Jy's - Colmar

JY’s remains the best meal I’ve ever had. Eating here was joy, excitement, curiosity, and incredible taste. The food and service engaged all 5 senses. There is... read more JY’s remains the best meal I’ve ever had. Eating here was joy, excitement, curiosity, and incredible taste. The food and service engaged all 5 senses. There is a lot of fun in having food disguised as ordinary objects… a rock or an egg, but surprising you with a taste and flavor combination that is anything but ordinary. I visited as a last minute walk in at the bar with my brother, and we did the tasting menu. JY's wife was extraordinary host and she helped us pick out a memorable bottle of Alsatian Muscat wine, something we had never had in the US and it blew away our expectations. She was even kind enough to discuss the history of Alsace with us, as we were tourists learning about the culture of Colmar. I thought this restaurant was better than the three Michelin starred restaurants like the French Laundry that I have been too, and eating there certainly felt much warmer in hospitality. There is an excellent two Michelin starred restaurant in NYC, Gabriel Kreuther, that I feel is similar to JY's but that JY's also exceeds. Colmar is a magical town, full of wonderful food, and JY's is the cherry on top. I would not be surprised at all if they will receive a well deserved third Michelin star. Thank you JY!

We were guests there in August and the food was so creative and good. Every course was thoughtful, the presentation and crockery were gorgeous and we couldn't w... read more We were guests there in August and the food was so creative and good. Every course was thoughtful, the presentation and crockery were gorgeous and we couldn't wait for the next dish. I would definitely recommend splurging on the tasting menu let them knock your socks off.

We booked the restaurant for my birthday and were staying at the hotel where the restaurant is based. Having eaten at 100’s of Michelin star restaurants and hav... read more We booked the restaurant for my birthday and were staying at the hotel where the restaurant is based. Having eaten at 100’s of Michelin star restaurants and having read reviews on trip advisor we were looking forward to a spectacular meal . We picked the 6 course tasting menu which was good value at 147 eur. Service was very attentive and slick but the food far from impressive. A leek dish that was practically chewy and bland, a fish dish on a bed of buckwheat, a main of Guinea fowl that was bland and particularly uninspiring. A langoustine starter was the only outstanding dish. The restaurant space is very elegant but The menu needs a complete revamp. On the positive side, the hotel rooms were excellent and the bartender at the main bar was talented and extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk with.

Very professional, yet very personal experience. Excellent food both precise and creative. Service and hosting also top class. Head chef dropping by the table a... read more Very professional, yet very personal experience. Excellent food both precise and creative. Service and hosting also top class. Head chef dropping by the table and had a unformal chat.

The experience in a 2 star restaurant should be holistic, with touch points that delight senses of taste, sight, scent; bring on smiles; with guests leaving wit... read more The experience in a 2 star restaurant should be holistic, with touch points that delight senses of taste, sight, scent; bring on smiles; with guests leaving with the knowledge that they have been privy to something that was unique, creative and extraordinary; and something to be enthusiastically talked about with other bon vivants. On the back of its many glowing reviews, and on our one week Alsace trail of gastronomic discovery, sadly JY 's was anything but. SERVICE: the lady sommelier was curt and cold quite taken aback when she was dismissive on finding out that I was only having sparkling water, after a glass of Cremant. The serving staff failed to clearly explain that my main entree would be served with my husband 's second round of their signature lobster dish. Wine glasses were not cleared. The lady assistant server, when asked a question just said I don 't know , without attempting to provide an answer to what I had asked perhaps it was not her fault, as she just appeared meek and nervous ... or was it a function of restaurant culture? All serving staff lacked warmth and were almost robotic in their interactions. FOOD: I 'll just feedback on some of the dishes we had. The signature lobster dish was gimmicky at best placing raw lobster in a glass canister among vegetables and (supposedly Thai herbs, though we did not detect any hint of lemon grass, galangal, or even lime leaves), and having the lobster boullion or broth percolate up from a glass pot below to cook the lobster, didn 't do anything to enhance the taste, except to perhaps create a small, but meaningless spectacle. This was served with a miniature lobster roll, and another roll with scallops. This combination seemed totally discordant. My crab dish came in different presentations what I would consider a crab mayonnaise on top of a crispy waffle like biscuit; crab in jelly with cauliflower cream and a crab cappuccino. Overall it was pleasant enough. My lamb dish came in two styles roasted lamb chop, but served with a super sour confit tomato, and an olive tapenade (that totally clashed with a strong meat like lamb); the other part were several grilled lamb ribs placed on top of a faux stove (think Momofuko 's grilled lamb ribs by David Chang) quite tasty, but nothing to write home about. The dessert with the grilled pineapple though tasty, was lacklustre. MDM KATIA SCHILLINGER: As wife to Chef Jean Yves Schillinger, she was the only spot of warmth and smile in the entire restaurant. She was gracious, and came by several times to check in on our dining, and to chat. However, we were quite taken aback, after giving her our feedback on the lobster and how underwhelming it was, her immediate response was that feedback from Michelin inspectors has been very positive on this style of preparation. We did not respond to this but aren 't Michelin inspectors suppose to be anonymous? And isn 't our feedback, on an individual basis to be at the very least respected? I share the above review in the context of an intense week of dining at some really exceptional establishments in Strasbourg, Colmar, Ribeauville, Zellenberg, Illhaeursen and Wingen Sur Moder. I will be sharing reviews on some of these outstanding restaurants. I would most happily re visit many of these establishments but for JYs we will be unfortunately giving this a miss. Footnote: I struck up a conversation with a Korean solo diner seated next to our table. She was on a gastronomic trip through France and Italy. She had the tasting menu, and towards the end of our evening, I asked her her opinion on the dishes her response (very diplomatic, and very Asian) was not bad , and that further validated how we felt about the food.