Problèmes de Riches
Alsace nouveau, Alsace toujours
It’s choucroute, except it’s with sandres, which is clumsily translated as perch on the English menu at Au Relais des Ménétriers. We are in Ribeauvillé, one of Alsace’s prettier medieval towns. Sandres is a French fresh water river fish. It’s as white as ivory and more about texture than taste. That’s fine because on top of the blanket of cream under which it lies is a pile of rubbled foraged cêpes (aka porcini) mushrooms. And the bed on which it lies is a gentle stew of just a little sour cabbage; choucroute.
This dish would rank as one the best things I have eaten lately (ever) except the snails in garlic and parsley butter we had first nearly brought me to tears.
A few days in Alsace and I am not really sure of anything except anticipating the next meal, and the wines with it. In this case, a glass each of the 2018 Trimbach Riesling Reserve and the 2020 Trimbach Pinot Blanc Reserve Personelle. Deciding which is a better pairing with the fish is what I have learned French speakers call a problème de riches.
