We had some excellent meals during our 3-night stay in Colmar along with some mediocre ones. As promised here is an honest review of where our tastebuds took us, at this fascinating crossroad between French and Germanic culinary traditions.
Restaurant Reviewed: L'un des Sens, 18 rue Berthe Molly, Colmar
This is not your typical restaurant -- think of it as a wine bar that serves up some terrific finger food to complement its fantastic selection of world-renowned Alsatian wine. L'un des Sens has made quite a name among locals and visitors alike with superb quality local wine and matching bite-sized platters, all presented in a cozy informal setting at fair prices.
There is no printed wine list -- only the owners' infinite memory of their cellar collection. Alexandre came to ask about our preferences and presented us with two mysterious glasses of local wine .. and purposely left us guessing and sipping for a little while before returning with a full explanation of the terrior and personality of what we're drinking. Mine turned out to be a vibrant Riesling from a local town I'd struggle to pronounce, and my wife's glass of sumptuously sweet and fruity Gewurztraminer from 2008 from nearby Eguisheim was simply the best white either of us had ever tasted. Frankly I was never a fan of white wine ... until now!
For food we started with a generous platter of some of the best charcuterie items we've ever had. Our Cochonaille came with some excellent dry cured ham, Andouille, head cheese, and a tremendously rich and complex cured sausage which turned out was my favorite. We took probably an hour to slowly savor every little morsel, including the deliciously pickled gherkins as palate cleanser. What a brilliant start to a meal.
Then came one of the most memorable dishes of our entire 24-day trip -- the best Foie Gras either of us had ever tasted. Period. This was too delicious to be wasted on bread of course, and we even found the suggested condiment of sweet onion confit to be an unwanted distraction from the delicate flavors and heavenly richness. A little sprinkling of sea salt was all we needed on Foie Gras this good. I still dream about this stuff after returning from France.
We also ordered this Codfish Rillette with Chives which, like almost everything else here, was served with a basket of bite-sized artisan bread for less than 10 Euros. One might argue that this little jar could be bought in a local epicerie for about 5 Euros, but I have to say ... everything just tastes better with a glass of your favorite wine!
To wrap up we ordered a small selection of artisan Confits and Tapenade, all sourced from the celebrated Accent d'Oc in Narbonne. My favorites included a spread of fennel and basil, some kind of artichoke pate, and a fascinating jam of black olives and lemon peel which reminded me fondly of black fermented beans and aged tangerine peel used in Cantonese cooking half a world away. These were robust and tantalizing flavors, which went really good with our last pieces of bread.
We couldn't resist ordering a couple more glasses of that Gewurztraminer from Eguisheim ... it was by far the best white wine we've ever had! The price of our mystery wines turned out to be a terrific bargain at 4 Euros per glass, and the whole meal ended up just a little above 60 Euros. Not the cheapest, but certainly worth every cent to these two thirsty travelers.
Bill for Two Persons
| Le Foie gras de canard, confit d'oignons au miel | 14.5 Euros |
| La Cochonaille d'Auvergne et de l'Aube | 10.9 Euros |
| Rillettes de Cabillaud à la Ciboulette | 9.9 Euros |
| La Couleur de saison d'Accent d'Oc | 9.0 Euros |
| Glass Wine x 4 | 16 Euros |
| TOTAL before tips | 60.3 Euros (CAD$84.4) |
For our only opportunity for lunch inside the town of Colmar (the other was an incredible lunch in Riquewihr in the countryside), we purposely chose this small eatery with great regional flair at reasonable prices.
Restaurant Reviewed: Sezanne, 30 Grand Rue, Colmar
Another locally recommended establishment, Sezanne is an epicerie/bistro mainly specializing in tartines and the regional Alsatian repertoire of comfort food. Think hearty Choucroutte and the local variation of the ubiquitous Cassoulet, as well as local and imported charcuterie. And if you like the Foie Gras or Jamon Iberico de Bellota served by the bistro, you'll be able to bring some home from the epicerie downstairs.
This is also one of the few places within Old Town Colmar where one can have a sit-down lunch starting from less than 10 Euros. Tartines with salad start from an unbelievable 8.5 Euros and main dishes from around 13. One would be hard pressed to find a cheaper restaurant in town aside from the Flammekueche stands.
My wife and I decided to sample one tartine and one main, both regional dishes featuring the local favorite ingredient of duck. This Tartine L'Alsacienne was a scrumptious combination of sliced duck breast, onions and cheese that somehow looked almost like a Philly steak melt upon first glance. I suppose both originally served similar functions -- filling, inexpensive and lip-smacking grub for peasant and blue-collar types.
The regional version of the slow-cooked Cassoulet turned out to be a sizzling pot of softened white beans blended with the goodness of duck meat, juices and fat and all. It's good and hearty comfort food, served in an informal setting at the heart of the Old Town just a few blocks from any of the main sights. Even after a couple glasses we ended up around 16 Euros per person, quite reasonable for just about anywhere in France.
Bill for Two Persons
| Tartine L'Alsacienne | 8.9 Euros |
| Cassoulet de canard fermier | 13.3 Euros |
| Glass Gewürztraminer x 2 | 9 Euros |
| TOTAL before tips | 31.2 Euros (CAD$43.7) |
Another great place for an informal lunch is the 150-year-old Covered Market, situated right on the picturesque canals of the old fishmonger's quarter now known as Petite Venise. Instead of Amarone and Prosciutto though you'll find local Foie Gras, Gewürztraminers and Rieslings. We picked up a nice piece of Mille Feuille for dessert, but picked up our Foie Gras at the Casino Supermarket nearby on Grand Rue. Before we continued with sightseeing we specifically made a trip to La Cocotte de Grand-mère and made reservations, hoping for a dinner befitting its reputation on the Internet.
