I kid, but only a little. My salad with stuffed quail legs (good, albeit a bit more livery than I prefer) and thin-sliced foie gras is a typically Alsatian rendering of something that would otherwise be light: loading it up with liver and fattened liver is the local variation. (Im a little surprised theres neither ham nor starch.) Next is a venison loin, overcooked but flavorful, drenched in a rich meat sauce with excellent steamed-then-fried potatoes, a medley of white and green asparagus, and carrots. Honestly, the stars here are not the meat, nor the sauce, but the accompanying vegetables both stalky and rooted, which taste vividly of themselves. Not something one always finds in northern France restaurant vegetable cookery, especially in Alsace.
The wine list is somewhat short on local bottles (theres one extravagantly-priced wine from the Rangen, but its a Wolfberger, and Im disinclined to pay around $60 for cooperative wine unless its excellentwhich, in the past, this bottle has not been), and in any case I dont think a Rangen anything is a good match for Bambi in this particular form. And so
Dopff & Irion 2006 Pinot Noir Rouge dOttrott (Alsace) Surprisingly full. Red berries infused with wet soil, a little oak influence, and just enough textural plushness. A very slight bit underripe in terms of tannin, but otherwise well beyond competent and decidedly into the enjoyable realm. This is a somewhat industrial and middle-of-the-road producer that, a few years ago, was trying to make some qualitative steps forward. Maybe theyve taken a few of those steps.
Theres also a too-sweet alisier eau de vie, fragrant and enticing but just not dry enough, that seems to straddle some middle ground between distillate and liqueur, and indifferent coffee. A good meal, comfortable and filling.
At a rented apartment between two noisy churches in Colmar really, is it necessary for both to toll lustily every fifteen minutes all day and night? a quick market-sourced dinner of dos de cabillaud, caramelized leeks, and paprika-spiced haricots verts needs a white wine. And though its not a question often asked in this region, why not savagnin?
Ct Cour A modernist, slick, clean brasserie right on a busy church-side plaza, and clearly determined to lighten and modernize the local cuisine. Wellto a point. My carpaccio de tte de veau (not, despite the name, raw) is meaty but less complex and interesting than a version devoured a few months ago at the brilliant Le Comptoir du Relais in Paris, and its followed by perfectly-cooked rouget abed Robuchon-style butter slightly thickened by pured potatoes. Theres even a little superfluous foam around the exterior. Everythings quite good (especially the service), but Id like to see a stronger embrace of the future rather than just gestures.
Coffee is Nespresso and is indicated as such on the menu (oh, one weeps for the state of French coffee), but the wine list while young is fine. Surprisingly, its reasonably strong in not only non-Alsatian, but non-French bottlings.
Barms Buecher 2005 Riesling Herrenweg (Alsace) Molten iron. Not just the aromatics, but also the weight and density. Almost a really good, dusty, all-mineral wine, but the heaviness is just too much, and eventually overwhelms the palate. Blame the vintage more than the house.
Another Alsatian classic follows: veal in mushrooms (lots of both), with an accompanying pan of sptzle big enough for three or four people. Its hearty, rich, mass-endowed food, and though I dont know how much place it has in a modern society not engaged in transhumance, its good to know that its still available.
I consider a digestif, but instead opt for yet another local favorite: frozen dessert drenched in eau de vie (in this case, lemon sorbet swimming in marc de gewurztraminer). Its as woozy as it is good. As for the wine list: the Bordeaux-minded will do pretty well with some mature-ish wines at good prices, but the Alsatian side, while lengthy, is probably less-represented in the actual cellar than it is the wine list. Which explains how I end up with a wine Id never have ordered had it not been opened away from, and brought to, the table without asking if Id like a substitute. Oh, well.
Joseph Cattin 2007 Muscat dAlsace (Alsace) As much structure and flaky minerality as perfume. Good Alsatian muscat has a strange palate action whereby it seems to be pressing against a wall, and this wine fits into that category. Short, as is fairly typical for this grape, but good.
