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The “Captain” of La WantzenauDiscovering a gastronomic masterpiece in the Alsatian lowlands of FranceBy Donald James DunnWhen I was first advised that I should travel to the Alsace area of France to review the cuisine at an old inn situated in “La Wantzenau”, I scratched my head and said “Where?” I had been to Strasbourg many years before but had never heard of this small town. Finally locating it on some enlarged maps of the area, I made my notes on how to drive there once I got to Europe.
Described as a “rather wild” youth, Jérôme has always loved Nature and at an early age started to exhibit his great interest in things culinary when he was “banned” from his mother’s kitchen because he would constantly stick his nose and fingers into the dishes being prepared. To circumvent this ban, he inveigled his mother into letting him be her kitchen-helper and ”sous-chef”. At age 14, Jérôme entered into an apprenticeship as a cook at the “Restaurant de Contades” in Strasbourg and never looked back. Although he has worked abroad for brief periods of time, the serene and bucolic landscapes of his youth, and his desire to be independent, beckoned him home. In 1976, Jérôme jumped at the opportunity to become the chef at “Le Relais” and in 1985 he was able to acquire the property as well as the business for his very own. Under his aegis, the restaurant was already gaining in fame and renown – now it was time to renovate the Inn and build it into a unique little hotel for the connoisseur. And build Jérôme did! Each of the 19 rooms at the Inn is wholly unique and different in character. Impeccable taste, style and flair are visible everywhere. Every nook and cranny in the gabled and angular house is used productively – a clothes cupboard built in under this gable and a bathtub angled into that corner so that it is illuminated and aired by a natural skylight. To save on wasted space, some interior doors slide, Japanese-style. Modernity and elegant fittings are carefully counterbalanced with the rustic original wooden beams and antique pieces of furniture at every turn. My room reminded me of this wonderful little pied-à-terre I once had in the Latin Quarter of Paris... but that’s another story. Suffice it say that I felt totally comfortable and at home in my lodgings at the Inn! I asked Jérôme where he got his ideas and inspiration for the design of the rooms. He replied, “I am like the captain of a ship. On a ship, there can be no wasted space, everything must fit and work, facility must be balanced with comfort, and discipline must be exercised in the design and operation.“ In the early 1990s, “Le Relais de la Poste” became a member of the Romantik Hotels & Restaurants chain.
Every meal is preceded with a large variety of small appetizers chosen according to season and whim. Meant to surprise and stimulate the appetite of the diner, they are like miniature fireworks, like explosions of taste, each quite separate yet with a subtle hint of connection to each other. A “morabito” with strips of fresh mint might lead into a pan-fried goose liver served on peeled white grapes, followed by a tartare of crabmeat topped with a caviar crême which leads into a carpaccio of langoustine and ends with a râble de lapin (saddle of rabbit) stuffed with foie gras, pear chutney and ginger. A sorbet de pamplemousse cleans the palate and prepares you for the next course. As I am partial to seafood and as seafood dishes are a specialty of the house (among many other dishes), Jérôme insisted on preparing for me a dorade d’or royale (gilthead sea bream), baked in a thick crust of sea salt and served with a crême de buerre, artichokes, peas, ratatouille and a risotto. The fish was so tender it literally melted in my mouth and the butter sauce so delectable, I asked Jérôme for the recipe. Followed by a dessert of fromage blanc “lozenges” set between sheets of millefeuille accompanied by a rhubarb and banana sorbet, and, washed down with a splendid 1999 Château d’Yquem sauterne, I was in culinary heaven! Jérôme’s passion, impeccable style and attention to detail suffuse the ambience of this Alsatian gem and will make any visit here a memorable one. His staff, M. Davy, Hervé, Manuel, Véronique, Gabrielle, Nelle, daughter Corinne and the rest echo the “Captain’s” delightful hospitality and make you feel very welcome. I felt totally at ease here and could have stayed a week, a month or a year. Reference: All pictures = copyright Donald James Dunn |
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And what a wonderful place it turned out to be! Situated
“far from the madding crowd”, yet close enough to Strasbourg and to the German
border for easy access, La Wantzenau is a sleepy little Alsatian town with
whitewashed, gabled and wood-beamed houses. Surrounded by fields, marshes and
woods, it is also a paradise for lovers of Nature. And near the centre of town
stands this beautifully restored old house dating back to the mid-1700s. This is
the “Relais de la Poste”, already an inn during the darkest hours of the French
Revolution (not a postal relay station as its name might imply) and today home
to the world-class cuisine and gastronomic delights of Monsieur Jérôme Daull,
owner, innkeeper and chef extraordinaire.
With culinary awards from Michelin and Gault Millau among
many others, the cuisine in this fine Inn is nothing short of sensational.
Besides greeting every guest personally and overseeing the operation of the
whole Inn, Jérôme is in the kitchen for many hours daily, indulging in his first
passion of creating gastronomic masterpieces along with his master chef Arnaud
and the rest of his staff. His great love of everything fresh and natural is
evident from the poissons caught daily in local streams to the herbs and
vegetables grown in and gathered from his own gardens adjacent to his private
residence across the street from the Inn.