Eating and Drinking Well in Alsace-Lorraine

Bountiful is the watchword of this region where lush vineyards flourish, rustic winstubs serve heaping platters of choucroute garnie (sauerkraut, meat, and potatoes), and restaurants boast more Michelin stars than anywhere else in France.

A visit to the proud region of Alsace promises sensory overload: gorgeous vistas, antique walled towns, satisfying meals—from farm-style to richly gastronomic—and, most notably, superb wines to discover. The predominantly white varietals, such as Riesling and Pinot Gris, complement the region's rich and varied traditional cooking. It's not for nouvelle-style cooking or fusion dishes that you come to Alsace: tradition is king here, and copious is an understatement. When it comes to rustic regional fare, you have hearty stews, custardy quiches, sauerkraut platters, and the thin-crusted onion tarts known as Flammekeuche. Also to be savored are some of the best restaurants in France, including the noble, romantic Auberge de L'Ill in Illhausern, where a salmon mousse with a Riesling reduction might catch your fancy.

Follow the Wines

Alsace is one of France's most important but least-known wine-producing regions, where vintners designate wines by varietals, not by town or château. Look for distinctive whites, like full-bodied Pinot Gris; fruity Sylvaner; citrusy Riesling; and spicy Gewürztraminer. In reds, Pinot Noir stands alone. Top producers include Hugel et Fils, Riquewihr; F.E. Trimbach, Ribeauvillé; and Léon Beyer, Eguisheim.

Kougelhopf

This tall, fluted, crown-shape cake, dusted with sugar and studded with raisins and almonds, beckons invitingly from every pastry-shop window in the region. You won't resist.

The delicately sweet, yeast-based dough is kneaded and proofed, baked in a Bundt-style mold, and traditionally served, sometimes sprinkled with kirsch, at Sunday breakfast.

Locals say it's even better on the second day, when it achieves a perfect, slightly dry texture.

Choucroute Garnie

Daunting in its copious generosity, a heaping platter of choucroute garnie, laden with fermented sauerkraut, smoked bacon, ham, pork shoulder, sausages and potatoes, is the signature dish of the region.

The best places serving it, usually winstubs such as the atmospheric Wistub Zum Pfifferhus in Ribeauvillé (03-89-73-62-28), are worth a detour.

You've never had sauerkraut like this, tender and delicate, dotted with juniper berries and often cooked with a splash of Riesling or Sylvaner white wine. Savor your choucroute with the region's own sweet white mustard.

Foie Gras

The production sure ain't pretty, but the product is sublime—satiny, opulent goose foie gras. Many gastronomes believe that Alsace produces the best in the world.

The meltingly tender fattened livers of plump Alsatian geese are prepared in a number of luscious ways: wrapped in a towel and gently poached—the classic à la torchon method; pan-fried and served on a slice of toasted gingerbread; wrapped in puff pastry and baked; then pressed into terrines and pâtés.

Baeckeoffe

You can't get much heartier or homier than this baked casserole of pork, lamb, and beef marinated in white wine and slow-cooked in a terra-cotta pot with potatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs.

The name—pronounced "bake-eh oaf-eh"—means "baker's oven" in the Germanic Alsatian dialect.

It was so named because this was a dish traditionally assembled at home, then carried to the local baker to cook in his hot ovens.

It's a soul-warming dish for a chilly evening.