The menu at this German-inflected Alsatian restaurant reads like a culinary tongue twister—hungry for baeckeofe, petatou, mandiant or potee?  Wisely, the owners have also included translations (that’s lamb-and-oxtail casserole, warm potato salad, cherry-studded bread pudding and bean-and-cabbage soup, respectively). Café d’Alsace is the ninth and perhaps most ambitious branch of a tour de France empire that includes popular spots like Nice Matin and L’Express. The decor—and chaotic bustle—evoke a brasserie you might see in a Godard film. Candy-colored antique seltzer bottles line the top of the Art Deco–inspired bar. Diners huddle under the golden glow of period lighting; Edith Piaf serenades overhead. The large portions of robust, earthy food are served in overgrown vessels that barely fit on the diminutive tables. Bone marrow (la moelle), simply prepared with only sea salt and grilled toast, comes with actual bones in an earthenware crock. Traditional tarte flambée (pictured), a bacon-and-onion-filled pastry found all over Alsace, arrives delicate and smoky on an oversize plank. Bigger appetites will appreciate the choucroute garni—a sausage-bejeweled heap of cured cabbage with white wine and juniper berries. The 120-bottle-strong beer list is encyclopedic. And for those who can’t tell a port from porter, there’s a dedicated beer sommelier who can pair an artisanal brew with your baeckeofe.—TONY