Restaurant Reviewed - La Cocotte de Grand-mère, 14 place de l’école, Colmar
Perhaps we're arriving with unrealistic hopes, but this was the most underwhelming restaurant we came across during our four days in the Alsace. The food wasn't bad -- it's just mostly mediocre for a restaurant of such high praise from so many reviewers. To be honest I can't even recall the flavor of this terrine of pork shank, which tells you how unmemorable this was.
The next entrée was memorable ... but mainly for the wrong reason. I actually enjoyed the rich bruyère cheese, but the smoked duck breast, and especially the dressing, was just horribly salty to the point that I couldn't even palate it without washing it down with some semi-sweet Muscat.
My lamb shank was decent, though nothing spectacular really. I think I actually enjoyed the accompanied ratatouille more than the lamb itself. While 20 Euros wasn't expensive for a lamb shank, I had higher expectations for a restaurant of this level of popularity. After all, we came the previous night to find it all booked up.
At least one of our four dishes came out excellent. These masterfully sauteed sea scallops were perfectly tender and sweet inside, and somewhat saved my impression of this popular joint in my mind. Although I have to say, I don't think we'd ever revisit this place should we end up in Colmar again.
Bill for Two Persons
| Terrine de Jarret | 7 Euros |
| Duck Breast Salad | 7 Euros |
| Sauteed Scallops | 21 Euros |
| Lamb Shank | 20 Euros |
| Glass Muscat x 2 | 7 Euros |
| TOTAL before tips | 62 Euros (CAD$86.8) |
When we came back from our day hike to Riquewihr and Ribeauville we planned on visiting a highly popular restaurant known as Brocanteur near our B&B, but it was fully booked for the night. We wandered along the Grand Rue searching for a reasonably priced meal, and by pure chance stumbled upon a recommendable place right next to the charming Koifhus.
Restaurant Reviewed - Restaurant Au Chaudron, 5 rue du Conseil Souverain, Colmar
We had no idea how popular this place was until we returned home and found its website -- how many restaurants at such prime locations in Colmar could afford to shut down for three nights a week? This place must have its share of followers, though we didn't actually know at the time.
Frankly the first impression wasn't flattering -- the restaurant seemed nearly full and we were squeezed into a tiny table next to the bottom of the stairs. But our waiter's attitude improved when we quickly and determinedly ordered our drinks ... we're not going away, so deal with it! Finally they opened up the second floor and gave us a much better table. Not the best service, but we got what we wanted.
Most of the mains were around the 18 to 22 Euros range, which made the 26 Euros Menu Suggestion an excellent deal in comparison. My wife went with the rabbit terrine, duck brochette with roasted peaches and the sorbet, while I chose the foie gras, the entrecôte and the assiette gourmande for dessert. Prices were more than reasonable for 3-course dinners, but we'd have to see how the dishes actually turned out.
Cautiously optimistic about this 3 course foie-gras-and-steak dinner at a bargain price of 26 Euros, I half-expected a microscopic wedge of foie gras on top of a flimsy toast followed by a small 150g steak. But the Foie gras maison turned up in a sizeable slice, and even though it wasn't of the highest quality, we both quite enjoyed it with the consommé jelly.
Arriving in an even more satisfying portion was the rabbit terrine. While I prefer stronger and more gamey flavor out of rabbit dishes, this one was extremely lean, healthy, and chunky enough that we didn't have to wonder what kind of mystery meats were involved! And after this one entrée, my wife was already half full.
Then came my ginormous entrecôte -- a huge slab of rib steak served, to my surprise, naturally without any of the elaborate French sauces. With the accompanied fries this looked almost like an Albertan Angus Beef steak I'd get in Canada! The steak wasn't as tender as some of the dry-aged ones I'm used to in North America, but it was well prepared, flavorsome and came in such a portion that no carnivore should complain about.
My wife's duck brochette turned out quite decent, but my favorite part was the roasted peaches. By this stage she was already stuffed to the throat, and I don't know how I managed to finish one of the duck medallions for her, even after that massive entrecôte.
The mysterious assiette gourmande turned out to be a crème brûlée, a profiterole and some raspberries and cream. I remember the perfectly caramelized and crunchy top layer of the crème brûlée, but the rest were somewhat average.
At the end I thought the meal was good value for the money, especially considering the foie gras, the entrecôte and the inexpensive house wine from the local Alsatian vineyards. There was nothing out-of-this-world -- which didn't seem to be the aspiration of the restauranteur anyway -- just solid performance at friendly prices.
Bill for Two Persons
| 3 Course Menu x 2 | 52 Euros |
| Carola Nature 1/2 Litre | 2.5 Euros |
| Gewürztraminer 1/4 Litre | 6.7 Euros |
| TOTAL before tips | 61.2 Euros (CAD$85.7) |
Overall we were fairly pleased with the quality of our meals in Colmar. The wine bar of L'un des Sens would be the one eatery I wholeheartedly recommend. For even better food at unbelievably cheap prices I would have to recommend Au Trotthus in the village of Riquewihr, which will be reviewed in the next article.
