In a rather dull neighborhood of Mulhouse, La Quille shines bright in the night. Seated on the terrace or in the dining room (whitewashed rafters, low lighting, a corkscrew staircase, a mezzanine), where the waiters wearing bowties hydrate the beautiful crowd lined up along the loooong zinc-topped bar, there are no fewer than 500 labels of fermented grape juice! That’s plenty to get excited about, especially when the classy snacks parade out: chicken-pistachio-morel mushroom pâté en croûte masterfully made by Pierre Pross; explosively flavorful Comté aged for 26 months and served with a lardon and walnut kouglof; bright carrots, ginger and fresh goat cheese; and an incredible raspberry jam linzertorte from the Dietsch bakery, for the final bouquet. // M.J.-D.
FEELING THIRSTY? Natural wines from both around here and elsewhere: La Quille, a Côtes-de-Gascognes white (€4 a glass), a Faugères red from the Domaine Saint Martin d’Agel (€4), an Alsace Riesling from the Domaine Ostertag (€60), Petit Taureau, a Côtes-du-Roussillon red from the Domaine Padié (€39)…
PRICE: Small plates €6.50 to €12, platters €9.90 to €19.80, desserts €6.50.