After our lovely lunch at Maison Kammerzell, we drove to our hotel in the picturesque village of Ribeauville. The hotel is situated on a hilltop overlooking the area's wineyards, every morning we woke up to gorgeous views. We spent far too many hours in their indoor pool and jacuzzi area, and nearly missed our dinner appointment.
Alsace is a beautiful region, and we visited quite a few more picturesque villages and towns, but Kaysersberg would be in my memory the longest, because we had not one, but two wonderful meals there. Here is the first.
It was dusk when we first saw Kaysersberg. The buildings had none of the extravagant sculptural follies that we see a lot of in Paris, but are quite charming and pretty.Still, when I saw the exterior of Le Moreote, I had to suppress some giggles. Bunnies on window sills and painted figurines were the last thing I expected to see near a serious restaurant but it turned out that this is typical of the region.
The restaurant is not big, just enough covers for about 20 people. White tablecloth and modern flatware settle somewhat comfortably with the dated 80's decor, it felt like we were in somebody's converted living room. The lady of the house managed the front efficiently, the husband cooks. Thankfully the food was very agreeable, starting with amuse bouches of tomato gazpachos and mini flammekueches- local flatbreads topped with lardons, onions and cheese. We were to eat flammekueches a couple more times during the trip, mostly tasty if a bit too rich, these were especially light and delicious.
Asparagus was in season, so I had to have some. Very good, I'm not sure that we needed foie gras with white asparagus but we were on vacation after all. Husband's starter was a little cocotte nestling four little raviolis stuffed with snails and creamy foie gras, also very yummy. A bottle of Domaine Weinbach riesling grand cru 2007 was the perfect pairing.
My main course of fillet of lamb with sweetbreads and polenta was a surprise. I love lamb in springtime, and this was perfectly cooked, the sweetbreads looked a little overdone but were not, the meats hardly needing the lovely glazed sauce with its peppy fruit finish. The couscous was delicious too, mildly spiced in a style I am sure is not Alsacien but definitely complementing the lamb. V, lamb lover herself, enjoyed sharing this dish with me, as in she ate most of the lamb and I had to be content with the couscous.
Husband enjoyed too his scallops and polenta cakes served in a laksa-like gravy. The polenta cakes were surprisingly adaptable to the creamy and mildly spicy sauce.
We were too full for desserts, but were very pleased with our meal. This is a restaurant with a heart, we could really taste the passion and enthusiasm in each dish. The decor might be a little provincial, but the cooking was clearly in the major league.
Le Moreote
12, rue du General Rieder, Kaysersberg
T: 03 89473908
