Weekend Update: Trip to Strasbourg

Strasbourg

We had beautiful weather on Saturday-- sunny, clear, in the low 70º'sF/20º'sC-- so it was a great day to take a day trip to the historical border-city of Strasbourg. It was our first trip out of town where we actually had NICE weather!

What a great city… We stuck to the historical parts of town, which like many smallish, old European cities have designated pedestrian areas. Strasbourg's is pretty large and spreads out from the Cathédrale de Notre Dame.

potato spätzle at La Corde

Since the city borders Germany, there are a lot of similarities in architecture and cuisine, but there's a different vibe in France that I can't really put my finger on. There are things that are becoming increasingly obvious though, like the French dress differently than Germans (more stylish), and other things that might just be my own slanted observations, like the French seem more polite than Germans--they make eye contact, and won't just plow ahead into you in a crowded area, they say "pardon," etc. Maybe it's because I'm more familiar with the language that I feel more at home in France as well, even though I really do like where we live now in Germany.

Anyway, back to the trip... We sampled some traditional food and wine from the region Alsace, including tart flambée, spätzle and rosé wine. Tarte flambée is sort of like a flat bread pizza without tomato sauce. It has a thin crust and is topped with cream cheese (or a mild, soft cheese), onions and a variety of vegetables and meats. I had one with onions and bacon. They bring it out on a wood board and it looks like a huge amount of food, but it's a manageable amount for one person since the crust and cheese are so light.

Spätzle is also popular in Germany. It's a type of noodle made with eggs, flour and salt. I had some for the first time in Metz, France (also near the German border) and it was almost inedible--greasy yet bland. I decided to give it another try, because this particular restaurant seemed like a good-quality place, and I'm so glad I did. The restaurant, La Corde á Linge, in the Petite France neighborhood was so nice, I can't wait to go back. Their potato spätzle with tomato sauce was amazing. I thought it would be similar to gnocchi but it was lighter and had a slightly different texture. Now I can't stop thinking about it-- I might have to try making this at home.

The dining experience in Strasbourg was great, the service was pretty fast and the servers were very friendly. Restaurant service in Germany I've experienced so far is quite slow and it's common for them to bring out orders one by one, rather than have everyone's at the table ready and served at the same time.

We stopped by the French bakery chain, Paul Bakery, for some dessert to take home-- a praline eclair = delicious.