Colmar - Restaurant Reviews

We had some excellent meals during our 3-night stay in Colmar along with some mediocre ones. As promised here is an honest review of where our tastebuds took us, at this fascinating crossroad between French and Germanic culinary traditions.


Restaurant Reviewed: L'un des Sens, 18 rue Berthe Molly, Colmar


This is not your typical restaurant -- think of it as a wine bar that serves up some terrific finger food to complement its fantastic selection of world-renowned Alsatian wine. L'un des Sens has made quite a name among locals and visitors alike with superb quality local wine and matching bite-sized platters, all presented in a cozy informal setting at fair prices.

There is no printed wine list -- only the owners' infinite memory of their cellar collection. Alexandre came to ask about our preferences and presented us with two mysterious glasses of local wine .. and purposely left us guessing and sipping for a little while before returning with a full explanation of the terrior and personality of what we're drinking. Mine turned out to be a vibrant Riesling from a local town I'd struggle to pronounce, and my wife's glass of sumptuously sweet and fruity Gewurztraminer from 2008 from nearby Eguisheim was simply the best white either of us had ever tasted. Frankly I was never a fan of white wine ... until now!



For food we started with a generous platter of some of the best charcuterie items we've ever had. Our Cochonaille came with some excellent dry cured ham, Andouille, head cheese, and a tremendously rich and complex cured sausage which turned out was my favorite. We took probably an hour to slowly savor every little morsel, including the deliciously pickled gherkins as palate cleanser. What a brilliant start to a meal.



Then came one of the most memorable dishes of our entire 24-day trip -- the best Foie Gras either of us had ever tasted. Period. This was too delicious to be wasted on bread of course, and we even found the suggested condiment of sweet onion confit to be an unwanted distraction from the delicate flavors and heavenly richness. A little sprinkling of sea salt was all we needed on Foie Gras this good. I still dream about this stuff after returning from France.



We also ordered this Codfish Rillette with Chives which, like almost everything else here, was served with a basket of bite-sized artisan bread for less than 10 Euros. One might argue that this little jar could be bought in a local epicerie for about 5 Euros, but I have to say ... everything just tastes better with a glass of your favorite wine!



To wrap up we ordered a small selection of artisan Confits and Tapenade, all sourced from the celebrated Accent d'Oc in Narbonne. My favorites included a spread of fennel and basil, some kind of artichoke pate, and a fascinating jam of black olives and lemon peel which reminded me fondly of black fermented beans and aged tangerine peel used in Cantonese cooking half a world away. These were robust and tantalizing flavors, which went really good with our last pieces of bread.

We couldn't resist ordering a couple more glasses of that Gewurztraminer from Eguisheim ... it was by far the best white wine we've ever had! The price of our mystery wines turned out to be a terrific bargain at 4 Euros per glass, and the whole meal ended up just a little above 60 Euros. Not the cheapest, but certainly worth every cent to these two thirsty travelers.

Bill for Two Persons

Le Foie gras de canard, confit d'oignons au miel	14.5 Euros
La Cochonaille d'Auvergne et de l'Aube	10.9 Euros
Rillettes de Cabillaud à la Ciboulette	9.9 Euros
La Couleur de saison d'Accent d'Oc	9.0 Euros
Glass Wine x 4	16 Euros
TOTAL before tips	60.3 Euros (CAD$84.4)

For our only opportunity for lunch inside the town of Colmar (the other was an incredible lunch in Riquewihr in the countryside), we purposely chose this small eatery with great regional flair at reasonable prices.


Restaurant Reviewed: Sezanne, 30 Grand Rue, Colmar


Another locally recommended establishment, Sezanne is an epicerie/bistro mainly specializing in tartines and the regional Alsatian repertoire of comfort food. Think hearty Choucroutte and the local variation of the ubiquitous Cassoulet, as well as local and imported charcuterie. And if you like the Foie Gras or Jamon Iberico de Bellota served by the bistro, you'll be able to bring some home from the epicerie downstairs.



This is also one of the few places within Old Town Colmar where one can have a sit-down lunch starting from less than 10 Euros. Tartines with salad start from an unbelievable 8.5 Euros and main dishes from around 13. One would be hard pressed to find a cheaper restaurant in town aside from the Flammekueche stands.



My wife and I decided to sample one tartine and one main, both regional dishes featuring the local favorite ingredient of duck. This Tartine L'Alsacienne was a scrumptious combination of sliced duck breast, onions and cheese that somehow looked almost like a Philly steak melt upon first glance. I suppose both originally served similar functions -- filling, inexpensive and lip-smacking grub for peasant and blue-collar types.



