Gourmet addresses in Metz and the surroundingsBy Emmanuel TresmontantTucked away between the Champagne and Alsace regions, Metz was simply a stopover for a long time, where you had to make do with simple, countrified cuisine... With the arrival of the Eastern TGV, the capital of Lorraine is now poised to become a genuine European crossroads, affording an opportunity to discover the very fine cuisine by Christophe Dufossé, the city's great chef, and the superb (and still little known!) products from the surrounding area. Cuisine from Lorraine is generally belittled as it is perhaps less refined than that of the rich neighbouring Alsace. But apart from the fact that Lorraine has given us some of the great names of contemporary cuisine and pastry making (such as Michel Roth, the chef at the Ritz; Gérard Mulot, the famous pastrycook of the 6e arrondissement of Paris; Gilles Marchal, the former pastrycook chef at the Hôtel Bristol and who currently uses his talents at the Maison du Chocolat), this fine region with many thermal sources, game, mushrooms, berries, cheeses and cooked pork meats, has produced specialities enjoyed worldwide! Quiche lorraine created in the 16th century, of course springs to mind first! Then there is mirabelle plum brandy, Madeleines de Commercy, Nonettes and pains d'épices de Remiremont (kinds of gingerbread), and red currant jams deseeded with goose quills and which were Winston Churchill 's delight. In Metz, the brasseries serve local recipes like the wholesome Potée lorraine (in which the natural flavour of the vegetables mixes with smoked pork meats), the Fumé lorrain (a cooked pork meat dating back to the 17th century), pâtés from Lorraine (made of marinated pork covered with flaky pastry), soup with side bacon (warming in winter), escargots en matelote (snails in a white wine sauce), suckling pig in aspic, dandelion salad with lardons, without forgetting the mirabelle plum tart and the boulet de Metz (a canon-ball shaped biscuit coated with dark chocolate and with an almond paste and grilled hazelnuts centre)...  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin The star addressIf you want to indulge yourself with the best restaurant in Metz, head for the Magasin aux Vivres. Located in a splendid 16th century building, listed as an historic monument, this restaurant opened in 2005 (at the same time as the Hotel La Citadelle to which it is adjacent) and immediately obtained a Michelin star. Aged 40, the chef, Christophe Dufossé, is a firm-handed man from the Nord who has kept his liking for luxury hotels and Relais & Châteaux (like the Royal Champagne at Épernay) where he learnt his trade. As soon as he arrived in 2004, this former Tour de France journeyman was won over by the beauty and vibrancy of Metz: 'More and more businessmen and artists are staying in our city, so the arrival of the TGV and the creation of the future Centre Pompidou-Metz will merely accentuate this trend.' To meet the requirements of this new clientele and make Metz a world-class gastronomic stopover, Christophe Dufossé has therefore excelled himself. Leaving aside any regionalism, he produces elegant fusion cuisine at its flavourful best, like his tataki of red tuna with half-cooked sardines served with a tomato sherbet. Christophe also like to serve products in an innovative manner: for instance he proposes mirabelle plums in the form of chutney, tartare and sherbet. His extremely delicate white truffle risotto is a real marvel that combines splendidly with white wines from Moselle. Menu at 58 ¤.  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin Two local figures: Patrick and MauricetteIn the heart of Metz, the marvellous Covered Market (Marché Couvert), opposite the cathedral, is the territory of two engaging characters. First, Patrick Grumberg, is a self-trained chef who worked hard to open his soup bar: the Soupes à soup's. A former Tour de France carpentry journeyman, he had hitherto been a slick user of the trowel in the building trade: now he is a dab hand with the ladle! Every day he lovingly prepares 20 different soups with fresh seasonal produce (vichyssoises, du Barry, traditional vegetable, cold and sweet melon, etc.) served in old china dishes. With his exactly 10 ¤ menus, Patrick immediately appealed to bobos, and also to teenagers rather to be seen in Mac-Donald's, dynamic executives and grand-dads nostalgic about good old soups! A few metres from his bar, the lovable Mauricette is the star of the covered market! Wearing traditional red and white Lorraine clothing, this local lass will invite you to sample her delicious pork meats smoked over beach wood (dry sausage, sausage, fuseau (type of dry sausage), Lorraine side bacon and ham) and also her black puddings, potted pork head, pâtés, pies, suckling pig in aspic, quiches and cheeses.  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin ShopsDon't hesitate to wander along Rue de la Haute Seille, not far from the very Medieval Place Saint-Louis. Here, you will find Mougel bakery which makes marvellous bread from organic flours, purified water and Guérande salt. The rye bread in particular is extraordinary with its flavours of honey, its nicely firm crust and its scrumptious centre. Located on Rue Ladoucette, Conrad the cheesemonger's has been a local institution since 1928. Come here especially for traditional Lorraine cheeses rarely to be found elsewhere, like the delicious Tomme de Gorze, Tomme de Prény, Tomme de Pierre-Percée and an absolutely divine farm goat cheese, the Bûchette de Lorraine. The pastrycook-chocolate maker Frank Fresson, who exercises his trade on Rue du Grand Cerf, is an exceptional craftsman rewarded by the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2004. Everything is worth tasting in his shop: his chocolates (including his creation 'Le Minerai Lorrain' much praised by the very select Club des Croqueurs de Chocolat), his macaroons, tarts, icecreams and sherbets. Divine bottlesThen it would be a pity not to visit the good addresses in the surroundings. For instance, in the village of Vezon, 9 miles from Metz, Pierre Maucourt makes splendid mirabelle plum brandies using only the fruit from his own orchards. Picked in September, his nicely ripe mirabelle plums are sorted and then dropped into a fermentation vat. Two months later, they are distilled using a traditional method and the resulting brandy is aged several years in oak vats. Pierre Maucourt's brandies are distributed in the best restaurants in France, and you can also find them at Caves Legrand in Paris (but nothing is better than sampling them on the spot!).  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin The other curiosity of the surroundings resides in what can be called the 'renaissance' of the Moselle vineyard. As early as the 1980s, a handful of enthusiastic vinegrowers indeed sought to infuse new life into a vineyard which, from being acclaimed in the 18th century, had been almost destroyed by phylloxera and then the First World War. Barely known outside Lorraine, Moselle white wines (produced in particular from the famous Muller-Thurgau vine variety ever present in Germany and Austria) nevertheless have all it takes to please: they are dry (unlike their Alsatian neighbours often too rich in residual sugars), lively and elegant and therefore work marvelously well with fish and seafood. Their fruity flavour and overtones of citrous fruits (lemon, grapefruit) make them perfect for an aperitif. The most typical estate is no doubt Château de Vaux, which has been run expertly by Norbert and Marie-Geneviève Molozay since 1999. From 5 ¤ a bottle. Address bookLe Magasin aux Vivres 5, Avenue Ney 57 000 Metz Tel: 03 87 17 17 17 Fromagerie Conrad 11, Rue Ladoucette 57 000 Metz Tel: 03 87 36 11 00 Pâtisserie Frank Fresson 17, Rue du Grand-Cerf 57 000 Metz Tel: 03 87 36 28 17 Boulangerie Mougel 70, Rue Haute Seille 57 000 Metz Tel: 03 87 36 04 89 Mirabelle de Lorraine de Pierre Maucourt 57 420 Vezon Tel: 03 87 52 80 72 Château de Vaux 4, Place St Rémi 57 130 Vaux Tel: 03 87 60 20 64 |
Tourism and Gastronomy
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