Another Worthy Burger in Strasbourg (France)

Every once in a while, fate smiles upon you. As most of you already know, my wife and I founded the "Share-A-Burger" initiative in December 2004 in a genuine attempt to change the world one burger at a time. If you're not already a fan by the way, please like our facebook page immediately.

As of today, we have 479 fans sharing the love of burgers and even better, a restaurant in Strasbourg that serves burgers using our GNU General Public License Burger recipe with only minor modifications. So, do not hesitate to go try it for yourself at Le Catsy's Chez Frieda!

And of course: May The Burger Be With You All!

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:

1741 Restaurant Review (Strasbourg, France)

1741 is the much hyped restaurant that recently opened in Strasbourg. Since everybody's talking about it, I had to review it and let me tell you right away: I was not disappointed.

First of all, the setting is absolutely stunning. The place is decorated with great taste and everything in this restaurant is about details. The staff is extremely professional and nice. The ubiquitous Hermès chinaware is just something that you wouldn't expect to see anywhere even in the most expensive restaurant in the world.

1741 consists of 4 floors amongst which the third one is a slightly more casual one which only serves a "surprise" menu prepared right next to you in the open kitchen located on the same floor.

1741 is, in my opinion, the restaurant that Strasbourg was lacking. It made me feel I was away from my hometown and eating at the trendiest place in New York City. There is no question as to if you should try it or not if you live in Strasbourg. So, here are some pictures of the exquisite food served there:

Well it started off with an excellent chip Pizza (who doesn't love chips and who doesn't love pizza?):

Followed by a cloud of morels & chive (Yummy):

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?

S' Musauer Stuebel (Strasbourg - Restaurant Review)

This hard-to-pronounce-for-a-non-local restaurant is a hidden gem. Located far from downtown Strasbourg, it is well worth the 15 minute drive. If you love meat, you won't be disappointed by both the quality of the products and their preparation. The staff strives for 100% customer satisfaction and frankly, how could you be disappointed when you see what is in your plate?

Aux Trois Chevaliers (Strasbourg - Restaurant Review)

Aux Trois Chevaliers is one of my favorite restaurants in Strasbourg. The quality of the food is only matched by the dedication of the team to guarantee customer satisfaction (such a rare oddity in France that it is well worth mentioning).

You will love the stripped down decor adorned with huge mirrors that give a contemporary work-in-progress feel to this old Winstub.

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!

An American Hot Dog In Strasbourg

After my lunch at Franky's Diner, I stumbled open a sign in the streets pointing to true American Hot Dogs in Strasbourg at Bagel Avenue. This Bagel joint is my favorite in Strasbourg so I had to assume that their hot dog was as good as their bagels! The answer is simple: YES: their hot dogs are excellent and although not 100% exactly like the originals in New York, they come to a close 95% with a choice of relish, Sauerkraut, American mustard etc... The works!

And while I'm at it, I should also mention their excellent Frappuccinos:

Franky's Diner: An American Diner In Strasbourg

I couldn't believe the news today nor could I close my eyes and make it go away: a full-fledged Diner finally opened its doors in Strasbourg. I had to give it a try and so, it won't come as much of a surprise that a good 22 minutes after Franky's Diner opened I could consider myself one of their first customers.

As I'm used to being disappointed by the usual amateurism associated with attempts to recreate true and great American food, I wasn't expecting much.

First of all, let me say that I was pleasantly surprised with the setting of this Diner in the sense that it pretty much looks like the real thing. Granted there are no napkin dispensers on the table and we can't choose the music but the seats, color theme & atmosphere makes you feel like you're 5000 miles away from the capital of Europe... Well, as long as you're also not paying much attention to the music: Franky: The Stray Cats formed in 1980 and their music mostly consisted of a blend of rockabilly music with punk elements. It is not the kind of music that is usually played in a Diner. I wish I would have listened to some more appropriate music such as: Chantilly Lace or Purple People Eater for instance.

What about the experience ?

The Share-A-Burger Initiative: Changing The World One Burger At A Time

This blog post is dedicated to those who thought the world had already come up with the craziest ideas anyone could think of. I hope that they will realize that nature keeps reinventing itself and will never cease to surprise us.

So here comes the craziest idea ever: The Share-A-Burger Initiative.

What is it?

Well, it's fairly simple: Two years ago, I embarked on the bold endeavor of preparing the finest Sunday burger ever. After numerous attempts at Burger Xanadu, I, in all modesty, believe that I now hold the recipe for the perfect Sunday Burger.

Subsequent to that realization, my purpose in life is to spread Burger wisdom throughout the world. And how better to do so than by sharing a Burger?

So here's the deal:

Speed Burger Strasbourg Review

Now that Speed Burger has a joint in Strasbourg, I had to try it out. I can't believe they opened shop two weeks ago and I didn't know! So, here comes my relatively late review.

First of all, you need to know that Speed Burger has many locations in France and specializes in home deliveries, an unexplained rarity in France and particularly in Strasbourg. Doesn't it feel great to know you can pick up the phone and just order a burger that will be delivered to your home in less than thirty minutes?

So, how was the service and food?