The regional version of the slow-cooked Cassoulet turned out to be a sizzling pot of softened white beans blended with the goodness of duck meat, juices and fat and all. It's good and hearty comfort food, served in an informal setting at the heart of the Old Town just a few blocks from any of the main sights. Even after a couple glasses we ended up around 16 Euros per person, quite reasonable for just about anywhere in France.

Bill for Two Persons

Tartine L'Alsacienne	8.9 Euros
Cassoulet de canard fermier	13.3 Euros
Glass Gewürztraminer x 2	9 Euros
TOTAL before tips	31.2 Euros (CAD$43.7)

Another great place for an informal lunch is the 150-year-old Covered Market, situated right on the picturesque canals of the old fishmonger's quarter now known as Petite Venise. Instead of Amarone and Prosciutto though you'll find local Foie Gras, Gewürztraminers and Rieslings. We picked up a nice piece of Mille Feuille for dessert, but picked up our Foie Gras at the Casino Supermarket nearby on Grand Rue. Before we continued with sightseeing we specifically made a trip to La Cocotte de Grand-mère and made reservations, hoping for a dinner befitting its reputation on the Internet.


Restaurant Reviewed - La Cocotte de Grand-mère, 14 place de l’école, Colmar


Perhaps we're arriving with unrealistic hopes, but this was the most underwhelming restaurant we came across during our four days in the Alsace. The food wasn't bad -- it's just mostly mediocre for a restaurant of such high praise from so many reviewers. To be honest I can't even recall the flavor of this terrine of pork shank, which tells you how unmemorable this was.



The next entrée was memorable ... but mainly for the wrong reason. I actually enjoyed the rich bruyère cheese, but the smoked duck breast, and especially the dressing, was just horribly salty to the point that I couldn't even palate it without washing it down with some semi-sweet Muscat.



My lamb shank was decent, though nothing spectacular really. I think I actually enjoyed the accompanied ratatouille more than the lamb itself. While 20 Euros wasn't expensive for a lamb shank, I had higher expectations for a restaurant of this level of popularity. After all, we came the previous night to find it all booked up.



At least one of our four dishes came out excellent. These masterfully sauteed sea scallops were perfectly tender and sweet inside, and somewhat saved my impression of this popular joint in my mind. Although I have to say, I don't think we'd ever revisit this place should we end up in Colmar again.

Bill for Two Persons

Terrine de Jarret	7 Euros
Duck Breast Salad	7 Euros
Sauteed Scallops	21 Euros
Lamb Shank	20 Euros
Glass Muscat x 2	7 Euros
TOTAL before tips	62 Euros (CAD$86.8)

When we came back from our day hike to Riquewihr and Ribeauville we planned on visiting a highly popular restaurant known as Brocanteur near our B&B, but it was fully booked for the night. We wandered along the Grand Rue searching for a reasonably priced meal, and by pure chance stumbled upon a recommendable place right next to the charming Koifhus.


Restaurant Reviewed - Restaurant Au Chaudron, 5 rue du Conseil Souverain, Colmar


We had no idea how popular this place was until we returned home and found its website -- how many restaurants at such prime locations in Colmar could afford to shut down for three nights a week? This place must have its share of followers, though we didn't actually know at the time.



Frankly the first impression wasn't flattering -- the restaurant seemed nearly full and we were squeezed into a tiny table next to the bottom of the stairs. But our waiter's attitude improved when we quickly and determinedly ordered our drinks ... we're not going away, so deal with it! Finally they opened up the second floor and gave us a much better table. Not the best service, but we got what we wanted.

Most of the mains were around the 18 to 22 Euros range, which made the 26 Euros Menu Suggestion an excellent deal in comparison. My wife went with the rabbit terrine, duck brochette with roasted peaches and the sorbet, while I chose the foie gras, the entrecôte and the assiette gourmande for dessert. Prices were more than reasonable for 3-course dinners, but we'd have to see how the dishes actually turned out.



Cautiously optimistic about this 3 course foie-gras-and-steak dinner at a bargain price of 26 Euros, I half-expected a microscopic wedge of foie gras on top of a flimsy toast followed by a small 150g steak. But the Foie gras maison turned up in a sizeable slice, and even though it wasn't of the highest quality, we both quite enjoyed it with the consommé jelly.



Arriving in an even more satisfying portion was the rabbit terrine. While I prefer stronger and more gamey flavor out of rabbit dishes, this one was extremely lean, healthy, and chunky enough that we didn't have to wonder what kind of mystery meats were involved! And after this one entrée, my wife was already half full.



