones are more reliable.)



Just lovely how the battle was waged…

After lunch, we stopped for wine tasting at Domaine Agape, recommended by the restaurant. Agape is tucked far on the edge of the village. Love the gentle elegance of Alsatian wines, with layers of fruit and floral notes, but soft underlying structure to counterbalance the fruitiness. Wines range from the very dry such as a Muscat or Cremant Brut to Pinot Gris to late harvest sweetness. Couldn't resist bring a couple of cases each time we stop for a tasting.

The owner/wine maker is of the younger generation, modern and business savvy, but always with an eye on tradition and integrity of the region. Genial host that is also proficient in English.

Stopped at Ribeauville briefly on way home from Riquewihr:



Meat pies at the local charcuterie:



Sausages:



Saucissons, one of my favorite things. I think we bought a little of everything, and every single flavor was delicious in their own right. Wonderful accompaniments to cremants for aperitif:











Slab of lard, we bought a nice little slab and so sweet and fragrant on crispy baguette:



Too much coverage on the saucisson? My obsession is not showing, is it?

This is what we would wake up to every morning, the boulangerie next door, run by the nicest couple and one assistant. Amazing the amount of breads produced by just the 3 of them. They make bread for resale in other bakeries around town, delivered to restaurants, as well as retail in a small stand at the bottom of the hill. They even made special walnut and fig bread for us to serve with our foie gras terrine. Our favorites were the baguette, of course, and their multi-grain whole wheat loaf.

Bread rolls (reminiscent to Parker rolls?) for restaurant service:

Thanks for the reportage! Great pics as well.

On our way to Wissembourg, we stopped at the first exit from Obernai for gas, and the nice gas station owner/attendant recommended Wolfberger for cremant, which is right next door to his station. Boy, was he right, elegantly tight bubbles with a luscious fruity nose, but clean and dry (brut). The demi-sec is nice, too, but I prefer the brut. I abided by a bottle of brut cremant a day, and stuck only to Wolfberger for the rest of the trip, when it comes to sparkling that is.

nice work girl!! If I rent a cute little kid to bring, can I come with too??

little500 wrote:Thanks for the reportage! Great pics as well.

Thanks, 500. Was a great foodie trip by far.

boudreaulicious wrote:nice work girl!! If I rent a cute little kid to bring, can I come with too??

Just come, we have plenty of kids in our family. Just not one as cute as Shay, except for our grand niece, of course. The rest are drinking age now. Sigh...

There is nothing like a farmer’s market whether in Obernai or anywhere in the world. In Obernai, it is a small and modest one, but still enjoyable, here are some photos of the season.

Melons in season:


Delicious rotisserie, and the boys kept snickering at the photo snapping tourist:







Other beautiful produce:















Beautiful yet lusciously fragrant berries:



It’s really not the size that matters, really…

Can’t remember what these are called, but they are a variety of large gooseberries of sort. However, very sweet with an undertone of tartness. Not that size matters, but these were perfect to pop in your mouth and follow-up with a satisfying ‘Mmmmm’….

Gorgeous photos and a lovely travelogue. Thanks for sharing!

Couldn't agree more. A treat for the eyes!

The GP wrote:Gorgeous photos and a lovely travelogue. Thanks for sharing!

Katie wrote:Couldn't agree more. A treat for the eyes!

The pictures can't begin to do justice to the real experience. Truly lovely and delight on the senses. Straight out of those colorful fairy tale storybooks. Have been to other regions in France and a few places all over Europe, and but this is a gem.

We would like to return during Christmas season when it is even more lively and picturesque.

Dinner at winstub in neighboring town, Ottrott, which was recommended to us by our gite owner. Again, the pitfall of vacationing during August in France, most businesses are on vacation, too. Instead of Restaurant L'Ami Fritz, we ended up here. However, it was a pleasant surprise. Basic solidly good Alsatian fare with great lunch deals.



Salade de chevre chaud


Escargot - Not the infamous as the Bourgogne variety, but still known for them.


Jambonneau - Delish!!! as were the choucroute:


Wiener schnitzel with champignons, excellent according to the 2 teenage nephews:



Tripe stew – The weakest of all, and we were looking forward to it. Still too tough, and the sauce is not memorable.



Classic steak frites – It’s a nice change to American beef, these are much leaner and “gamey?”. Definitely, grass fed so beefier but not as a result of being rich and fatty. Done perfect as requested.



Platter of frites as our sides to share:



Not really into dessert, but I do LOVE my ice cream, and this was more than perfect. Pear (or was it apple) ice cream doused in Marc de Gewurztraminer. Needless to say, I refused to share. Perhaps I am a light weight, but I was buzzed from the Marc, it was doused in Marc, swimming…that’s a great thing.



Other desserts:

This is a really lovely post. The pictures are charming.

Sounds like a great vacation. Fantastic food and drink plus family and beautiful environs.

pairs4life wrote:This is a really lovely post. The pictures are charming.

Sounds like a great vacation. Fantastic food and drink plus family and beautiful environs.

Thank you! It is so easy to take great pics when the subject is so beautiful.

How can I forget to post a pic of choucroute platter when in Alsace?

This was at Winstub au Rouge D'Ottrott, mentioned in post above:

This was a 2-person serving, but it took the collective effort of 11 of us to finish off all the meats and the majority of the choucroute. It was our last day of the trip, and everyone had had their fill and can't manage much more than their own dinner. I didn't taste it, but was told it was a nice standard:

These photos are amazing. Seems like a great trip.

The tarte flambe (no idea where the accent mark is on my keyboard) reminds of a fairly yummy rendition available at Trader Joe's -- their Tarte d'Alsace. While I'm certain what you had was far superior, theirs is pretty tasty if you ever want to pretend you're back in Europe.....

rehorn wrote:These photos are amazing. Seems like a great trip.

The tarte flambe (no idea where the accent mark is on my keyboard) reminds of a fairly yummy rendition available at Trader Joe's -- their Tarte d'Alsace. While I'm certain what you had was far superior, theirs is pretty tasty if you ever want to pretend you're back in Europe.....

Thanks, and I do like TJ's Tarte D'Alsace. Always have at least one or 2 in the freezer to stave off any cravings.

They usually have several variations on the menu in most restaurants in Alsace:
1. Nature - Which is similiar to TJ. Creme fraiche and lardon, but no cheese.
2. Au gratin - Nature with gruyere.
3. Munster - Deliciously rich with alsatian Munster and sometimes with a pinch of cumin. Not usually fond of Munster, but oh my, so delicious when done right.
4. Fine Herb - Nature with fresh herb spinkles.

As much as I am a purist with most things, it's hard to resist cheese when in Europe.

TJ's also has a very respectable cheeese and truffle tart.

Ever consider leading a small tour?