Auberge de l’Ill

2 rue de Collonges au Mont D’Or

68970 Illhaeusern, France

Tel. +33 3 89 71 89 00

The dishes

Back of salmon marinated in Miso paste, cucumber gel and oscietra cavaiar (Le dos de saumon mariné à la pâte miso, gel de concombre et caviar osciètre)

Salmon soufflé “Auberge de l’Ill”(Le saumon soufflé “Auberge de l’Ill”)

Frog mousse “Paul Haeberlin”(La mousseline de grenouilles “Paul Haeberlin”)

Pigeon tournedos with foie gras, cabbage and truffles (Le tournedos de pigeon au foie gras, chou et truffes)

Roasted rack of Allaiton d’Aveyron lamb, candied carrots in a Pretzel crust (Carré d’agneau “Allaiton d’Aveyron”, carottes confites en croute de bretzel)

The “Cherry Gaby” flambéed crêpes, stuffed with griottines (Les crêpes flambées “Cherry Gaby”, fourrées aux griottines)

Readers who know me are well aware that whenever I am in Alsace (which is happily often) I never miss an opportunity to dine at the wonderful Auberge de l’Ill restaurant in Illhaeusern. Not far removed from the region’s pretty wine route and all its grand cru vineyards, Illhaeusern takes its name from the pretty Ill River that slowly meanders through town and on the banks of which is located the Auberge, one of France’s most famous restaurants. In fact, Auberge de l’Ill was, until recently, the second-longest tenured three Michelin star restaurant in France (second only to Paul Bocuse’s iconic establishment in the number of consecutive years it was awarded the coveted triple macaron). No matter what the guide says, the Auberge de l’Ill is still one of the world’s greatest restaurants: the wine list is outstanding, the service impeccable, the décor spot on (and the outside patio where to start the dinner off with an aperitif is so beautiful you’ll feel like someone dropped you right onto a canvas painted by Corot or Constable) and the food solidly prepared and satisfying. True, the menu doesn’t change much and when new dishes have been introduced over the years they haven’t always hit the high notes of the old reliables; but after all, the Auberge de l’Ill is a place you go to not to reinvent the culinary wheel, but to tuck into some of the most luxurious classic French cuisine creations at quality levels rarely reached by anyone in France (or elsewhere) nowadays. Typically, most of the Auberge de l’Ill’s regular diners hardly even need to gaze at the menu anymore, for they come here already knowing what they are going to eat. I know that’s my case: I can recite you by heart the exact names of the three dishes I usually order every time I am fortunate enough to paste my derrière on any of the Auberge’s much-desired seats.