So, I tell my better half that I want to try this Alsatian bar that I pass by to get to my most frequent parking station for my Vélib (that’s free French bike for those not in the know). It’s never open in the mornings but I’ve seen it as it opens up, looking bright but with cosy decoration, both modern and homey, as if you’re hanging around in a friend’s kitchen, but one that is new and stylish. I tell him it’s a pizza restaurant, based on an image I saw on the web.
But I’m completely wrong. L’Alsacien specialises in flammekueche, a specialty of the Alsace region, also known as a Tarte flambée. It does have a passing resemblance to a pizza, but is a bread dough rolled out very thinly, and then covered not with a tomato base but with crème fraiche and other toppings. Wikipedia tells me the dish was only made at home until the 1960s when pizzas became popular, and it moved into restaurants (there seem to be a few in Paris from Alsace) and now L’Alsacien says they are the first flammekueche bar.
I thought it was absolutely sensational. Crisp, hot, savoury and delicious. I love discovering new dishes! The service, by the way, was nice as can be.
L’Alsacien
Paris 75004
www.alsacien.com
