La Cave de Strasbourg - Falls

My wife and I would like to thank Chef Michel, his wife and co-owner Patrice, and their staff at La Cave de Strasbourg Restaurant in Fall River for hosting a wonderful celebration for my wife's 50th birthday.

There is a noticeable lack of restaurants or family-friendly dining establishments in Fall River.

Delicious! My parents lived in Germany while my father served in the military, so they can never get enough of German food. Every time we eat German food, it is always compared to the authentic flavors they remember from their time there.

OVERVIEW: This is a restaurant with Alsation roots serving mostly German-style cuisine. It is the only restaurant, to the best of our knowledge, within a reasonable distance of the airport (where we staying in preparation for catching a flight the next morning) that is not located in a chain motor inn / hotel. As noted below, our experience was marred by the fact that the restaurant’s main business that night was the hosting of a small wedding reception. We don’t know how common this is; it did have the air of a restaurant whose main business might be hosting functions. Therefore our experience may have been atypical.PROs:Very nice view over the river from many of the tables.Friendly and efficient wait staff.The escargot starter was excellent.CONs:We are unable to give this restaurant a fair shake. The night we had dinner there, it was hosting a wedding reception on its’ patio (BTW, didn’t miss not being able to sit on the patio – for us with southern blood, it would have been FREEZING).Result was:(1) As the waitress warned us (and asked if we still wanted to stay), our dinner was MUCH delayed.(2) We wonder if the entrée suffered from the probable exhaustion of the kitchen staff.(3) Parking was a HUGE hassle. Would not be the case on a night with no “event”; the parking lot was nearly empty after the wedding party left.COMMENTARY:We both ordered the wienerschnitzel, and paid extra for the veal version as opposed to the pork (BTW there is in fact no such thing as a pork wienerschnitzel other than, apparently, at this restaurant). Having had this dish a number of times in both North America and Austria, this version was a sad imitation. We both believe that it actually was pork and not veal. The breading was too heavy and of low quality. Whether pork or veal, the meat was insufficiently pounded, insufficiently tenderized.WOULD WE, PERSONALLY, RETURN? Probably not.WOULD / COULD WE RECOMMEND TO OTHERS? No.

This is one of the few schnitzel houses in Halifax, and worth a visit.We have eaten here twice -- once as a couple and once with a visiting friend. On both occasions, the service was congenial, informed and considerate of food issues. I was surprised when our server indicated that I had mentioned gluten intolerance when I made the reservation; superb follow-through. The menu is varied, with a heavy balance toward Alsation cuisine -- French-German. The portions are about right for people who taste their food, but may disappoint gluttons. We can recommend the schnitzel (chicken or veal) and the beef bourginon. We can attest to the quality of their home-made sauerkraut and of their spätzle (which may also be home-made). A number of gluten-free options were suggested, but within the schnitzels, only the chicken is offered gluten-free. What makes this restaurant so good is their effort to source locally, and that includes the craft beer. The venue is nice, with a good view across the lake, but you may want to sit inside (as opposed to on the porch) to avoid traffic sounds.