L'arnsbourg (Baerenthal)

Sharing your life with a caviste in France means that it is highly likely you will frequent restaurants and be surrounded by gourmets. With fine wines goes fine foods. And I happen to be particularly lucky as my caviste has a serious palate as demanding, as mine, and will go to great length to appeal to them both. And so for my birthday, I was swept away to the Vosges Mountains of Alsace and treated to a meal at l’arnsbourg, a three star restaurant.

There are a lot of restaurants in France (3,531), and quite a few of them have one Michelin star (449), fewer have two (73), and a grand total of 26 have three Michelin stars. It doesn’t get higher than that. And while these sorts of rankings can be controversial they can also be a guide as to the quality of the experience. My deduction is that one star means the food is great, two stars means that the food (either meat or fish are the speciality) and service are great, three stars means that any and all food is fantastic (meat, fish AND dessert) and the service is the total theatre experience.

Full disclosure: I’m a total sucker for the theatre of French dining since this sort of service is non-existent in North America. My caviste has an issue with most of the dramatic touches by the sommeliers (don’t get him started on the ‘seasoning of the carafe twirl’) in these sorts of establishments but I find the ritual of this sort of attention very chic.

L’arsnbourg is tucked away in a narrow valley near the small town of Baerenthal. Just driving there makes the trip worth it as the landscape is breathtaking. Inside, the main dining room is heavy with exposed pine and minimal with impeccably clean white linens. The main room has a three-sided bay-window that looks onto the forest with complimentary lighting outside that lights up the evening view.

Cathy Klein and her staff exhibit service that is beyond organized, with the precision of Swiss watch making and a complete lexicon of subtle body language and silent understanding. The waiters speak French, English, German, and some speak Japanese as well as a gamut of other languages. When one walks into the dining room, the service takes note of your appearance but the only way you know is because it seems like the wheels of a discrete machine have just begun turning. Flawlessly the menus materialize, before one gets to ask the question regarding the wine list the sommelier is at attention, and once the meal is ordered, the only word that comes to mind is flow.

Jean-Georges Klein’s skill can’t really be described as anything other than pure. This autodidact has an understanding of what ingredients should taste like as well as a keen sense of observation. Numerous dishes in the 10-course tasting menu incorporated flavours typically dis-associated but that were in perfect harmony – foie gras and cocoa. Others were dishes that showcased the versatility of simple fresh foods – the liquor that comes from freshly cut tomato slices aromatized mozzarella gnocchi set below in two-tiered a colander plate. We traveled a lot during this 3 hour meal that was accompanied by a fine Alsatian wine for the most part and a glass of a Rhône beauty for the Wagyu beef (9^th degree) course. And as ephemeral and wonderful was this meal, so was this menu as it changes according to the seasonal offering.

As pretentious as it may seem, having a three-star Michelin restaurant experience is one that I would highly recommend at least once in a lifetime. Some people spend on great theatre tickets but in a restaurant of this sort is a fine substitute as the artistry, the quality of the actors, and the sensation of satisfaction are very similar. It will be an evening spent where all senses, including gustatory, will be appeased and tantalized. And if one really wanted to go all out, I suggest staying at the Hotel K across the road, recently opened as a compliment to the restaurant and very worthy of its Relais & Chateaux status. Not to mention that having breakfast on your private terrace is fabulously indulgent...

- Nathalie

L’arsnbourg

57230 Baerenthal

+33 (0)3 87 06 50 85

www.arnsbourg.com

Planeta DOP Olive Oil

Sicilians make great wines, have a way with oranges, and are also, I recently found out, excellent olive oil producers.

Planeta is an olive oil that I recently discovered and that I have been saying Mamma Mia about ever since. This extra-virgin, first cold press, olive oil is a very fine product indeed and merits its DOP accreditation.

Here is the thing about a really great olive oil – you can use it on anything. And I enforce the use of the word “on” because first cold press liquid gold like this should never ever be used for frying or cooking. Do that, and you’ll lose all the beautiful and fragile flavours. Fruity and slightly herbal notes emanate from this silky and unctuous olive oil made from three indigenous olive varieties (nocellara del belice, biancolilla and cerasuola). It’s complex and delightful, and a little sumptuous. You’ll feel rich when using it.

Having a good quality olive oil will always save a meal, at any course, and for many reasons. Use this product alone with fresh bread for dipping, drizzled in a simple salad or over a plate of fresh pasta, and then try it on vanilla ice cream with strawberries. I dare you, knowing you won’t regret it.

Planeta is available at a number of fine grocery stores, and retails for $5.99 for the 100mL bottle or $21.99 for the 500mL – worth every penny down to the last drop. And with a product of such quality, you might want to consider this as a hostess or holiday party gift – a nice but equally charming option to a bottle of wine.

Goat's Milk Creme Fraiche

Pictured here is a new discovery that I made a few weeks back and since then, I think I have become:

a) The unofficial spokesperson for the product

b) the biggest fan

c) obsessed and attempting to find ways to incorporate it into everything I eat

d) thrilled to see that French style products are making there way onto our shelves

This is a new product by our friends at Liberté, who already make delicious yogurts and frozen yogurts. It is a goat’s milk crème fraiche or unripened cheese. In terms of texture, it’s like a rich cream but it only has 8.5% fat. This means that it adds unctuousness to everything that it touches without all the sin. The French eat a lot of this sort of dairy and once you have tasted it, you will understand why. Finally, the fact that it’s made with goat’s milk means it has a stronger flavour than if it was made with cow’s milk, but that’s also what will add another layer of interest to the dish you use it in. I have made a cauliflower gratin with this, thickened mushroom soups with it, and also had it as a snack with some granola. It will have you saying c’est délicieux in two shakes of a goat’s tail.

Cranberries: flavour affinities

I have a friend who doesn’t know what cranberries are. It may not be his fault (that), he is French, and this bog berry is not native to his land, although it is commonly used in the Scandinavian countries nearby. In fact, cranberries are among the only three fruits native to North America, blueberries and the Concord grape are the other two. Nonetheless, as an epicurean, I think it is important that he be made aware of this fine product, so I dedicate this flavour affinities to him. 

Among one of the healthiest foods in the world due to the vitamin C and antioxidant content, cranberries are harvested in the Fall and tend to make their way to most Thanksgiving tables in the form of sauce. However, the culinary uses are many and range from savoury to sweet applications. Don’t be shy to use this tart and acidic berry with abandon – it will brighten almost every dish. Here are some pairings to consider:

• Apple, orange, tangerine,
• Brown sugar, cream, maple syrup, sugar, white chocolate
• Corn, spinach, onions
• Pork, poultry, firm white fish (in a salsa)
• Walnuts, pecans

Le saucisson brioché

There are some foods that we love to eat but know that they are a pain to make ourselves, either because we are lousy at making them (yours truly and baked goods) or because the investment far exceeds our capacity in terms of time and kitchen space. Enter the restaurant. In my case, that would be Laloux, which I have previously rhapsodized about (click here). A few nights ago, I was at Pop, the wine bar associated to and right next door to Laloux and was served one of those dishes that I love to eat when made by someone else: Le saucisson brioché.

The premise is simple: bake a sausage into a loaf of bread. The execution, not so easy. First those who know how to make good brioche should be sainted. Second, being able to create this baked product without making the bread soggy should dictate culinary demi-god status. At Pop/Laloux they make it perfectly. Served with violet mustard and an apricot, parsley, and pickled onion relish on the side, you may just want order the whole loaf and enjoy it with a nice bottle of red they have on the list.

POP Bar à vin: http://www.popbaravin.com/