Elegant Dining With Casual Flair At Amsterdam's Jansz.

Located in the former house of seventeenth-century coppersmith Volkert Jansz, the restaurant that now bears his name offers elegant and delicious meals prepared by executive chef Cassidy Hallman. Keeping true to the seventeenth-century traditions of good taste, style, and conversation, the French international cuisine here isn't stuffy — it's inviting, approachable, and affordably priced.

Jansz. is situated in the busy shopping area known as the Nine Streets, within the five-star Hotel Pulitzer, which occupies a group of 25 restored seventeenth- and eighteenth-century buildings (of which Volkert Jansz's house is one). The ambiance here is clean, bright, and modern with wood floors and white marble tabletops. The open kitchen is meant to encourage friendly conversation while enjoying great food, something that Jansz, no doubt, would have approved of for the use of his house.

The chef's signature braised meatballs in marinara sauce ($12) is one of his most popular dishes; they come three to a terrine. Another is his tomato with burrata cheese ($16), a tasty and colorful pre-dinner starter.

For your main entrée, choose between dishes such as roasted duck with cranberries ($32), vadouvan chicken ($26), or orecchiette pasta and truffles ($18). The house favorite, however, is the morano-spiced salmon atop couscous ($24). The flesh is fork-tender and has just enough spice to enhance the flavor without overpowering it.

Desserts change frequently, but if available, try the strawberry crème brûlée with strawberry sorbet ($7) — creamy, tangy, and delicious.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Jansz. is located just a short walk from the Anne Frank House, the most popular attraction in Amsterdam.