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“Nothing special”
Review of L'Auberge De L'Ill

L'Auberge De L'Ill
Certificate of Excellence
Price range: $109 - $272
Cuisines: French
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Special occasions, Local cuisine, Business meetings, Romantic
Dining options: Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner, Late Night, Reservations
Reviewed December 14, 2015

We went there for a business lunch. I was expecting first class dinning, but instead I was confronted with something which I can get in each non-star restaurant. The food was, personally seen, presented in a very bad way. It was just put to plate as it was. The starter was a huge piece of salmon wrapped in a kind of bread which fills your stomach already half. The main course was not looking really special? A piece of meet, some sides? Only the desserts recalled me a little bit into the world of a "star"-restaurant.
The taste was always good, but as I said: seen many times before and compare to other "star"-restaurants really badly presented.
The staff was okay, but also not as perfect as I had it already at other places. The place itself is nice.

Date of visit: September 2015
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
5  Thank Martin-Lauer-1970
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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175 - 179 of 2,018 reviews

Reviewed October 28, 2015

Friends treated my husband to dinner for his 60th birthday and what an unforgettable experience it was. From the moment we entered the restaurant, we were sure we were going to enjoy something very very special. We chose the tasting menu and were absolutely delighted with our choice. Everything was exquisitely presented and nothing disappointed our tastebuds. The service was beyond excellent. We want to return to enjoy seeing the beautiful setting in daylight.

Date of visit: October 2015
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank ASMorri
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 26, 2015

We had dinner here with some friends and chose the tasting menu. It was fantastic! The only issue we had was that the menu is only offered in French, but we did ask some questions and they were kind enough to translate it into English. Overall, it was a great experience.

Date of visit: October 2015
1  Thank ExPat0331
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 25, 2015

Beyond and above just being...
“The prettiest set restaurant in the world”
Passionately Alsatian
Passionately Haeberlin perfectionism from the kitchen, and...
Passionately beyond and above just being that "prettiest set restaurant in the world", there is something very special about this place that, even for me, as frequent traveler and self-proclaimed gastronome, is hard to describe.

