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Zum Pfifferhüs (14, Grand Rue) – This tiny and incredibly old building houses perhaps the most classic of Alsatian winstubs. The cuisine, too, is classic, but neither stuffy nor calcified. There are apparently new owners involved, but the same old chef, and if anything the always-warm welcome has become even warmer.

I start with a brilliant house-made terrine of foie gras, followed by…well, it’s a thick, juicy slice of ham surrounded by a sausage-like forcemeat and wrapped in puff pastry. For a dedicated lover of the fruit of the pig, it’s heaven, even though the description sounds a little odd. “It’s pretty,” our server notes in passing. Only in Alsace…

The list of digestifs is beyond extensive, and I’m determined to push away from familiar fruits (or grapes) and into new territory, so I ask for a consultation…which leads to a long conversation that eventually involves both the proprietress and the chef debating the merits of one distillate or another. So typically French. As a result, we’re the last patrons for a good, long hour of sipping and conversing. (3/06)