If the only Alsatian dishes you can think of are sauerkraut, sauerkraut and... sauerkraut, then Elsass, freshly arrived on the Parisian scene two blocks from the Canal Saint-Martin, is the perfect restaurant to put an end to those preconceived notions.
Alsatian cuisine isn't just about sauerkraut, as appetizing and comforting as that dish is, or flammekueche, baeckeoffe and knack. Under the guidance of Guillaume Keusch at the head ofElsass, it can even take on a more bistronomic appearance.
With the help of sommelier Caroline Furtoss, this native Alsatian has built his address around wine, the heart of the restaurant. She has designed a wine list that ranges from conventional to organic vintages, from biodynamic bottles to natural pifs, and is unrestricted in its choice of estates and appellations.
Of course, the wine list focuses on dry and semi-dry white wines, such as the classic Riesling and Pinot Gris, as well as the sweet and syrupy wines for which the region is famous, led by Gewurztraminer. But it also offers the chance to discover lesser-known cuvées and delicate eaux-de-vie to round off the meal, such as this pretty Framboise from Marcel Windholtz.
Each month, Elsass even invites a different Alsatian winemaker into its walls and creates a bespoke menu to illustrate his or her vintages - rather than the other way round, as with more traditional food and wine pairings. Here, the wine sets the tone, not the other way around. A contemporary vision that gives wine the king's place, and the queen's to an equally modern cuisine, freed from the sometimes cheesy clichés of the genre.
Chef Stéphane Capet, who worked for the Ducasse Group for many years, relies on the region's finest produce, sourced from trusted small-scale producers and artisans, and magnifies it in recipes (very) freely inspired by traditional Alsatian cuisine, with a bistronomic twist.
The velouté de potimarron à la bière brune (13€) is adorned with a royale of munster cheese and gingerbread croutons; the poitrine de cochon confite (25€) rests on a bed of red cabbage stewed in rice vinegar; the filet de canette (33€), sauce dolce, is surrounded by the finest seasonal vegetables ; with the occasional bistro incursion, such as the surprising (and very generous) marrow bone topped with a beef tartare (20€, plus a good handful of pommes paille), or the masterful chocolate soufflé (15€).
But if there's one dessert you won't want to miss, it's the kouglof perdu (€14), with pear sorbet and mulled wine-style Riesling coulis. Devilish.
For purists of tradition, the restaurant still offers one evening a month a local dish prepared according to the rules of the art, starting with sauerkraut on February 29. From the amuse-bouche (a tarte flambée-style gougère) to the finishing touch (a bredele to munch on on the way home), Elsass sounds like a little piece of Alsace in Paris.
This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.
Location
Elsass
153 Avenue Parmentier
75010 Paris 10
Official website
restaurant-elsass.com
