Bonjour Strasbourg: Restaurant, Hotel and a Museum

Restaurant : Francesca The Francesca is always very crowded, especially for lunch, so it’s wise to make a reservation. The restaurant’s specialty is serving many different pastas that you can’t ordinarily find anywhere else. If you choose the special menu, you will be served a number of assorted pastas, with the goal of making you discover a new range of tastes. You must be very hungry to really appreciate all those plates! I like to order the “green pastas;” I don’t really know what I’m eating, but I find it funny to have those “extraterrestrial-looking” pastas covered with a tasty white sauce. The pastas are served in a bowl, with a fork and a spoon, in the Italian manner. Usually the waiters are stressed out and not very nice to the customers, but the most important thing is that all the dishes are very tasty. INFORMATION: Francesca 14, avenue de la Marseillaise 67000 Strasbourgfrom US: 011 (33) 3 88255060from France: 03 88 25 50 60open: Monday to Wednesday from noon to 2 pm and from 7 pm to 10 pmThursday to Saturday from noon to 2 pm and from 7 pm to 11 pmprice: menu for 7,50 euros reservations – neededSmoking Bar : SaxoThe Saxo (form the instrument Saxophone) is a tiny bar decorated with pictures of famous American buildings. It’s a nice place to spend an intimate moment listening to good music, usually Blues. They serve all kinds of drinks, with or without alcohol, but they are famous for their cognac:  very strong but always tasty. During summer the terrace is always crowded, from noon to late night. It’s a lively place that feels like a snapshot of a romantic Paris square. INFORMATION: Le Saxo 8, rue des Frères 67000 Strasbourgfrom US: 011 (33) 3 88241096from France: 03 88 24 10 96open: every day from 11 am to 11 pm TerraceSmoking Bar GayotAll the most famous bars in Strasbourg are in the same street. Three of them share a terrace, welcoming all the citizens and tourists who like to have a good time during the long summer evenings. Inside and outside, when night comes, the place is always very crowded. Le Gayot is a place where Strasbourg citizens like to go to start the night with a special and strong cocktail. You can simply have beer, but also very strong alcoholic drinks that Americans would call cocktails. INFORMATION: Le Gayot 18, rue des Frères 67000 Strasbourgfrom US: 011 (33) 3 88363188from France: 03 88 36 31 88open: everyday from 11 am to 11 pmTerraceSmoking Mezzo Di PastaThe Mezzo Di Pasta offers a new kind of fast food, the first branch having opened in Strasbourg in 2004. You can’t eat there–it’s only food to go. Only pasta is served: you can order just a single plate or from two kinds of menus. One, for 5,50 euros, includes one pasta selection and a drink. The other, for 9,50 euros, includes a dessert. Given the quantity of pastas served, you will have enough for a meal. Usually I choose the “A la carbonara” plate, which is pasta with bacon lardoons and a sauce  made primarily of  cream, eggs, and onions. In any case, you can order two kinds of cheese : Parmesan or Swiss.  With your paper bowl, which stays warm for a long time, you can find a place outside to eat or, when raining, you can eat at the Saxo as long as you order a drink at the bar. INFORMATION:Mezzo Di Pasta9b, rue des Frères 67000 Strasbourgfrom US: 011 (33) 3 88368730from France: 03 88 36 87 30open: Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 9 pmprice: from 3,50 euros to 9,50 euros Hôtel des Francs Bourgeois The hotel is a little hard to find, as it is in a small street. But there are huge signs; so if you look carefully you won’t miss it. The hotel is near a tramway station (Grand’ Rue), which makes it very accessible and allows you to go quickly from one point of the city to another. Despite the fact that the hotel received only two stars, the rooms are of very high standard. In the hotel’s area you are in the heart of the city, at the intersection of two of the main streets in Strasbourg. INFORMATION:Hôtel des Francs Bourgeois (2 stars)7, rue de la Chaînefrom US: 011 (33) 3 88326660from France: 03 88 32 66 60 price: from 51 to 63 euros for a single room / from 58 to 70 euros for a doublebreakfast: 8,50 eurosGarage: 11 euros Reservations – needed (by phone or email)Website : http://www.hoteldesfrancsbourgeois.com Museum Info MAMCS (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg)1, place Hans-Jean Arp 67000 Strasbourgfrom US: 011 (33) 3 88233131from France: 03 88 23 31 31open : Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm ; from 12 pm to 10 pm on Thursday and from 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday. Website : http://www.musees-strasbourg.org