Friday, July 13, 2012
Guten Tag Deutschland
We're in Stuttgart for the next two days. All checked in and heading to find some bratwurst!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
My first bisous
It's rare that we repeat a restaurant twice on a single trip - it's only happened once before in San Diego and that meal was magnificent.
We visited S'Kaechele last night and had such a good meal we knew topping it our second night in Strasbourg would be impossible. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team - Karin and Daniel. Karin runs the front of the house and Daniel is the chef. These are the ONLY two people working at the restaurant with 24 seats inside and 12 outside. Karin explained that in France it costs too much to hire additional help. But you wouldn't know it was a two person team the way the food comes out piping hot and absolutely amazing.
The restaurant is literally around the corner from our hotel, tucked away in a little square. The dining room is small and very old - easily 200 years. Karin is the most warm and friendly person you will ever meet. She seats you, takes your order, delivers your food and makes an honest effort to get to know you. She even gave me my first bisous (a kiss where you touch each cheek and make a kissing noise).
Tonight we started with the terrine; I can't remember what animal, but it was very rich and creamy. I had the lamb shank with ratatouille and potatoes. The lamb practically fell off the bone when I began to cut it, and the ratatouille was delicious. Ryan had the pork knuckle with roasted potatoes. It was juicy and tender, and the Pinot noir sauce gave it a needed sweetness to cut the fat. For dessert #1 we had a plat du fromage with three local types of cheese. We had absolutely no idea what she said when explaining them, but each one was flavorful, not overpowering. For dessert #2 we had pear sorbet with local pear schnapps. As you can imagine it was also tasty (I am in love with pear sorbet right now).
As we prepared to pay the bill Karin brought us two complimentary glasses of pear schnapps. What a perfect ending!
A dinner (or two) at S'Kaechele is the experience for which every traveler searches - good food, inviting atmosphere and warm people. Karin made us feel so very welcome in her restaurant that we did not want to leave. If we were here a third night I guarantee we'd be back in their dining room.
We visited S'Kaechele last night and had such a good meal we knew topping it our second night in Strasbourg would be impossible. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team - Karin and Daniel. Karin runs the front of the house and Daniel is the chef. These are the ONLY two people working at the restaurant with 24 seats inside and 12 outside. Karin explained that in France it costs too much to hire additional help. But you wouldn't know it was a two person team the way the food comes out piping hot and absolutely amazing.
The restaurant is literally around the corner from our hotel, tucked away in a little square. The dining room is small and very old - easily 200 years. Karin is the most warm and friendly person you will ever meet. She seats you, takes your order, delivers your food and makes an honest effort to get to know you. She even gave me my first bisous (a kiss where you touch each cheek and make a kissing noise).
Tonight we started with the terrine; I can't remember what animal, but it was very rich and creamy. I had the lamb shank with ratatouille and potatoes. The lamb practically fell off the bone when I began to cut it, and the ratatouille was delicious. Ryan had the pork knuckle with roasted potatoes. It was juicy and tender, and the Pinot noir sauce gave it a needed sweetness to cut the fat. For dessert #1 we had a plat du fromage with three local types of cheese. We had absolutely no idea what she said when explaining them, but each one was flavorful, not overpowering. For dessert #2 we had pear sorbet with local pear schnapps. As you can imagine it was also tasty (I am in love with pear sorbet right now).
As we prepared to pay the bill Karin brought us two complimentary glasses of pear schnapps. What a perfect ending!
A dinner (or two) at S'Kaechele is the experience for which every traveler searches - good food, inviting atmosphere and warm people. Karin made us feel so very welcome in her restaurant that we did not want to leave. If we were here a third night I guarantee we'd be back in their dining room.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
A simple wine tasting
Neither Ryan or I are big white wine drinkers, so when I found the ad for the Alsatian wine tasting at Hannong Bar I booked it. And I am so glad I did.
Located in the Hannong Hotel, the bar advertised a €15 tasting of four local wines. Christophe, the house sommelier, leads the tastings. We arrived at 6 pm and Christophe did not seem to know we were coming, which concerned me. My worries were quickly abated when, after the second glass, he gave us an extra tasting of a Grand Cru Pinot Gris from 14 km outside of Strasbourg, which was amazing. He then proceeded to give us another extra glass of white, before our Pinot Noir and sweet wines. To top it all off he gave us a glass of Crement - a sparkling white - to "cleanse our palate." In total we tasted seven different wines for only €15!
