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Evaluate: Julien Binz Restaurant, Alsace (One Michelin Star)
That is solely the third restaurant assessment on my weblog — the primary being Central in Peru and the second Paz within the Faroe Islands — and I’m excited to share my expertise at Restaurant Julien Binz, one of the crucial celebrated Michelin-starred eating places in France.
Eating places have by no means actually been the first focus of my weblog. I often write about premium airways, luxurious cruises, and high-end resorts. However advantageous eating has all the time been one thing I’ve needed to cowl extra significantly, particularly when a restaurant gives an expertise that goes far past meals. After evenings like this one, I’m starting to wonder if I ought to finally begin a devoted meals weblog (and YouTube channel) as effectively. And actually, Julien Binz Restaurant could be a fairly convincing motive to take action.
Positioned within the charming Alsatian wine village of Ammerschwihr, simply outdoors Colmar, Julien Binz Restaurant combines Michelin-level gastronomy with a deeply private sense of hospitality and design. This isn’t a type of ultra-minimalist advantageous eating temples the place every part feels scientific and rehearsed. Julien Binz Restaurant manages to really feel refined and polished whereas nonetheless sustaining a heat and welcoming ambiance.
On this assessment:
The Chef’s story
A part of what makes the expertise at Julien Binz Restaurant so compelling is the story behind the chef himself. Julien Binz was born and raised in Alsace and grew up surrounded by artisanal meals tradition. His grandfather labored as a baker and pastry chef, and Binz typically speaks about childhood recollections full of the scent of contemporary brioche and heat pastries — recollections that clearly formed his understanding of workmanship and hospitality from an early age.
His culinary résumé reads like a tour by means of Alsace’s best kitchens. After attending resort faculty in Illkirch, he educated beneath Philippe Gaertner at Aux Armes de France earlier than becoming a member of the legendary Le Buerehiesel throughout its three-Michelin-star period beneath Antoine Westermann. He later spent a number of years on the iconic L’Auberge de l’Ailing alongside Marc Haeberlin, finally changing into second chef in one of the crucial revered kitchens in France.
That classical French coaching defines his delicacies immediately. Binz belongs to the varsity of cooks who imagine taste should stay readable and exact. His philosophy is easy: diners ought to instantly acknowledge and perceive the elements introduced on the menu. His delicacies due to this fact avoids pointless abstraction. As an alternative, classical French methods — reductions, jus, layered sauces, cautious cooking temperatures — are used to raise native Alsatian elements.
Earlier than opening his personal restaurant, Binz had already earned a Michelin star on the Rendez-Vous de Chasse inside Hôtel Bristol in Colmar. However in 2015, he and his spouse Sandrine Kauffer-Binz determined to create one thing fully private in Ammerschwihr. Inside little greater than a yr, the brand new restaurant regained its Michelin star — a exceptional achievement that confirmed Julien Binz as one of many main cooks in France.
Location
Simply outdoors Colmar, within the postcard-perfect wine village of Ammerschwihr, Restaurant Julien Binz enjoys a setting that already feels quintessentially Alsatian earlier than you even stroll by means of the door. Colmar itself is commonly thought of one of the crucial lovely cities in France, identified for its half-timbered homes, flower-lined canals, colourful facades, and robust wine tradition. Ammerschwihr, situated alongside the well-known Alsace Wine Route, gives a quieter and extra genuine ambiance, surrounded by vineyards and conventional village structure. The restaurant is situated in a lovely nook home proper within the heart of the village, occupying a historic constructing that blends naturally into its environment whereas hinting on the refined expertise inside. Particularly within the night, with the nice and cozy lighting reflecting off the façade and the calm ambiance of the village streets, the romantic setting provides significantly to the general eating expertise.
Inside & ambiance
The inside design might be one of many restaurant’s most distinctive options. Not like many modern Michelin-starred eating places that favor minimalist or Scandinavian-inspired aesthetics, Julien Binz Restaurant embraces a way more ornamental method constructed round black lacquer, brass, velvet, mirrors, and quite a few gold accents.
The second you enter the restaurant, one factor instantly stands out: gold. A whole lot of gold. However someway, it really works superbly. Gold is current all through the eating room, although typically utilized in a managed and cohesive approach fairly than showing overly extravagant. Ornamental mirrors, brass detailing, heat lighting, velvet seating, and reflective surfaces give the restaurant a barely theatrical ambiance whereas nonetheless remaining snug and intimate.
One of many central visible parts is a big Fragonard-inspired paintings, which contributes to the room’s romantic and inventive ambiance. There may be additionally a symbolic “tree of life” set up referencing the constructing’s former id because the historic restaurant L’Arbre Vert. All the restaurant feels extremely cohesive as a result of a lot of it was personally designed by Sandrine Kauffer-Binz herself. Furnishings, ornamental parts, service consoles, and even employees uniforms had been created particularly for the restaurant in collaboration with native Alsatian artisans.
Julien Binz Restaurant gives a number of other ways to expertise the delicacies. Friends can select à la carte, go for the extra elaborate “Menu Fragonard” tasting menu, or go for the excellent-value “Menu Binz’tronome,” which might be the most effective worth Michelin-starred menus in France.
At simply €115, the Binz’tronome menu feels very moderately priced contemplating the general high quality and variety of programs. In lots of different Michelin-starred eating places immediately, an identical expertise would typically value considerably extra. One other side that provides worth to the expertise is that chosen glasses of wine are included with the menu. This works significantly effectively given the restaurant’s sturdy connection to Alsatian wines and permits visitors to get pleasure from a number of pairings in the course of the meal with no need to order a separate wine pairing package deal.
The Binz’tronome menu is the menu that I finally selected, and it learn as follows:
Amuse-bouche
Caviar tasting
Sea bream carpaccio with lime, evenly smoked (“minute-smoked”), iodized cream, and Maison Kaviari Osciètre caviar
(Elective complement: €45)
White asparagus variation
Actual and pretend white asparagus, skinny slice of evenly smoked beef fillet, anchovy–mustard condiment, contemporary chive cheese
Onion–espresso cappuccino
Served as a cream, compote, and pickles
Charolais beef fillet
Barbecued beef fillet, potato spirals, fried polenta, inexperienced asparagus, smoked sabayon
Tortellini with Alsatian Munster cheese
Butter broth with Tartuffon cream
(Elective complement: €30)
Dessert
Tanariva chocolate crisp, unique fruit cream, lychee sorbet
Mignardises
Small assorted sweets served on the finish
I assumed the Binz’tronome menu provided an excellent stability between regional influences, classical French approach, and extra modern presentation. The sequence of dishes felt effectively structured, progressing naturally from lighter flavors towards richer programs. The menu additionally provided sufficient selection in elements and textures with out changing into overly complicated.
Last ideas
Restaurant Julien Binz gives a advantageous eating expertise that feels very rooted in Alsace — each by way of delicacies and ambiance. The restaurant combines classical French approach with regional influences, whereas the inside design offers the house a particular character that differs from many extra minimalist Michelin-starred eating places.
I’d extremely advocate together with it as a part of a visit by means of Alsace, which stays one of the crucial lovely and distinctive areas in France. Between the vineyards, historic villages, wine tradition, and picturesque cities reminiscent of Colmar, the restaurant suits naturally into the broader expertise of exploring the area.
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