L'atelier Du Peintre - Colmar, France
It is such a welcome feeling when you dine at a restaurant when after you finish your main course, you realize you had a great dinner. The feeling is intensified even more so when you realize that you had just had dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant without any prior knowledge.
L'atelier du peintre was truly a little gem of a restaurant. Translated from French, it means 'the workshop of the painter' - a reference to Martin Schongauer, a German painter/engraver from the 15th century in Colmar. Though the dining room echoed signs of transformation from a previous tenant in the past - the modern transition of what is now L'atelier du peintre is quite remarkable.
Amuse Bouche: Smoked Salmon with Shaved Toasted Almonds, Deep Fried Pork Pastry
Appetizer: Brittany Lobster Ravioli, Carrots, Basil, Verveine Soup
All you need is one bite of this succulent lobster ravioli to understand that Chef Lefebvre knows exactly what he's doing. Perfectly cooked lobster filled the contents of this delicate ravioli pasta appetizer. One mouthful was enough to put a smile on my face, put down my fork, and realize that I'd had maybe one of my favorite dishes this year.
After a perfect appetizer, you would have though that the main course would have gotten even better. Not so at this restaurant. I couldn't fault the scallops nor the season vegetables but what was the culprit you ask? Orange jus. It just made the flavors all too sickly sweet. It really diluted some of the scallop's flavours of sea and replaced it with sweet citrus? I think this was creativity taken too far.
Main Course: Seasonal Vegetables, Scallops, & Orange Jus
Dessert: Braided Vermicelli, Lemon Mousse and Sorbet, Mint and Marshmallow
After a dismal main course, things picked up once again with a stellar dessert. The fluffy marshmallows pressed tightly against the lemon mousse was lovely and the use of braided vermicelli was excellent for a bit of contrast with the texture. It was great how the mint played against the sourness of the lemon - which was balanced with natural flavours of the vermicelli, and once again paired up against the sweetness of the marshamallow.
Petit Fours: Powdered Almonds & Madeleine, Chocolate With Lime Jelly & Pate de Fruits
I didn't eat the almonds because I had chipped a tooth so my choices were: madeleine or the chocolate or the pate de fruits. At this point, most of us were full so I made a choice - I ate all four morsels of the pate de fruits before anyone changed their mind.
Our party had chosen a la carte items from the menu instead of sticking to the restaurant's extremely well priced menu for dinner. To this day, I'm still not sure why we didn't go for the menu as our a la carte choices totalled the same price of a menu (that included more dishes).
Dinner service has three different menus:
The Goya (3 courses) at 37€
The Petit Galerie (5 courses) at 57€
The Grande Galerie (7 courses) at 72€
I'd highly recommend this resaurant to anyone in search of a reputable restaurant in sleepy Colmar. It isn't hard to find top notch food in the town but I feel that this restaurant has something a little bit special that sets itself apart from its competitors.
*Side note: If any of you have seen Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Mr.Lefebvre was featured as the head chef of the Inverness restaurant, Abstract. After filming Kitchen Nightmares, it seemed as if things were going well for Abstract and they were poised to get their first Michelin star. Obviously, it did not pan out that way Due to a row with Abstract's owner (reasons unknown), Chef Lefebvre relocated to Colmar where he opened L'atelier De Peintre.
My Score: 17/20
Food: 4
Presentation: 4.5
Ambiance: 4.5
Staff: 4
L'Atelier Du Peintre - 1, Rue Schongauer, Colmar, France
http://atelier-peintre.fr/
It is such a welcome feeling when you dine at a restaurant when after you finish your main course, you realize you had a great dinner. The feeling is intensified even more so when you realize that you had just had dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant without any prior knowledge.
L'atelier du peintre was truly a little gem of a restaurant. Translated from French, it means 'the workshop of the painter' - a reference to Martin Schongauer, a German painter/engraver from the 15th century in Colmar. Though the dining room echoed signs of transformation from a previous tenant in the past - the modern transition of what is now L'atelier du peintre is quite remarkable.
Amuse Bouche: Smoked Salmon with Shaved Toasted Almonds, Deep Fried Pork Pastry
Appetizer: Brittany Lobster Ravioli, Carrots, Basil, Verveine Soup
All you need is one bite of this succulent lobster ravioli to understand that Chef Lefebvre knows exactly what he's doing. Perfectly cooked lobster filled the contents of this delicate ravioli pasta appetizer. One mouthful was enough to put a smile on my face, put down my fork, and realize that I'd had maybe one of my favorite dishes this year.
After a perfect appetizer, you would have though that the main course would have gotten even better. Not so at this restaurant. I couldn't fault the scallops nor the season vegetables but what was the culprit you ask? Orange jus. It just made the flavors all too sickly sweet. It really diluted some of the scallop's flavours of sea and replaced it with sweet citrus? I think this was creativity taken too far.
Main Course: Seasonal Vegetables, Scallops, & Orange Jus
Dessert: Braided Vermicelli, Lemon Mousse and Sorbet, Mint and Marshmallow
After a dismal main course, things picked up once again with a stellar dessert. The fluffy marshmallows pressed tightly against the lemon mousse was lovely and the use of braided vermicelli was excellent for a bit of contrast with the texture. It was great how the mint played against the sourness of the lemon - which was balanced with natural flavours of the vermicelli, and once again paired up against the sweetness of the marshamallow.
Petit Fours: Powdered Almonds & Madeleine, Chocolate With Lime Jelly & Pate de Fruits
I didn't eat the almonds because I had chipped a tooth so my choices were: madeleine or the chocolate or the pate de fruits. At this point, most of us were full so I made a choice - I ate all four morsels of the pate de fruits before anyone changed their mind.
Our party had chosen a la carte items from the menu instead of sticking to the restaurant's extremely well priced menu for dinner. To this day, I'm still not sure why we didn't go for the menu as our a la carte choices totalled the same price of a menu (that included more dishes).
Dinner service has three different menus:
The Goya (3 courses) at 37€
The Petit Galerie (5 courses) at 57€
The Grande Galerie (7 courses) at 72€
I'd highly recommend this resaurant to anyone in search of a reputable restaurant in sleepy Colmar. It isn't hard to find top notch food in the town but I feel that this restaurant has something a little bit special that sets itself apart from its competitors.
*Side note: If any of you have seen Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Mr.Lefebvre was featured as the head chef of the Inverness restaurant, Abstract. After filming Kitchen Nightmares, it seemed as if things were going well for Abstract and they were poised to get their first Michelin star. Obviously, it did not pan out that way Due to a row with Abstract's owner (reasons unknown), Chef Lefebvre relocated to Colmar where he opened L'atelier De Peintre.
My Score: 17/20
Food: 4
Presentation: 4.5
Ambiance: 4.5
Staff: 4
L'Atelier Du Peintre - 1, Rue Schongauer, Colmar, France
http://atelier-peintre.fr/
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