Lets say that it has one of the most gorgeous setting and ambiance, overlooking its gardens framing that small Ill river...unique in the world, and...Lets say that there you will find GREAT RECIPES from great chefs in their kitchens...working classic, non experimentalist, French cuisine, and
lets say that "L'Auberge de I’ll" is a very long time 3 -well deserved -Michelin Starred Gastronomical Shrine, where Food is not just food...
is passion, is a work of art served on the plate, is tradition in cooking:
Is a passionately artistry expression of food prepared, not just for our palate and body pleasures, but to our souls!
There is a longtime old discussion among scholars regarding if the "food work" can be qualified as an artistic expression.
As an architect and self-proclaimed gastronome, as mentioned in other occasions, I'm one of those in favor of considering Food as an Artistry expression; there is no other art manifestation that pleases our senses, minds and bodies, as fine food does. Of course; as in any other art, they are just artisanal working artists and some others (a few ones) whose expressions are pure art-forms, like Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and other Masters in painting.
If a chef-artist in Food is in the kitchen (like the Haeberlins had been for many years) its expression will be, not only their creative non-experimentalist recipes, but their singular way to display it, getting the way to "please us, as their audience- consumers". It is important to clarify that, as in any other art, there is the subjective and the objective feelings and opinions....but, general rules, of our Cultural way of live, would prevailed over those ambiguous considerations to find out who the real artists- like the Haeberlins- are.
There are not enough praising words for the passionate artistry works and long kitchen tradition of the Haeberlin family over the years.
We, my wife and myself, discovered L'Auberge by small "ILL" river in the 90's and found it fascinating, not just because of their kitchen work, but because of their history in that remote-hidden place in beautiful Alsace. After that we had enjoyed it several times as part of "our own gastronomical route de la France", of singular importance for foodies and gourmands : In Alsace; L'Auberge de Lill - in Bourgogne; Lameloise/ Le Montrachet - in the Rhone- Loire; Troisgros at Roanne - in the Rhone area; La Pyramide's Henri Henriroux - in La Provence; Ostau de Baumaniere - in Aquitaine; Eugenie les Bain's Michel Guerard and in Paris, regardless those multiple choices, we included Michel Rostang.
As you, as gastronome or foodie aficionado can notice, we did not include those famous chefs with multimillion dollars ventures all over the world. We just love the ones that are passionate about their regions and the sources provided by it.
That is what we consider a great personalized Gastro tour of France...were non of them had ever failed our high gourmandize expectations!
My wife and I love to dressed up nicely for our fine dinning moments and those are the kind of places were you don’t feel as an "alien", wearing jacket and a nice tie.
Once said all the above phylogenetic considerations about restaurants, chefs, food and foodies, let me get involved in details of one of our greatest dinning experience ....in years!
Each course was introduced with great acknowledgment and patiently detailed and headed by Danielle (Bauitann-Haeberlin) together with Alain Schohn and Gregor Frank. They were discretely present and there, just helping whenever we need it, as it should be. James Villa (famous writer and foodie) would agree with me on that, and on all those other qualities of L'Auberge to be considered: "The best restaurant of the world”!
We, the four of us - in our long time planned Gastro tour (my son and his wife were with us) - agreed to order different recipes, in order to have a small taste of each one of those wonderful recipes.
After their fantastic Amuse- Bouches we made our recipes selections.
As Entrèes - Appetizers we had:
For me "Terrine de foie gras d'oie" A delicate Goose foie gras Recipe creation of the Haeberlins at L'Auberge, we shared that recipe which is a must try there,
for my wife "Langoustines poêlèes with ravioles of navet Daikon", a Chinoise influenced white radish recipe and potatoes from their garden.
My son and his wife were sharing their "Saumon Soufflé Auberge de I’ll" ....another great Haeberlin recipe creation.
Our Main Courses were a great parade of their very best recipes:
For me one of my preferred delicacies when we are in France; "La volaille de Bresse "Miéral" ....which is the famous appellation controlé (AOC) chicken strictly from Bourg an Bresse area (south-east Burgundy).
Those are not "any" chicken at all; they are a very special "French" ones (holding the French flags colors in its body) and raised within its free range method. They have distinctive and praised flavors and offered in the very best restaurants, mainly as a "delicacy". Here, at L'Auberge is a recipe FOR TWO, but we ordered it to share with the ones that haven’t tried it before. The recipe is served in "several times" and different ways of cooking, to be enjoyed with their famous "baekaoffa aux truffes" a very nice Haeberlin's passionately Alsatian old traditional recipe.
That was "the most expensive chicken" that I ever had (€ 176)!
For my son to be share with his wife; ”Le carré d'agneau rôti" (Rack of Lamb) one of the favorite dishes of my son, but - again- these are not "any lamb”; they are Allaiton (a lamb bread) strictly and only from Aveyron a town nearby Montpellier, France. That recipe was in the manner of a mignon, with carrots cooked with "fromage blanc fumé".
For my wife to be shared with my son; "Le canard colvert" (wild duck selected) for two. A recipe cooked with light local spices and accompanied by a red cabbage confit with dates.
Our Wines and drinks were:
An aperitif de la Maison to start our dinner experience!
After that aperitif we choose our dinner pairing wines, beginning with a 2002 Champagne "Dom Ruinart"- Blanc de Blancs, followed - to sustained our Alsatian mood- with non other than a Pinot Gris white wine from "Trimbach's Réserve Personennelle" 2007 (excellent priced).
Our red selection, as most of the times, was an excellent recommendation from Herve, their Sommelier; "Clos de la Roche" from domaine la "Pousse d'Or" from that top Bourgogne vintage of 2009 (excellent priced as well).

Before our desserts we had their splendid-fantastic Cheeses selections, including- of course- some of the very best local Munster Cheese.
- After our desserts I had my expresso coffee with petit fours.
- When I was about to ask for our check, my wife and my son said:
Hold on there: is not over yet!....lets have some after dinner drinks by these beautiful terrace fronting the gardens outside (weather was perfect)...
In less that a moment we were comfy seated outside having our drinks:
A fabulous Cognac Grosperrin 1989 (never heard before about it) and some Framboise digestif....after sometime conversing about how good live had been to us and details of our wonderful dinner that night, we headed off - as we couldn't get reservations at their very nice hotel on site - to our hotel at nearby beautiful Rauffach Village!
This is the kind of "Splurgy-moment" that does not merit talking about the check as -of course- that "Dolorosa" went, in direct proportion, to that even than greater Dinner-Splurged experience in the prettiest set restaurant of the world. If interested you can find more info in our posted photos of that evening and If you had not been there -and can have one "splurge" moment traveling in France, I highly recommend to go to "L'Auberge de I’ll" in Alsace

Date of visit: September 2015
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
1  Thank Antonio C
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 7, 2015

The lunch at L'Auberge de l’Ill was incredible experience: each course of food looked as a piece of art and gave wonderful taste sensation. The vines suggested by the sommelier were excellent. The service was perfect and the environment inside and around the restaurant beautiful.
I enjoyed this lunch very much and would be happy to visit this restaurant again in the future.

Date of visit: September 2015
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
1  Thank ArinaZ_11
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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