026: Maple Suggests Tarte Flambée, etc.
A list inspired by Colmar
~ I'm Maple, I’m currently in Lucerne, Switzerland, I work in video, I like to write, and this is a weekly deal where my friends and I suggest all kinds of things you should try. ~
Good morning from Switzerland. I’m on a kind of Christmas cheer tour of Europe 🫠 so I apologize for being a day late in sending MS this week, but hopefully everyone’s too distracted by their own holiday fun to have noticed…
I spent the last few days in Colmar, France. It’s a city near the German and Swiss borders in the Alsace region with a fascinating/ dizzying history of flip-flopping between being part of France and being part of Germany, and as a result of it being a bargaining chip during bouts of wartime, the solidarity from its people is palpable. Colmar’s also the birthplace of the prolific sculptor Auguste Bartholdi — best known in America as the mastermind behind the Statue of Liberty. Visiting the Bartholdi museum and reading the history of getting that statue erected was a highlight, absolutely. I guess that’s technically another rec for this week?
In any case, here are the official ones!
1. Restaurant Gerardin at Maison de Têtes. Michelin-starred in 2020, each of the seven courses was simply art — and you should not skip the wine pairing. I will admit the ambiance left something to be desired (lights up, white walls, no candles… the website describes it as “a setting of absolute purity” lol) and I was hugely skeptical of the because of that, but the food, the wine… it was all simply unreal. The chef even accommodated me by swapping the main dish of deer back for local fish.
Bring someone (or a group) whose company you can enjoy for about four hours and relish every second. This is definitely top five meals of my life — though still, in terms of single dishes, nothing has ever beaten the simple tomato from Kajitsu.
2. Crèpe sucre cannelle. A cinnamon sugar crèpe. What have we been doing putting all these hearty fillings in crèpes?? A light dusting of cinnamon sugar is just sweet enough and allows for the flavor of the crèpe itself to shine. You may ask: isn’t that just sweet dough, then? Yes. Yes it is.
3. La belle-iloise. A storefront in Colmar I stopped in my tracks for. It’s basically just different varieties of tinned fish in cute packaging. I’m such a sucker for branding, it’s embarrassing.
4. Tarte Flambée. I get the vibe a French person would never agree to call this a kind of pizza… so I won’t call it that. 🙃 But, it’s a round, crispy flatbread with a layer of fromage blanc, crème fraiche, and whatever topping you like. It’s everywhere in Alsace and is such good bar food.
I split one while watching France win their semi-final match against Morocco, which was an entirely magical experience unto itself: the snow was falling, the Christmas beer was flowing, the bar was full of fans and twinkling lights and pine. When France won, the place erupted and hugs were squeezed and fireworks exploded outside. It was an experience I won’t easily forget, which brings me to recommend:
5. Visiting Colmar during the holidays. Just look at this place! It’s a fairy tale. Vin chaud, Christmas markets, music in the air, etc. Add it to the list.
Until next time,
Mapes