Acolytes

Rating: 15
Author: Gault&Millau

67600 SÉLESTAT

15/20
Remarkable Restaurant

BOOK

5 PHOTOS

Chef: Lucas Engel
Cooking: French | Gastronomic | Local

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

45 to 88

Gault&Millau's review 2026

We had to wait until the summer of 2025 to see one of the most eagerly awaited restaurants of the year open its doors in the heart of Sélestat. In a Renaissance mansion whose facades and roof have been listed, Lucas Engel makes a comeback that's as intimate as it is dazzling. The address, discreet on the outside, opens onto a space thought out down to the smallest detail: chiaroscuro reception, bar and dining room bathed in light filtered through semi-opaque glass. Transalpine decorator Nadia Gulino composes a sober, warm score using raw, salvaged materials, such as this backlit wrought-iron grille. The kitchen is intuitive and well-traveled, with a clear line of purity. Beneath the pickled radish of "un voile carné", a shoulder of beef in tataki gradually reveals itself, enhanced by an almost provocative salsa verde with onion green and bird's beak pickles that signal modernity. la baie embrasse la terre" ("The bay embraces the earth") unites barbecued leeks and mussels from the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, topped with a fluidly gourmand marine milk. In "Le potager s'embrase", fire-branded beet converses with a fermented plum gel, with a tangy, vinous temperament, while tomatillos, a tone behind, are supported by a delicately regressive hollandaise. "Le plein air" unfurls a tactfully cooked Landes poultry: it's escorted by herbed eggplant caviar, pickled mustard seeds playing up the acidity, and a brown juice reduced like a confidence. In the finale, "Purple Rain" puts the Alsace quetsche at the top of Princière's bill, enhanced by a roasted corn ice cream with a melting texture, and above all by a crunchy shiso fritter, a cross between carnival memory and contemporary audacity. Vincent, a talented sommelier, chisels out measured pairings on a very contemporary à la carte menu where Alsace takes pride of place without neglecting other regions. In the dining room, Théodore leads the way with the blend of rigor and casualness that is the hallmark of quality establishments. Elegant casual wear and the enthusiasm of his small team create a comforting, convivial atmosphere, like an art of living akin to the "hygge" so dear to the Danes. Despite the busy weekends, the team takes the time to explain the chef's approach, between complicity and precision. All that's missing is a little softer lighting to bring it closer to perfection. At last, Sélestat has its own three-toque restaurant - lively, confident and hospitable - and Alsace has yet another address where intelligent taste meets authentic pleasure.