Behold The NiederBurger

Not content with being the hypest food in France at the moment, the burger is also subject to various Alsatian takes on its recipe.

The French love to do things differently (is that the reason why Steve Jobs would very often refer to France in his keynotes?) and the Alsatian people take pride in setting themselves apart from France. You might ask yourself if that is a good thing in the realm of burgerness and here I come to give you the ultimate answer (which differs from 42): IT IS A GOOD THING.

I had the extreme pleasure of sampling two different Alsatian burgers in less than a week and can only conclude that although they both strayed away from the Classic Burger that I love, they were both excellent and very original. The former is featured in my previous blog post here while the latter is the subject of the post you are reading now (isn't that logic?).

I loved the idea of creating a very tasty and juicy burger using a custom-baked pretzel and crusty and thick patty. The result was absolutely great and I can only advise every single one of you to pay a visit to l'Atelier du Sommelier in Niederbronn-les-Bains (Alsace, France) to try other delicacies (I'm not 100% sure they have the burger on their menu so call in advance should you wish to sample it).

And of course to set things right, my delicious burger was preceded by a fantastic and genuine Caesar salad (in the American sense of the term, not the usual French interpretation of the Caesar salad):

The Alsatian Burger is Here

Though it may not be the corner stone of any nutritious breakfast, the Alsatian Burger featured at La Tocante Restaurant in Vendenheim is a delightful combination that has to be had! The idea here is to replace the bun with potato pancakes (or "Grumbeerekiechle" as they call them in Alsace) and serve ketchup on the side. The closest idea that comes to mind is, of course, KFC's Double Down sandwich.

As for the meat in my burger, it was not only perfectly cooked but juicy and tasty as well. Moreover, the cheese melted to perfection definitely added a plus to the cheeseburgerness factor of the whole thing:

Le Buerehiesel (Strasbourg - Restaurant Review)

Strasbourg used to have the privilege of hosting two three-star Michelin restaurants: both Au Crocodile and Le Buerehiesel shared this honor. However, recent changes in the local fine food landscape led to a single star downgrade of their red guide rating. I already covered what happened to Au Crocodile in the aforementioned link so it only seems logical to tell the story of Le Buerehiesel.

While Au Crocodile was sold to another chef, Le Buerehiesel continued its family tradition as Eric Westermann (former chef & owner Antoine Westermann's son) took over his father's restaurant. Most critics will emphasize the fact that he followed his father's vision while striving to make this holy temple of food a bit more casual.

So what about the food?

PizzBurgers Strasbourg Review

There seem to be no rest for the true Burger lovers in Strasbourg these days and this is a very good thing in my unbiased opinion... Well almost unbiased...

Last november, Speed Burger opened a location in Strasbourg and I reviewed them here. There is now a new alternative to burger home deliveries in our great alsatian city thanks to PizzBurgers. I tried them out twice and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their burgers. I found them to be more than reasonably good and the selection on their website is quite large. Most importantly, both times I ordered, delivery was fast and the burgers were still burning hot when they arrived!

Lunch at Auberge de L'Ill - Illhaeusern (Alsace, France)

Just a few pictures from a nice lunch at the renowned Auberge de L'Ill in Illhaeusern (France). This restaurant is the only 3 star Michelin restaurant in Alsace. Last time I ate there was at least  five years ago and I remember being a bit disappointed by the food at the time. Today, I was pleasantly surprised by the remodeling of the place and must say the setting is absolutely gorgeous whether inside or outside. We had a drink in the restaurant's garden before lunch and seeing wild storks walk on the grass and fly over our heads was breathtaking and at the same time so typical of Alsace.

As for the food, I must say it was very good but once again, I feel a bit frustrated as I don't think I tasted anything that would qualify as particularly creative or amazing. Service was friendly and maybe even a bit too informal at times. But enough talk, time to see the pictures:

Lobster salad with fennel, orange peel and chick peas:

John Dory Fillet with squid ink spaghettis and calamari broth:

Pigeon rib stuffed with cabbage, truffles and Foie Gras (this was the highlight of my meal):

Cheese selection:

Baked Panna Cotta with Amaretto, poached cherries & elderberry sorbet:

All in all, I had a very good time and so did my taste buds. I, particularly, recommend the pigeon rib stuffed with cabbage, truffles and Foie Gras.

One last Geeky thing: cell phone reception is very poor in the restaurant and the city. Extremely slow data connection speeds (no 3G, and very slow EDGE). No wifi.

Je Suis Une Saucisse De Strasbourg (JFK 101)

As I recently visited the beautiful, though medieval with a touch of 1960s ugly architecture, city of Strasbourg, I couldn't help myself thinking of what President JFK might have said, had he visited Alsace instead of Berlin in 1963.

His famous words "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" which literally translate in German as "I am a jelly-filled doughnut" could have been in French: "Je suis une saucisse de Strasbourg" (I am a Strasbourger sausage). I believe my ever-growing French audience might find that amusing.

Evidently, I cannot end this post without making a reference to numbers as my thoughts for JFK are, I believe, no coincidence. I was born on the exact same day that JFK was shot in Dallas (Granted I'm talking about the exact same day in a different year) which probably makes me the only person in the entire universe to share this in common with him. Last but not least, the last 6 digits of my phone number in Neverland correspond to the date of his death. Are you superstitious?