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but given a nouvelle spin. Delights include foie gras with spicy relish and green anise, caramelized monkfish, lobster with cep mushrooms, and iced meringue with warm fruit and lychee sorbet. Even more urban finesse is given to the theme menus that are occasionally offered (homages have included those to Europa, Mozart, and the TGV Est). As for Au Crocodile’s name, it refers to a stuffed specimen brought back by a Strasbourg general from Napoléon’s Egyptian campaign! | 10 rue de l’Outre | 67000 | 03–88–32–13–02 | www.au-crocodile.com | Reservations essential Jacket and tie | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed Sun. and Mon., late Dec.–early Jan., and 3 wks in July.

Chez Yvonne.

$ | FRENCH | Just around the corner from the cathedral is an eatery that is almost as exalted. Behind red-checked curtains you can find artists, tourists, lovers, and heads of state sitting elbow-to-elbow in this classic winstub, founded in 1873. All come to savor steaming platters of local specialties: watch for duck confit on choucroute, braised ham hocks, and quails stuffed with foie gras. Warm Alsatian fabrics dress tables and lamps, the china is regional, the photos historic—all making for chic, not kitsch. | 10 rue du Sanglier | 67000 | 03–88–32–84–15 | www.chez-yvonne.net | Reservations essential | AE, DC, MC, V.

Fodor’s Choice | Le Buerehiesel.

$$$ | FRENCH | This lovely Alsatian farmhouse, reconstructed in the Orangerie park, warrants a pilgrimage if you’re willing to pay for the finest cooking in Alsace. New chef Eric Westermann (son of the former chef) focuses on the freshest of local-terroir specialities, supplemented by the best seafood of Brittany. The seasonal desserts are a standout. Two smaller salons are cozy, but most tables are set in a modern annex that is mostly glass and steel. In any event, plump European parlementaires come on foot; others might come on their knees. | 4 parc de l’Orangerie | 67000 | 03–88–45–56–65 | www.buerehiesel.fr | Reservations essential | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed Sun. and Mon., 3 wks in Jan., and 3 wks in Aug.

Maison Kammerzell.

$$ | FRENCH | This restaurant, probably the most familiar house in Strasbourg, glories in its richly carved, half-timber 15th-century building and sumptuous allegorical frescoes by the aptly monikered Leo Schnug. Fight your way through the tourist hordes on the terrace and ground floor to one of the atmospheric rooms above, with their gleaming wooden furniture, stained-glass windows, and unrivaled views of the cathedral. Foie gras and choucroute are best bets, though you may want to try the chef’s pet discovery, choucroute with freshwater fish. | 16 pl. de la Cathédrale | 67000 | 03–88–32–42–14 | www.maison-kammerzell.com | AE, DC, MC, V.

Strissel.

$ | FRENCH | This cozy, rustic winstub near the cathedral, in business since the 16th century, is now owned by Jean-Louis De Valmigere, the force behind Chez Yvonne. Happily, he has not changed anything of the charming decor, but only added lights. It has a good choice of Alsace wines and some of the finest choucroute in town (the chef is still the same), often served with pike-perch as a specialty. Menus run from €21.70 to €26.90 and the plat du jour is €6.90. Try for a room upstairs to admire the stained-glass windows with their tales of life in the vines. | 5 pl. de la Grande-Boucherie | 67000 | 03–88–32–14–73 | www.strissel.fr | AE, MC, V.

WHERE TO STAY IN STRASBOURG

Cathédrale.

$$–$$$ | A sleek marble lobby abuts lounges, a bar, and a breakfast room that are rich with ancient beams and sandstone. Rooms feature dark timbers, and most have windows framing a view of the 16th-century half-timber Maison Kammerzell or the cathedral. The location is to die for, but if you prefer absolute silence in the evening, ask for a room that doesn’t face the square (though you’ll miss out on the view). Pros: comfortable, clean rooms; across from the cathedral. Cons: some rooms are small; rooms with view of cathedral get some street noise. | 13 pl. de la Cathédrale | 67000 | 03–88–22–12–12 | www.hotel-cathedrale.fr | 47 rooms | In-room: a/c, refrigerator,