Is it the only one unanimously accepted as such ?
The only “three stars” place that can take you away and shatter you.
Basically, the joint work of Cathy and Jean-Georges Klein, their curiosity, pugnacity, love of cooking, and more, customers often complicit with whom we love to share our emotions. When I return home, throughout the seasons, it’s to let it be, enchant, seduce with unfolding warmth.
They are self-taught brother and sister who went to see what was happening elsewhere, and brought ideas from everywhere, to build their own style. Cathy tells she ensures the house is surrounded by young and efficient service with a smile. Jean-Georges works on seasonal products, rebuilds, re-imagines the textures, scents, flavors, emotions.
A tasty meal at their place ? A symphony bursting with sparks. First, there were “tasty appetizers”: Alsatian dampnüdle small steam blown bread rolls with salmon and fennel, Cardinal cocktail as a drink with the same name, but in texture (cherry gel, Pinot Noir sorbet, blackcurrant mousse), crunchy parmesan (potato slices with fried lyophilized parmesan), mini veggie burger (made from watermelon, fresh ketchup, pickle, tomato slice, red onion), almonds, in cream coated with sugar, Gillardeau oyster with bitter orange gel, kumquat mousse, lemon sorbet.
Then we start with the serious stuff. And this tomato based shattering variation, so complex, so tasty with the basil cream dish, gnocchi with mozzarella, yellow tomato pomace, Datterino tomato water, shizo and basil cream, lemon gel, borage flowers and thyme, plus the yogurt mousse, olive oil, green tomato sorbet, quivering grapefruit jelly, and even the cornet de tomato with green asparagus, yellow squash, black tomato slice à la vinaigrette, shaved Jabugo ham, diced melon, white cheese. Madness. But so beautifully tasty. Where the flavor of the tomato explodes in ten different ways.
After that, there is the “Isfahan foie gras sweet kisses,” a tribute to Pierre Hermé who designed the Litchie/pink mixture, or to Barcelona Escriba chocolate maker who loves red mouth shaped gourmet chocolate with a candy-like delicate pink accented pretty and tasty foie gras mousse. Then the elderberry blue lobster with nasturtium sweet peas, its coconut milk essence and Yuzu gel.
And that amazing “bar à la plancha” cooked skinless, flanked with angelica infusion oil, and especially that corn ear texture (yes, the corn reconstructed to its original form and its powerful and seductive taste with a pinch of cream).
Did I skip any ? And there are the barbecue-picnic vegetables, crowning a “perfect” sublime egg (yellow and white, evenly cooked and with the same consistency) in a perforated plate sprinkled with oxalis. Finally, the famous tender and fatty Wagyu beef, and Kobé (at 9 degree ; 10 being the maximum), with Pont Neuf polenta fries, fine Choron, and black garlic. And yet, this wonderful truffle potato cappuccino created right here a long time ago, but which you can never get tired of, where the strong black diamond scent is highlighted by that hint of potato aroma.
The last part delves on desserts, light as air (apricot vacherin and meadowsweet, sherry jelly, poached cherries, nutty biscuit, elderflower, sorbet, or even the tomato soufflée, confit yuzu and thyme ice cream). Without omitting a nod to a book of great wines, presented with knowledge and awareness by a wine keeper formerly passed to Buerehiesel where Alsace (Dirler Muscat, Pinot Gris Faller, Trimbach gewurz vt) is on a par with the best of Burgundy (Ah ! The 2002 Jarollières Pommard of the Pousse d’Or domain!). And let’s not forget ultimately to congratulate the surroundings of the sober, blond, sweet, woody Relais & Châteaux, with its large windows looking over the outside of the forest.
A large house, of course. The best of the world ?
Source : Gilles Pudlowski
L’Arnsbourg
18 Untermuhlthal
57230 Baerenthal
Tel. 0033 (0)3 87 06 50 85
Website: www.arnsbourg.com
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