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?

Pierre Gagnaire's Sketch Restaurant In London

Sketch is Famous French chef Pierre Gagnaire's signature restaurant in London. It actually consists for three different restaurants: Gallery, The Lecture Room and Parlour. Parlour is the more relaxed option while The Lecture Room features a tasting menu. I had the chance to eat at Gallery which is their "middle ground" option last weekend. Although the food didn't live up to my high expectations, I absolutely loved the experience. Above this text is a picture of my starters: the "Pollock". Below is a picture of my main course which was scallops with truffles. Both were good but not that original in my opinion.

Hakkasan Hanway Place London

Last summer, I reviewed the Hakkasan restaurant located at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. I absolutely loved their food so it only seemed logical during my recent my week-end in London to have dinner at one of their London locations which, in my case, happened to be the Hanway Place one.

Upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that the restaurant was almost identical to its sister location in Miami for the setting there is absolutely stunning. I had their Dim-Sum platter which were tender and perfect:

Fine Dining: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Paris Etoile - Review

As I had never eaten at any of Joël Robuchon's restaurants, I decided to take advantage of my week-end stay in Paris to eat at the recently opened Atelier de Joël Robuchon Etoile located right on the famous Champs-Elysées Avenue in Paris. Even though this restaurant opened its doors only six months ago (December 2010), it has already earned two Michelin stars, hence achieving the same recognition than the original Atelier located rue de Montalembert.

Though the place is dark, its minimalist decoration give it an Asian touch and it's probably no coincidence that the chef is Japanese. The menu is not the same than at its sister location, though some dishes can be found in both establishments.

In addition, I must say that Robuchon's idea of eating at the bar in a more relaxed setting than what is usually experienced in top restaurants is great. Our waiter was very nice, knowledgeable and we interacted a lot more with him while sitting at the bar than at any other Michelin starred restaurant. I thought that added an even more positive note to the overall experience. As for the food, I must say this was one of the finest meals I have experienced and in my honorable opinion, it undoubtedly beats the meal I had at Auberge de L'Ill in Alsace last week. Not only were the preparation perfectly executed but they were also creative, original and sublime. My taste buds are still in awe two hours after leaving the table! Here are the dishes we got to try and I can only advise every single one of you to try them out on you own:

Amuse bouche: Lemon & Basil & Tapenade Jelly:

Sea Urchin on a spicy carrot jelly topped by a gold leaf:

Caviar with smoked salmon dices on a soft-boiled egg (the highlight of my meal):

Lobster with asparagus and morels:

Duck Foie Gras with almond stuffed cherries:

John Dory with coconut milk and coriander:

Quail with Robuchon's signature mashed potatoes:

Mango Mango dessert:

Red fruit sorbet with carambar cream:

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.

If I Had A Hammer And A Stargate

I could have chosen "Monday Burger Monday"as the title of this post but decided otherwise as I'm attempting to possibly write the worst blog post ever in the entire history of the Internet and while at it, probably the worst piece of writing altogether in the history of mankind, the Universe and whatever preceded the latter.

You might be tempted to ask, provided you had the guts to comment this post and therefore risk being traced back and associated with this blog, why I would change my perfect habits and make a burger on a Monday. Well, I know I have used my readers to the Sunday burger challenge but I had good reasons to try and reach Burger Xanadu on a Monday. As a matter of fact, we are hosting friends next week-end and will probably go out for dinner next Sunday evening, hence denying ourselves from another attempt at the perfect burger. It, consequently, only seemed logical to anticipate our  Sunday routine as a precaution in case anything would happen to us until the following Sunday.

I must say I was quite happy with tonight's burger. It was tasty, juicy and spicy. I used Louisiana Gold Green sauce, two beef patties, lettuce, two slices of cheese with Buffalo Mozzarella in-between the slices (an idea of a Michelin Star Chef friend of mine). This made for a perfectly melted cheese and juicy burger. It was kind of like applying the recipe for a Juicy Lucy to the cheese itself.

So, what's up with the Hammer, Stargate and possibly worst blog post ever?

Well, here it comes: while I was tasting my burger, I had this stroke of genius (well, actually quite the opposite): If I had a Stargate, I would probably use it to go the most isolated planet in the galaxy (where, of course, the entire population of the planet speaks English, just like in the TV series) and I would introduce to this unspoiled civilization the holy Burger. I would persuade them to believe that hamburgers are representations of the essence of the universe, that they should be revered to and that  followers should strive to try and perfect their recipe. This amazing idea would make generations and generations work on my Sunday burger challenge. They would innovate in the field of Hamburgers (disregarding any other field such as physics, mathematics, biology, art etc... as Hamburgers unify all fields) and the result of all this would be the advent of a new Universe filled with wisdom and melted cheddar.

What about the Hammer? Well, isn't it obvious? The Hammer would be used to show the people from this faraway planet at the edge of the universe how to beat the sh*t out of a beef patty in order to make it flat and large. I would teach this people how to frantically scream, like a serial killer for his first kill, and flatten all patties ever destined to be used in a burger.

And when this whole process is over and in millions of years, Burger Xanadu is reached, I will prove Bergson wrong when he stated that the essential function of the universe was to be a machine for the making of Gods for in fact, the essential function of the universe is to be a machine for the making of Burgers.

Au Crocodile Restaurant - Strasbourg (France) - 2010 Review

Back in January 2008, I posted my first review of one of the best restaurants (if not the best) in Strasbourg, France. As I had the chance to eat at "Au Crocodile" once again last night, let me take this opportunity to give my readers an updated review of this fine dining restaurant.

First of all, it is to be noted that this venue does not belong to Emile Jung anymore as this renowned chef sold it to Philippe Bohrer upon retirement. Phillippe Bohrer is also a distinguished chef, known for his restaurant "A La Ville De Lyon" in the famous city of Rouffach, Alsace, home of a no-less famous Psychiatric Hospital.

As far as the setting goes, we were happily surprised by the remodeling of the place which used to look a bit out-dated. It now boasts a very cozy setting which melts classic and contemporary traits with elegance.

The food was no disappointment either as everything we had was delightful and subtle to the palate and beautiful for the eyes to behold. We chose their "Menu D'Agrément" and replaced the sweetbreads (we're unfortunately not fans of this delicacy) with a beef tenderloin. We did not have cocktails before dinner as we opted for our favorite option drinkwise: a bottle of champagne followed by a bottle of red wine. As I spotted on their wine list that the price of Dom Perignon 2000 champagne was quite reasonable (for such a bottle), we decided to splurge and went ahead and ordered a bottle. In my book, you cannot go wrong with this choice and I still stand by it. The delicate flavors of this champagne were a perfect companion for the first half of the menu.

Our gustative journey started with a chestnut veloute:

followed by lobster:

frog legs:

scallops:

and truffles:

It was, at this point, time to order red wine and we opted for a bottle of Chateau Beaucastel 2005, a Chateauneuf-du-pape from the French Rhone valley. This choice made us enjoy even more the following beef tenderloin:

cheese:

and finally desserts:

The hedonist in me, although absent from this blog for quite a while, just loved it.

Au Crocodile Restaurant gained a Michelin star in March as they had to start from scratch after the property changed owner. Remember that the maximum Michelin (the famous fine food red guide) stars a restaurant can get in France is 3 and there aren't many of them. Having 3 Michelin Stars is the holy grail of gastronomy in France. Au Crocodile used to have 3. I believe that what we experienced last night deserves no less than 2!

If you're in Strasbourg and want to try Fine Dining in France, it's a no brainer, just make a reservation there!