<a target="_blank" href="https://www.jlbrendel.com/fr/">d’Brendelstub</a>

48 Rue du Général de Gaulle

68340 Riquewihr, France

Tel:&nbsp;+33 3 89-86 54 54&nbsp;

BY IAN D'AGATA | DECEMBER 1, 2017

The
Food:

Traditional Alsace flamed tart (Tarte flambée traditionnelle)

100% duck choucroute (Choucroute 100% canard) 

All you can eat roast honey glazed
pork with potato salad (Jambon d’Alsace
rôti à la broche au miel, servi à volonté)

The
Wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2012
 Jean Claude Buecher Crémant d’Alsace Reflets
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2015
 François Baur Muscat Tradition
 </td>
 <td>
 88
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1998
 Hugel Gewürztraminer Séléction de Grains Nobles
 </td>
 <td>
 93&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1512167435545-2-Traditional+Alsace+flamed+tart.jpg"> Traditional Alsace flamed tart&nbsp;Perhaps
the prettiest of all Alsace villages
fleuris, Riquewihr dates back to 1094 (when it belonged to the Counts of
Horbourg) and carries its age well. Pristinely kept despite the hordes of tourists
that flock to it in the summertime, Riquewihr is a lovely place to go strolling
after a long day spent tasting wine in the region, especially when tourists
aren’t around. The pretty cobblestoned streets, the 16th century wooden beamed
Hansel and Gretel type houses (the windowsills which overflow with flowers),
the storks nesting on rooftops and the quaint shops make for a fairy tale
setting. It is also one of the Alsatian wine route villages that has the
highest concentration of quality local restaurants, plus many great local wines.
The legendary Sporen and Schoenenbourg Grand
Crus are right next-door. Jean-Luc Brendel, the owner of the marvelous <a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/vinous-table-la-table-du-gourmet-alsace-france-nov-2016">La
Table du Gourmet</a> restaurant in Riquewihr, also owns and operates d’Brendelstub,
a much less posh bistro-type eatery located on the main drag, in the upper part
of the charming little town. D’Brendelstub offers a nice mix of tradition and
twenty-first century flair, with modernist lighting and open kitchen, but also
a spit-roast and mostly old Alsatian reliables on the menu (choucroute, tarte flambée, kugelhof, and
foie gras.) <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1512167458526-3-100%25+duck+choucroute.jpg"> 

100% duck&nbsp;choucroute&nbsp; The
food is simple and generously portioned. My tarte
flambée (a thinly rolled dough cooked in an oven very much like a pizza)
was covered with crème fraiche and lardons and was crispy, flavorful, very
light and warm. I ate mine so fast that I immediately ordered another, grinning
at the thought that my girlfriend was nowhere in sight! The choucroute (an Alsatian staple) featured
a duck extravaganza, with a perfectly cooked, moist thigh, duck sausages and
smoked duck meat in one heavenly combination. The slow cooked ham was just as
hearty and flavorful. There are undoubtedly more classic, even more authentic,
winestubs in Alsace than d’Brendelstub, but this place does Alsatian comfort
food well, and will leave you feeling both happy and satiated. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1512167478209-4-Roast+pork+ham+with+honey+glaze+and+potato+salad.jpg"> 

All you can eat roast honey glazed pork with potato saladThe
wine list offers a good selection that is better than that of most places of
this ilk, with a section devoted to older vintages and foreign wines that is
very tempting. On this night I stuck with Alsace wines, that have been my love
for thirty years now and of which I can never get enough. The 2012 Jean Claude
Buecher Crémant d’Alsace Reflets is one
of the better Crémants I have tasted recently: soft and apricot-ty, but with
more depth and better balance than most of those I have tried. Not quite as
complex as some of the region’s best, but very enjoyable and perfect to start
off any dinner with. I especially liked that it finished juicy and clean, and made
me ready to start eating away. The 2015
François Baur Muscat Tradition was a simple, bright and crisp Muscat that
handled the tarte flambée admirably
(though a plate of oysters would have done just as well!). Last but certainly
not least, the 1998 Hugel Gewürztraminer
Séléction de Grains Nobles was very ripe and smoky; a really luscious
mouthful of wine that though not exactly the last world in finesse, was simply
irresistible in its generosity and ripe, candied tropical fruit opulence. It’s
the sort of wine that makes Gewürz lovers swoon, and I must say, I really loved
it too. You know, sometimes, and especially after a long day of tasting, it
just feels so good to kick back, relax and just have fun with wine…nuances be
damned. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1512167287076-5-the+wines.jpg">

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