On Saturday afternoon, Bill went out and bought wine. I didn’t go with him because frankly, the gloomy weather makes me want to hibernate. I had already slipped into my nightgown by the time he wanted to go. I also wanted to do some writing. So he went into town and bought twelve bottles of local wines from vintners in Ribeauville. He got to taste the wines before he purchased them and both wine sellers spoke English and told him about the wines he was buying. In retrospect, I really should have gone with him. If and when we go back to Ribeauville, I will have to hold off getting into my jammies until we’ve bought some wine.
Sunday morning, we had a nice breakfast of locally made croissants. There are two bakeries very close to the apartment where we were staying. One is also a chocolatier, although we didn’t come home with any chocolates this time. One of the bakeries was also selling a locally popular cake that looked like a small bundt cake. I wanted Bill to get one to bring home with us today, but they didn’t have any ready when he went to the bakery this morning.
On Sunday, we basically did the same thing we did Saturday. At about lunchtime, we ventured out for a meal. Only a few places were open, since it’s vacation time. We ended up eating at Caveau de l’Ami Fritz, which was very close to our apartment. I noticed it smelled good, which is always a good sign.
I read in Trip Advisor that this restaurant is typically very busy, even though it’s is relatively low ranked. When we arrived, there were several tables open. I was enchanted by the interior, which is like a wine cellar. There’s a large fireplace in the front of the restaurant and it’s very attractively lit. Our waitress spoke slightly more English than the one at Chez Martine did, which I found helpful. The menu also had translations in German and English.
We ordered another local wine, one that was made by one of the vintners Bill bought from on Saturday, but not one he had purchased. I settled on roasted chicken with fries and salad. Bill had veal with mushroom sauce.
Bill checks out the wines…
and settles on this very pleasant local wine with essences of honey.
The menu had warned the roasted chicken would take 25 minutes. It was not a big deal at all, although I hadn’t been expecting a game hen! This was a delightful change of pace. Nice, simple, perfectly cooked chicken that wasn’t too dry. A small salad with a light, creamy, and savory dressing. The fries were pretty standard issue, but good.
Bill loved the veal and mushrooms, two foods I don’t do… His dish came with fries and salad. I noticed he ate the whole thing with gusto and even mopped up the gravy on his plate!
I saved room for profiteroles… We really should have shared this. It was basically vanilla ice cream sandwiched between eggy pastry that wasn’t at all sweet. Warm chocolate sauce and whipped cream rounded out this magnificent creation. I almost went with chocolate mousse, which would have probably been slightly less huge.
Bill had a piece of the tart of the day, which yesterday was blueberry. It was very good… not too big, not too sweet, and just the right thing after veal.
I stole a shot of the back of the dining room. You’d have to see it to appreciate it. It’s very cozy and unique. I have eaten in other retired wine cellars and am always delighted by them.
Bill waits for the bill. It was about 70 euros and our waitress offered to let us pay with a card. We used cash instead. In case anyone is interested, this restaurant is dog friendly. We didn’t bring ours with us, though. The manager smiled at me when I made it clear that I enjoyed the meal.
The outside.
And yesterday’s specials.
I see that this particular restaurant isn’t that high ranking according to TripAdvisor, but we liked it and would visit again. It’s hard to have a bad meal in France.