Then came my ginormous entrecôte -- a huge slab of rib steak served, to my surprise, naturally without any of the elaborate French sauces. With the accompanied fries this looked almost like an Albertan Angus Beef steak I'd get in Canada! The steak wasn't as tender as some of the dry-aged ones I'm used to in North America, but it was well prepared, flavorsome and came in such a portion that no carnivore should complain about.



My wife's duck brochette turned out quite decent, but my favorite part was the roasted peaches. By this stage she was already stuffed to the throat, and I don't know how I managed to finish one of the duck medallions for her, even after that massive entrecôte.



The mysterious assiette gourmande turned out to be a crème brûlée, a profiterole and some raspberries and cream. I remember the perfectly caramelized and crunchy top layer of the crème brûlée, but the rest were somewhat average.

At the end I thought the meal was good value for the money, especially considering the foie gras, the entrecôte and the inexpensive house wine from the local Alsatian vineyards. There was nothing out-of-this-world -- which didn't seem to be the aspiration of the restauranteur anyway -- just solid performance at friendly prices.

Bill for Two Persons

3 Course Menu x 2	52 Euros
Carola Nature 1/2 Litre	2.5 Euros
Gewürztraminer 1/4 Litre	6.7 Euros
TOTAL before tips	61.2 Euros (CAD$85.7)

Overall we were fairly pleased with the quality of our meals in Colmar. The wine bar of L'un des Sens would be the one eatery I wholeheartedly recommend. For even better food at unbelievably cheap prices I would have to recommend Au Trotthus in the village of Riquewihr, which will be reviewed in the next article.

The Romance of Paris and Venice Combined - 3 Nights in Lovely Colmar

This may be the most underrated and yet beautiful city of our 24-day trip. Period.



For nearly a month we've visited some famously gorgeous places as we journeyed across 6 nations along the general direction of the Rhine. The medieval city of Bruges, the uniformly ochre castle ruin and bridges of Heidelberg and the UNESCO World Heritage of Strasbourg are all celebrated among European travelers. But our favorite city was a lesser-known, less crowded but exceptionally photogenic French commune known as Colmar.



Despite its relative anonymity compared to heavyweight Paris or even nearby Strasbourg, Colmar has its fan base among independent travelers and travel writers. Rick Steves for instance puts Colmar, rather than Strasbourg, on his suggested itinerary for France. Even those who distrust guidebooks would be impressed by Colmar's excellent pedigree: half-German, half-French, impossibly medieval, and all romantic.



You'll most appreciate Colmar if you're a photographer in search of inspiration, or newlyweds in search of a romantic escape. Or ideally both. This place is an absolute goldmine of colorful half-timber houses built alongside lovely little canals, under the backdrop of soaring Gothic church spires and cobblestone squares.



If you love Venice, wander over to the old Fishmonger's Quarter for a leisurely cruise on its medieval canals and waterways. Or if you prefer Paris, you can enjoy your street side brasserie in an amorous French accent and finish with some Pinot Gris and Foie Gras. Better yet, you'll pay half of Parisian (or Venetian) prices for food and drinks!



So where exactly is this magical little city?

If you open a map and just hover above where Germany, France and Switzerland meet, you're not far from Colmar. Strategically located in one of the most fought-over regions in modern European history, Colmar is on the French side of the Rhine about 45 minutes away from the Swiss city of Basel, or about the same from Freiburg in the German Black Forest. In fact the closest international airport is the so-called "EuroAirport" of Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. This ease of access is certainly great for travelers like us, but it's not always so desirable especially at wartimes.



Just the German-sounding name of Colmar betrays its storied past as the frontier between two of Europe's great powers -- established as part of the Holy Roman Empire, captured for France by Louis XIV, retaken by Otto von Bismarck two centuries later, reclaimed by France at the end of WWI, conquered again by Hitler during WWII, then returned yet again to France in 1945.



Today Colmar still displays its street signs in French as well as in its local German dialect. The elderly still speak in the endangered native tongue of Alsatian German, and the current mayor Gilbert Meyer, like many of his fellow citizens, bear a French first name along with a surname of German lineage.



We first realized this convergence of cultures when our hostess in Gutach im Schwarzwald, merely an hour's drive to the east in the German Black Forest, pronounced "Frankreich" (France in the German language) with what sounded almost identical to a French "R". And when we arrived in Colmar every eatery in the Old Town featured our familiar Flammkuchen/Flammekueche, though sometimes renamed Tarte Flambée for the sake of the non-local French speakers.



