#ross smithwick

By Ross Smithwick

"Outstanding atmosphere, decor, and most importantly the food, which was to die for"

Only three days in to the European leg of tour, and we have a day off. The weather is stunning for this time of year, and as we drive through the French countryside to reach our destination for the night, Colmar, Jeremy recalls tales of his youth and many a summer holiday spending time here with his Grandfather who still lives out in the mountains to this day.

 After checking in to our hotel of choice, the ever so classy 'Etap' which we have come to adore for the disco shower, free wi fi, and having enough room for three men in a bed, we head to the restaurant which has been recommended to us by Jeremy's mother.

As we walk down the lightly lit, cobbled stone pathway to ' La Cocotte de Grandmere ' ,we are welcomed by our waiter for evening, who greets us warmly. From the first minute he goes out of his way to make us feel comfortable, and this friendly but not over-pushy service lasts until we walk out of the restaurant door several hours later, all five of us full and happy.

So, the meal. The menu is small, but this is in no way a bad thing as the restaurant chooses to focus on a few dishes specialising in local, fresh and above all quality ingredients. 

We start with two french classics- 'escargots' and ' foie gras' which we have enough of to divide between us and sample. Now, I know many of you will be aware of the method in which producers use to make foie gras, and this did weigh heavily on us as we ordered, but we all decided we had to try it just once.. 

 To say the taste was good would be an understatement. The outside was lightly seared forming a chargrilled crust, while the inside was so soft it literally melted like butter.  This could be quite possibly, the single most flavoursome forkful of food I have ever tasted, and as the portion was fairly small it made you wanting more, and this remains so, even as I write this. The snails were also very good, but I find they are more for the experience rather than the actual flavour as the main taste is the garlic butter which the escargots swim in, which is of course delicious. This one experience was made even more exciting due to what will forever be known as the 'exploding snail' moment, which William will have to take with him, for meals and meals to come…

Starters over, we move on to the main event. Again the choice is small but varied, and it all sounds delicious. There are two meat, one fish and one veggie option and , not meaning to be unadventurous,  I choose the rump steak- you just cant go wrong here. Well, hopefully..

Im happy to say that this was the case, and everything on the plate was cooked and seasoned to perfection, and with a more than generous portion size there is no way any meat lover would go away feeling short changed. I opted to have it cooked medium, as I normally go for rare,but not blue, and knowing that the French don't really do non blue, I thought this was the safest option! 

To go with the steak was a simple salad, lightly dressed and amazingly crisp, but light and fluffy chipped potatoes, cooked in duck fat which gives a luxurious feel you just cant get with normal cooking oil. With all of this washed down with a local red wine, the whole meal was one of the most satisfying, tasty and overall pleasurable dinning experiences I have ever had, and I just hope I can stop by on every tour to taste the rest of the menu. Good thing i'm in charge of tour routing really…

10/10