Strasbourg just keeps getting better and better.
Located in the Hannong Hotel, the bar advertised a €15 tasting of four local wines. Christophe, the house sommelier, leads the tastings. We arrived at 6 pm and Christophe did not seem to know we were coming, which concerned me. My worries were quickly abated when, after the second glass, he gave us an extra tasting of a Grand Cru Pinot Gris from 14 km outside of Strasbourg, which was amazing. He then proceeded to give us another extra glass of white, before our Pinot Noir and sweet wines. To top it all off he gave us a glass of Crement - a sparkling white - to "cleanse our palate." In total we tasted seven different wines for only €15!
Strasbourg just keeps getting better and better.
Bonjour Strasbourg!
We arrived in the very charming city of Strasbourg today for a two day stay. We're staying at the Hotel de l'Europe in the center of the historic district. The building is 400 years old! Our room is very quaint and overlooks a pedestrian street lined with cafes. Now it's time to explore the city!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Bubbles make me happy
There are 1 billion bottles of Champagne beneath the streets of Reims. Yes, that's billion with a B. I want to drink them all.
We took the 45 minute TGV from Paris to Reims for a day of Champagne tasting. Reims is a powerhouse in the Champagne industry - many of the great houses were founded in the city. This is mainly due to the miles of chalk quarries beneath the city first built by the Romans and added to throughout the centuries by the French. The caves, as they are called, keep the air the perfect temperature to store the delicate Champagne.
We toured three houses: Taittinger, GH Martel and GH Mumm.
Taittinger was by far the prettiest. The caves had lofty ceilings and were stark white. The facility we toured housed 3 million bottles, while their main storehouse in the center of Reims housed another 19 million. The tasting was rather impersonal and consisted of only one glass of brut.
GH Martel was the most personal. The tour guide was very friendly and passionate about Champagne. The company no longer ages it's Champagne in the Reims location, but the tour was still very informative. The caves are filled with equipment from Champagne making past. We sampled three glasses in an informal tasting room where we all sat in miss-matched chairs.
GH Mumm was by far the most polished. The lobby was bigger than our apartment and more grand than a five-star hotel. The caves held just as many bottles as Taittinger but lacked the tall ceilings that made Taittinger memorable. The tasting here was the best. We opted for the mid-level tasting with two Champagnes you can't get out of France.
A trip to Reims is a must for any Champagne lover.
We took the 45 minute TGV from Paris to Reims for a day of Champagne tasting. Reims is a powerhouse in the Champagne industry - many of the great houses were founded in the city. This is mainly due to the miles of chalk quarries beneath the city first built by the Romans and added to throughout the centuries by the French. The caves, as they are called, keep the air the perfect temperature to store the delicate Champagne.
We toured three houses: Taittinger, GH Martel and GH Mumm.
Taittinger was by far the prettiest. The caves had lofty ceilings and were stark white. The facility we toured housed 3 million bottles, while their main storehouse in the center of Reims housed another 19 million. The tasting was rather impersonal and consisted of only one glass of brut.
GH Martel was the most personal. The tour guide was very friendly and passionate about Champagne. The company no longer ages it's Champagne in the Reims location, but the tour was still very informative. The caves are filled with equipment from Champagne making past. We sampled three glasses in an informal tasting room where we all sat in miss-matched chairs.
GH Mumm was by far the most polished. The lobby was bigger than our apartment and more grand than a five-star hotel. The caves held just as many bottles as Taittinger but lacked the tall ceilings that made Taittinger memorable. The tasting here was the best. We opted for the mid-level tasting with two Champagnes you can't get out of France.
A trip to Reims is a must for any Champagne lover.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sunset cruise on the Seine
What better way to cap a night then a cruise on the Seine? It was supposed to be a nighttime cruise, but as the sun isn't setting until almost 10 pm we were treated to a beautiful sunset. We boarded the Bateaux Mouches at 9:40 pm just a few blocks east of the Tour Eiffel. The cruise took us east past Palais Royal, Place du la Concorde, and Notre Dame. We turned around just past Ile St. Louis and retraced our path west. Just a couple blocks passed the Tour Eiffel we made our way back to the dock. Rather than explain exactly what we saw I'll let the photos do the talking.
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