Our previous 4 nights were spent in small towns and a farmhouse in the Black Forest on the German side of the Rhine, and we were surprised to find a deceivingly large medieval town that would easily take a day or two to fully explore. We decided on 3 nights -- one to unwind, one to fully immerse, and one reserved for one of our most anticipated hikes (see latter article on Hiking the Alsatian Wine Route).



The old town is just immaculately preserved with a wealth of heritage architecture dating as far back as the 1300's. Miyazaki Hayao fans would immediately recognize the multicolored timberframe houses and the cute Gothic rooftop of the Maison Pfister featured in Howl's Moving Castle.



Among the main sights were two of the town's wealth of 13th Century Gothic churches, the towering Église Saint-Martin and the nearby Église des Dominicains, both dominating presences at the centre of the Old Town. Given its grandeur one would easily mistake the Saint-Martin as a cathedral, but the nearest cathedral is actually in the predominantly protestant city of Freiburg on German soil.



The one unmissable sight in town, according to an Alsatian couple we met two days earlier in Gengenbach, is a 13th Century Gothic convent later reborn as the Unterlinden Museum. There is one world class exhibit that every visitor comes for.



The 500-year-old masterpiece of Gothic painting known as the Isenheim Altarpiece. And if you don't fancy 16th Century iconography, there's even a Picasso and a whole plethora of antique Alsatian furniture and clothing. Though ... as an exhibit of Alsatian culture I preferred the Musée Alsacien in Strasbourg much better.



On any given street in town you may encounter the Alsace's unofficial mascot with its graceful long neck and flowing plumage. Alsatians love their storks and the associated legends of fertility and fidelity, and some even go to the length of building nesting platforms for these majestic birds on their rooftops. Many storks are said to return to the same nest for their whole lives, so I can see the return-on-investment for bird lovers.



For nature lovers there's actually a stork refuge in the nearby countryside at the town of Hunawihr, providing a nesting haven to the birds when they return from their 6000 km winter migration from South Africa. While we did pass by Hunawihr during our hike, we never came across any storks in Alsace ... the nesting pair we did see was at a rooftop in Gengenbach on the German side of the Rhine.


HOTEL REVIEW


This is one of France's prettiest medieval city cores after all, and we wanted an authentic local accommodation, in the midst of the romantic townscape, at a reasonable price. Ideally we're looking for the equivalence of a Machiya Townhouse in Kyoto or a Courtyard House in Beijing. And I think we found it, in the form of a centuries-old half-timber house just a few minutes' walk from the Unterlinden.



Maison Martin Jund isn't your typical Chambre d'hôte -- it's a family-owned organic winery which also operates a B&B at the heart of Colmar. Our vaulted room on the upper floor was clean, small but well-equipped with TV, fridge and a small private shower room. But the most amazing part, aside from the beautiful medieval timber frame, was the unbelievably cheap price of less than 40 Euros a night.



The Chambre d'hôte is situated in an adorable neighborhood of 16th Century timberframe houses. There's also the convenience factor -- a coin laundry 3 minutes' walk away on Rue Ruest, a bus stop within 5 minutes' walk for buses to the train station, and a Monoprix supermarket next to the Unterlinden Museum. This is quite a recommendable B&B for anyone looking for a characterful stay in Colmar at near rock bottom prices.



And once settled in, Colmar is just the perfect base for exploring the charming Alsatian villages in the countryside. We did a day-hike through lovely vineyards from Riquewihr to Hunawihr to Ribeauville, all accessible by local buses. With a couple additional days we could have visited Eguisheim or Kaysersberg with its ruined castle, or perhaps a day trip to the enormous château of Haut-Koenigsbourg overlooking the Alsatian plains. We probably could have stayed in Colmar for a week without running out of sightseeing options.



And lastly, you really can't complain about the French cuisine here with a local Alsatian flair. After all Alsace is best known for some of France's best white wine, as well as its delectable locally produced Foie Gras. But I'll have to leave the restaurant reviews to the next article ...

Crossroad of 3 Nations - Blitzing Thru Basel, Switzerland

Having unlimited free transportation within the Black Forest for staying overnight in spectacular Gengenbach, we took a scenic detour en route to our next destination of Colmar, through one of the Europe's famously tri-national cities. Located at the junction of Switzerland, France and Germany is the metropolis of Basel, the farthest point in our 1000 km voyage along the general direction of the Rhine.



With its city core in Switzerland and suburbs in French Alsace and the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Basel is probably better known as a venue for international conferences than as a tourist draw. Think the Basel Convention in the United Nations or the Basel III accord in international banking. I wouldn't have thought of Basel as a destination either, but I couldn't resist the thought of entering Switzerland for a day trip, especially when the train ticket was free.



