Decatur: Cafe Alsace

Café Alsace is one of the mainstays of downtown Decatur. Its atmosphere is typically French: small, intimate, a little dark, unobtrusive and gracious service.

French meals start with a salad. I chose the fig and honey dressing---one of the recurring themes of the dishes. The dressing was classically French and not extremely figgy but quite good.

Given that this is Café Alsace, I had to try the Alsatian spaetzle. Alsace is near Germany and its food has some Germanic elements that are very well exemplified by this dish: heavier composition, German noodles, and a nice dose of pork. Translated into American terms, this is mac-and-cheese with insanely good ingredients. The spaetzle were enrobed in a rich cheese and cream sauce. Small rectangular pieces of pork studded the dish. Amazingly, the parsley sprinkled on top actually served the taste---given all that cream and cheese, even that small amount of greenery stands out in the mouth, and quite nicely I might add. This dish tasted wonderful and it satisfied my need for a savory dish (not to mention a savory breakfast tomorrow).

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