Fancy dinner at the Auberge de Cheval Blanc
Trip Start
Apr 30, 2006
1
10
12
Trip End
May 12, 2006
Lembach,
Alsace,
France
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
When Daniel got home we walked to Auberge du Cheval Blanc for a farewell and thank you dinner on us. It is a very nice restaurant-one of the four best in France. It is in an old post stop and has a few rather expensive rooms for rent. We were led into a beautiful dining room with about 10 tables, white linen cloths, and waiters in black suits. After we ordered, they brought us an appetizer (before the appetizers-or entrées in the rest of the world): grape tomatoes stuffed with olive paste (with the tops put back on and the bottom cut so they stood up), and little kebobs consisting of an olive, a roasted tomato slice, and the French version of prosciutto. Then the bread cart arrived-a big cart with baskets of breads and a bread steward, complete with a beret. There was olive and tomato bread, beer bread, nut bread, rye bread, lemon bread, baguettes, mini baguettes, black bread and more we cannot remember. Next they served each of us one fried ball of risotto in tomato sauce. Then came Daniel and Denise's appetizers, pate de foie gras with black truffle in aspic and toast to go with it.
Then the main course. Daniel and Denise were having the prix fixe dinners and chose duck-a huge duck breast, with a white beet, polenta, and more. Everything was arranged very artfully-Carol took pictures of it all. She and I shared the rack of lamb with polenta, a whole carrot, and roasted garlic (and salad). More bread. Carol and Daniel shared a half-bottle of Alsatian red wine. Dessert was included for Daniel and Denise. Denise had three sherbets on cake base with "sails" of white chocolate, and a rhubarb and strawberry compote. Daniel had the rhubarb feast-ice cream (glace), a slice of rhubarb, a tiny rhubarb souffle, and a dessert glass with rhubarb wine and whipped cream. Carol had the chocolate platter: caramel ice cream, slightly salted, with blanched almonds on top; thin chocolate cookies with a mousse-like cream of dark chocolate in between, and chocolate and caramel in a dessert glass with whipped cream and chocolate ribbons on top. I asked for one scoop of vanilla ice cream. I got one scoop of very rich, real vanilla ice cream, with white chocolate sails, and chopped nuts. Wonderful. We thought we were through, but we were wrong. They brought out little dessert glasses with passion fruit, a very light custard, and whipped cream. But they still weren't through, The final course was chocolate truffles, white chocolate, and a spoonful of rhubarb cream. The dinner took about 3 hours and cost €220 (US$280), but it was an experience and well worth it. And it was a poor thanks to Daniel and Denise for providing us with room and (wonderful) board for 10 days, plus serving as tour guides, and for all the translation and genealogical work Daniel has done for complete strangers-who now feel like family.
We all waddled back to the house. I took a nap and Carol and Daniel worked on translating some old documents. Daniel's sister and brother-in-law arrived in their camper-they're on their way from northern France to Greece for vacation. They had dinner and stayed the night.
