The historic building alone would have been worth a special trip in a city filled with art treasures and historic buildings. Attending a musical performance of La Cenerentola there was a memorable experience worth repeating. It seemed that much extra special because the venue hosted more ballets than operas on an annual basis. There were nine ballets and six operas in the 2012 to 2013 season and fourteen ballets and six operas were planned for the following year.
We liked this restaurant’s intimate casual style, retro modern décor, and complex, unique and adventurous cuisine. Well presented dishes were accompanied by a small amount of table side showmanship.
The ambiance was reminiscent of dining at the home of an acquaintance who happened to be a gourmet food lover. Each course was a mini world unto itself.
The employee wearing a rubber apron and processing shellfish at the entrance and the bistro style ground floor dining area belied the refined ambiance we found once we climbed a narrow staircase to the first floor of Rech, long known for its seafood in a city preoccupied with eatable treasures from the seas. As the first to arrive for lunch we were thrilled to have the dining room to ourselves for a few minutes until the next guests appeared.
Over time this restaurant in a wonderful location a step off of the ultra famous Champs Elysees has made loyal fans out of us. A beautiful dining room with an elegant meal service, quiet interior, and attentive and detail oriented service matched the superlative meals prepared by Chef Christian Le Squer. Over the years his Brittany influenced culinary style has remained light, innovative, refined, flavorful and satisfying.
Every time we have dined there we have had an enjoyable experience. We return because of the restaurant’s reliable, expertly prepared, pretty and well served meals.
It all began some 40 years ago when a talented chef with a vision and an eye for a privileged location rented the first floor of a medieval building with a terrace overlooking the River Lauch in Colmar. Before long people were queuing to enjoy Gilbert Bomo’s jambon à la broche (ham roasted on a spit) and other Alsatian specialties. Fast-forward to the present. In the intervening years, Chef Bomo acquired the gorgeous ancient building on the riverbank, then the three adjoining ones, and gradually turned them into a multi-starred boutique hotel. But the restaurant retained pride of place, by now occupying the entire rear of the property’s first floor. L’Echevin (French for high-ranking medieval magistrate) was born. There, it welcomes guests who now come from far and wide to experience what has evolved into an award-wining menu of imaginative gastronomic offerings based on traditional Alsatian specialties; and to enjoy the romantic candlelit atmosphere of the riverside dining room.
Le Jardin des Violettes had it all: a secluded yet easily accessible bucolic setting, an inviting dining room, and the ultimate trump card, an outstanding young chef. Located within the Romantik Hotel and Spa Les Violettes at the edge the lush forested foothills of the Vosges Mountains, the restaurant overlooked the farmland of Alsace’s famed Route des Vins . Its spacious dining room was lined with broad picture windows and French doors that gave the room an airy atmosphere and let in the tranquil country vistas. In season, it opened onto a terrace and lawns that provided a lovely stage for al fresco dining. However, I especially enjoyed the room at night when the indirect lighting subdued by crimson silk shades bathed the space in a faint rosy glow. It enhanced the formal table settings and provided just the right touch of romance to showcase the exceptional cuisine of Chef Jérôme Jaeglé
