Chez Yvonne, Strassbourg

Foie Gras with Mango
Interior of Chez Yvonne
Jambonneau (Pork Knuckle)
Sauerkraut, in the original French

I only had an afternoon and evening in Strasbourg, but it was enough to see that this was clearly my kind of town. A jog along the canals advertised straight away that this was a place that takes its eating, and its drinking, seriously. Surprisingly stately buildings such as the European Parliament overlooked canal-side cafes where urbanites sipped their regional wines in slung-back folding lounge chairs and watched the odd boat go by. Jogging was slow, because I had to stop by the window of more than a few chacurterie storefronts.

Alsace has the most Michelin stars of any French region, yet I spared my father the shame of eating anything resembling "luxury food", and so for dinner we followed a recommendation of the unerringly spot-on New York Times travel section. It led us to a restaurant in the very tastefully preserved central old town -- Chez Yvonne, an old-school (since 1873) winestub (meaning Wine Stub), which gave no nods to modernity in its decor, but has kept its food just current enough. I started with a Foie Gras, apparently was invented in Alsace, which was served with a mango relish and vinaigrette that really brought out the sweetness and allowed me to enjoy the richness but to forget that I was eating Goose Offal.

My dad had as his main a traditional sauerkraut dish, which, I'm told, was also invented in Alsace, where its known as choucroute. It came heaped on a plate, surrounded by some unappetizing but authentic looking boiled meats. My main course was a jambonneau, a braised pork knuckle simply braised and served in its own sauce along a simple side of tasty fried potatoes.

I don't tend to cook too much European food because to make it taste good it has be fussy -- most dishes are all about timing and skilfulness, which have never been my strengths in the kitchen. When I do European food, its usually braises in which the central meat stands up for itself against a simple backdrop of the sauce made by the cooking liquid, and usually a simple side. I usually use lamb, since it so flavourful and delicious, I think the jambonneau pork knuckle has similar character. Luxembourg's judd mat Gaardebounen, a pork's neck dish, has similar character. Just a bit of food for thought for food.