BagelAvenue Review (Strasbourg, France)

I tried this new Bagel joint in Strasbourg last night and must say that I was impressed with the quality of their bagels, the friendly service and their wide selection of products.

Bagel Avenue promises a great Bagel experience and delivers it! In addition to classic Bagels, they offer great hot Bagels as well as wraps. Their smartest move, in my opinion, is to serve Coffee in paper cups à la Starbucks Coffee in a city where such Hollywood-created mimetic craving is hard if not impossible to satisfy. I can't wait to try out some of their Frappuccinos to see for myself how they compare to my all time favorite Grande Caramel Frappucino with whipped cream at Starbucks Coffee!

Let me end this review by saying that they also feature great American desserts and sweets such as cheese cake, Donuts, Brownies, Whoopies, Cookies etc. On the soft drink side of things, they also have root beer and Dr. Pepper. And last but not least: HOME DELIVERY IS AN OPTION!

Their menu (in French) is here!

Oops! The Burger Gods Did It Again At 231 East St. In Strasbourg (France)

Distinguishing reality from our imagination may be a concern for some philosophers. In fact, I am yet to be proven wrong in my assumption that the entire universe and all beings and things in it are just a product of my imagination. In that same line of thinking, my recent (read: two decade old) but unconditional passion for burgers seems to have led to a spike in Burger Joint creations in my hometown.

As I was almost ready to embrace the fact that the world may not be a holographic projection after all, two great Burger Joints opened up in Strasbourg. Someone please explain me how could that be a coincidence?

The first Burger Joint to open was "Le Pied de Mammouth" and I must say my city really lacked such a place. Its opening seems to have been closely followed by the opening of a second, yet different Burger Joint named: "231 East Street" and located 3 Place Saint Etienne (Tel: +33388169613). The former establishment features huge and original burgers whereas the latter sports classic burgers in a perfect bun with juicy melted cheese. I can't say which one is the best but both places definitely deserve a visit!

The number obsessed in you (and is there any Burger lover who isn't it?) will ask how these burgers rate on the Shake Schackedness scale. So, let me answer this utmost important question: I would grant "Le Pied de Mammouth" a solid 6.65 out of 7 and "231 East St." a 6.66. And for those of you more familiar with the In-N-Out Burger Awesomeness scale, this would translate into 42 for the former and 42.42 for the latter.

As a special bonus to my faithful readers, here is the menu at 231 East St. (courtesy of @DrGGT):

Granted, it is short and reduced to its bare essentials but you have to admit: who wants to hesitate for hours between 20 different Burgers when they crave for melted cheddar, perfectly cooked patties, lettuce, tomato and mayo in a bun? In this day and increasingly complicated age, do we really need more options than these classic three: Hamburger, Cheeseburger and Bacon Cheeseburger? Although this menu features a salad which might scare some of you away (and frankly shocked me when I saw it), I think they did a great job at simplifying things.


Enjoy it!

New Burger Joint in Strasbourg (France): Le Pied de Mammouth (LPM) aka The Mammoth's Foot

I had to review this newly opened burger joint in Strasbourg. "Le Pied de Mammouth" is a somewhat rarity in this town as no other restaurant is dedicated to the holy grail of food: The Hamburger.  Even though it is a small place, it looks more like a restaurant than a fast food joint and the quality of the ingredients combined with the Hamburger knowledge of the staff are going to make it a popular place amongst Hamburger Fashionistas in town.

I tried their El Gringo and Batave Burgers and both were excellent. I, however, customized my El Gringo order, replacing grilled onions with fresh onions and adding bacon. I must say that their Cheddar was excellent as well as the beef patties. The buns were a bit over grilled and the lettuce not what you would expect in a hamburger but overall it is very likely the best Hamburger option in town.

My only comment would be that their hamburgers tend to border on the French side of Burgerdom and in my book, when it comes to hamburgers, I would say that the more classic and more American the better!

These burgers can be had here !

New Restaurant In Strasbourg: La Table De Louise

This newly opened restaurant in Strasbourg features classic French food. I had their "inspiration" menu and really liked it. Foie Gras was excellent, Lobster original, & the Veal Piccata was fabulous! I finished this delicious meal with cheese and dessert and will definitely go back!

Foie Gras:

Lobster:

Veal Piccata:

Cheese:

Dessert:

All and all, it looks like famous chef Philippe Bohrer did an excellent job with this new venue! Should you find yourself in Colmar, feel free to visit its eponymous sister location.

An American Breakfast In Strasbourg

Aren't those EggMcMuffins drool-worthy?

We Want You To Have A Rossini Beef Fillet

Adam Richman: if you're reading this, just come to Strasbourg, book a table at "Aux Trois Chevaliers" and have this!

An American Hot Dog (or 3) In Strasbourg

Yummy !

10 IF N$="Hot Dog" THEN N$="WEREWOLF"
20 IF M$="Strasbourg" THEN M$="London"
30 VERY GOOD JOKE MODE ON

Can You Spot The Asshole In This Picture Of The Strasbourg Cathedral?

Can you spot the asshole in this picture of the Strasbourg Cathedral?
Can you see it? If yes, post in comments!

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?