True to its own unique international character, Basel actually has 3 train stations -- the Swiss and the French stations sharing one hub (Basel SBB) near the city centre, and the German station (Basel Bad Bahnhof) on the opposite side of the Rhine. Our Regionalbahn train arrived shortly after 11:00 at the German station, where we transferred to a local S-Bahn train (still for free) to the Swiss station to deposit our luggage in a locker for the day. Later in the afternoon we would hop on yet another regional train, this time at the French station, to the Alsacian city of Colmar.



The minor inconvenience about visiting Basel is that we're now leaving the Eurozone, and re-entering the 1990's when every major European nation had its own currency. So we drew 100 Swiss Francs from the ATM (there's no way that I'd pay the 4 Euros commission at the Money Exchange), paid for the luggage deposit and grabbed a take-out lunch of seafood salad and an excellent rotisserie chicken leg from the Migros supermarket inside the station. The chicken leg was so well-seasoned, juicy and fall-off-the-bones tender that it really deserved much better than a supermarket food counter. And besides, 13 Francs (CAD$15) for a take-out lunch for two was about as frugal as it could get in expensive Switzerland.



A quick hop on Tram #2 kicked off our self-guided tour on the opposite bank, crossing the most famous bend on the Rhine where the river makes its dramatic turn from East-West to South-North, just 2 kilometers upstream from the spot where the Swiss, French and Germany borders meet at the centre of the river. We're here for a quintessential Basler experience ...



Surviving to this date is an archaic system of tiny ferry boats crossing the mighty Rhine, secured by nothing but a long, flimsy-looking wire attached to an even longer wire stretching across opposite banks of the river. To make the crossing, the skilled boatsman simply tips the boat in the direction of the opposite bank and let the current push the boat across. This is REALLY cool ... no engines, no oars, just 100% green energy.



Adding to the coolness factor, some random guy showed up with a telescoping, collapsible carbon-fiber alphorn and put on an impromptu show for the audience on the boat! At first I thought this was a well-staged program by the local tourism office ... until the guy unscrewed and folded up his alphorn, got off the boat and walked home! We felt so lucky to be at the right place at the right time ... how much more Swiss can it possibly get?



That Alphorn guy alone had made our stop at Basel worthwhile, and everything else would just be the cherry on top. Getting off the boat we hiked up to visit one of Switzerland's great historic churches. The twin Gothic spires and patterned roof tiles of the Basler Münster have defined the city's skyline since the Middle Ages, but my own favorite part was the minimalist interior, a direct result of the Reformation, and the its solemn Romanesque crypt dating 1000 years back.



A short walk to the west brought us to the bustling Barfüsserplatz with its lively open-air market and streetside cafés. This was also the starting point of our self-guided tour roughly following the tourism office's booklet of 5 Walks across the Old Town of Basel as a guide.



But instead of sticking with just one of the recommended walks, we took a long rambling route crisscrossing from one walk to another to yet another. You can't really go wrong whichever one you pick, or simply wander off on your own without a map. There are plenty of these charming nooks and crannies in this hilly old town to be discovered.



From Barfüsserplatz we took the Leonhardsberg up to the historic prison of Lohnhof, then walked through some lovely 18th Century townscape on Heuberg and Spalenberg. Everywhere we turned were picturesque little lanes with these pastel color rowhouses with French mansard roofs, in an officially German-speaking city, where the inhabitants actually speak yet another mother tongue (Baseldytsch).



Along the way we came across this anonymous but lovely little fountain at the intersection of Gemsberg and Unterer Heuberg. While the Old Town of Basel isn't quite as world-famous as nearby Strasbourg's Petite France or even Bern's Altstadt, there is something inexplicably charismatic in how these narrow medieval streets wind their way up seemingly incredible slopes.



The Haus zum Wolf on Spalenberg was just one of the many fascinating locales we came across. From here we walked uphill on Spalenberg, turned right on Petersgraben towards the Peterskirche, then meandered in the general direction of the Rathaus. By this point we had already walked sections of the Jacob Burckhardt walk, the Paracelsus walk and the Thomas Platter walk.




As the endpoint of our self-guided tour we chose the unmissable Rathaus, a flamboyant palace on Marktplatz dating from the age of Renaissance. We returned to the Basel SBB station almost an hour earlier than planned, retrieved our luggage and moved over to the French side of the station. SNCF's regional TER train would then take us to one of our most anticipated destinations, the medieval city of Colmar, for the next 3 nights.