Sparr 2003 Pinot Gris Mambourg (Alsace) Way, way, way too sweet and structure-free. The aromatics havent developed, the syrupy texture is off-putting, and the wine is just a mess.
Vincent Stoeffler 2006 Riesling Kirchberg de Barr Vendanges Tardives (Alsace) Decidedly light and Bas-Rhin-ish. A bit hollowed-out. Stainless steel, very light sweetness, elegance but not much poise. Just OK.
Pierre-Paul Zink 1999 Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive (Alsace) Coppery minerality, spice, bronzed pear, finely-flaked textural swirls. A really gorgeous wineneither overbearing nor overly sweet (theres plenty of sugar, but enough acidity to counteract). Quite long. Very tasty.
Jean-Paul Schmitt 2002 Gewurztraminer Rittersberg Vendanges Tardives (Alsace) 500 ml. Spiced yellow plum, cashew, and fruity bacon fat up front, but then everything fades rather more quickly than Id like. A good first third, but after that its disappointing.
There are twelve tasters to poll, and I ask three questions: what are the wines, do you like them, and which did you prefer with the terrine? The third wine is the easiest to identify (one even ventures a very specific guess of Kaefferkopf), but guesses about the first two are all over the map; literally, in the first case, as two of my friends engage in a very long debate about how the wine absolutely must be German. The second results in answers that cover the full range of possible responses. But the most important question is about the marriage with foie gras, and here the vote is: four for the riesling, two for the pinot gris, and six (including me) for the gewurztraminer. Yes, there are the individual wine qualities to consider, but this result is revealing nonetheless. Of course, after the unveiling, Im treated to yet another long discourse on why pinot gris was actually the right choice all along, despite the lecturers expressed preference for the gewurztraminer
I start with the best presskopf Ive ever had, the meat and gelatin in perfect proportion and both of surprising intensity, and follow with tourte de la valle: essentially a compressed pork pie, thick and surrounded by a delicious pastry crust. To finish theres an intense raspberry sorbet swimming in marc de muscat, a perfect marriage of fruit and flower.
Heyberger-Salch 2007 Muscat Cuve grappe (Alsace) Floral but weedy, with a strappy vegetal note. On the upside, theres a ton of acidity, but I dont know that it serves this wine all that well. A few more days on the vine wouldnt have hurt.
Lon Beyer 2006 Gewurztraminer (Alsace) Very dry, almost to the point of being parched, as is the Beyer style and predilection. As such, theres little in the way of stone or tropical fruit, but instead dried nut powder and the aromatic remnant of beef jerky. Very solid structure. To know if this is ever going to be good, one will have to wait at least a decade. Possibly longer. Worth noting: the wine is inexplicably caveated to me (by the waitress) as sweet which it is most certainly not and yet three fellow diners reject it as too dry and too bitter.
Trimbach 2004 Riesling Rserve (Alsace) Minerality with little else except some lime-scented acidity. The minerality takes several forms sheet, powder, and rod and its both dominant and restrained. Very particular, but appealing nonetheless, though one has to like ultra-austere riesling.
Mur 2004 Pinot Noir V (Alsace) Weird in all the ways that Alsatian pinot noir is usually weird, this grand cru pinot noir (its from the Vorbourg, hence the not-so-secret code on the label) doesnt live up to its terroir, except in this way: the fruits somewhat soupy, the structures both spiky and insufficient, and the wine hasnt been well-handled in the cellar. Which, it must be admitted, doesnt much say grand cru to me. A rough go.
Bertrand Eau de Vie Sorbier (Alsace) Thats rowan for English-speakers. Lurid blueberry irreparably marred by a fetid sous bois staleness. I really, really hate this.
Bertrand Eau de Vie Vieille Prune (Alsace) Standard, straightforward. Some spice, some old raisin, some wood. Not very interesting.