Culinary Pirouettes at Cafe D'Alsace

What is the most important part of a dining experience? Is it the flavors? The presentation? The setting? The service? The company? Well, I consulted my inner dine-o-meter but this proved to be far too difficult a question and it crashed. I suppose all these elements help to create that delicate dining balance.

I’m happy to report that each of these categories were more than satisfied when I recently visited Café D’Alsace here on the Upper East Side. Some friends of mine from Nyack had been telling me about this restaurant for months. They are longtime New Yorkers who make yearly trips to Paris to visit family. They know their food so I had every reason to believe their pick would be excellent; it was just a matter of finding time in our respective busy schedules when we could all meet.

So we all rushed to Café D’Alsace last Thursday after work. It’s located on the corner of 88th Street and 2nd Avenue and was opened by Simon Oren of Nice Matin on the Upper West and Marseille in Midtown.

We settled into the cozy front table and grinned. It was 9 pm and the place was full to overflowing. I love the cacophony of silverware and the lilt of merry conversation in New York City restaurants. Though I haven’t been to France (yet!), I imagine that their brasseries, bistros and cafes have a similar hustle and bustle. This space is sparkly and warm. I noticed that the bar behind me was ringed with colorful old seltzer bottles.

My friends explained that Alsace is a region on the eastern-most part of the country, abutting and influenced by Germany. They also informed me that it’s pronounced “alzas” and not “alsatchay” like I was erroneously saying, oops. Indeed, the chef, Philippe Roussel, is dedicated to replicating the dishes of his father’s homeland and giving them a New York twist.

For example, the menu offers some intriguing Specialties D’Alsace with obvious German influences including something called Choucroute Garnie (“dressed sauerkraut”). This has assorted sausages and smoked pork breast over sauerkraut with Reisling, juniper and potatoes. The Baeckeofe is a traditional Alsation casserole of lamb, oxtail, bacon, and potatoes braised in pinot gris with onions and thyme.

Things were going well. They got better when our server, Jamal, swooped in to describe the specials. This wasn’t your everyday here’s-what’s-cookin’-tonight monologue. This was more like a ballet performance: energetic, heartfelt, nuanced. He didn’t look to be wearing tights, but the way he moved his hands while describing the trout special and other selections was so graceful yet masculine, I swear he could give Baryshnikov a run for his money. Let’s just say he made it all sound delicious.

Even though it wasn’t exactly in keeping with the French/Alsatian theme, two of us ordered mojitos. When one of us apologetically mentioned to Jamal that there could be more citrus and more mint, the drink was quickly and pleasantly replaced with a better one. When one of our party ordered a glass of wine, a small taste was proffered, first. And Café D’Alsace has an extensive beer selection – one selection at our table was purportedly from the oldest brewery in the world.

Our hors d’oeuvres arrived and they were all manifique. Of course, I felt it was The Informer’s duty to sample each of them. My fiancé and I shared the Escargots, which came in a vibrant green butter and garlic sauce. Across the table, there were Soft Shell Crabs (one of specials) covered in chopped tomatoes and herbs, and Gnocchi Parisienne with wild mushroom gratinee and gruyere cheese. Most attractive was the Goat Cheese Tatin (pictured) with herbed goat cheese and carmelized onions.

Our entrees were also divine. That trout special Jamal tempted us with was definitely special (pictured). I ordered the Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli with a noilly-prat (vermouth) and leek sauce. Dare I say that the sauce – which was light despite the cream – practically danced on my tongue? A healthy serving of asparagus rendered this dish extremely fresh. Though I did not sample the red meat, my dinner companions reported that the Steak Frites with bone marrow and red wine sauce and Dry Aged NY Strip with bernaise were cooked to perfection. I did sneak a frite and can therefore confirm that they were as good as they looked.

One of our friends ordered a selection of fromage for dessert, which struck me as quite sophisticated. He is a bonafide connoisseur -- it's true, he used to select the cheese for a four-star restaurant in Tribeca. He enjoyed two out of three cheeses very much and the presentation, nestled amid fruit and walnuts on a rustic cutting board, was a nice touch. Whenever I see Crème Brulée on a menu I do not have the strength to resist – this was the case here, and I was not disappointed.

The whole experience at Café D’Alsace was great. The atmosphere was fun, and the service was precise yet easygoing. The night couldn’t have been choreographed better. As far as all that delicious food goes, I think this picture pretty much says it all.

We exchanged farewells with Jamal and vowed to revisit for an encore soon.