Writing about a dining experience in a restaurant is extremely subjective. After all, we can be influenced so easily by what we order, how loudly the person next to us is speaking, whether the server is pleasant/competent on that particular day, or if the atmosphere of the place appeals to us.
I have passed Le Comptoir many times, have walked by the long line of people waiting to get in, glanced at the plates of what the lucky few seated outside were eating, and promised myself that one of these days, I will need to give it a try.
During my last visit to Paris (9/2017), my cousins and I decided that we have waited long enough. Upon reaching the restaurant we saw that the line was not terribly long (maybe 10 people), and judging by the fact that a few tables seemed to be finishing their meals, we decided to queue up. Maybe 10 minutes later, we were being invited to sit inside at a table near the bar.
The vibe and the decor of this charming bistro are very comfortable and inviting, the worn down wooden bar, the large mirror with the specials of the day written on it, and the yellow and red paint add to the overall felling of quintessential Paris. Just lovely.
Brasserie-style menu is available for lunch and weekend dinner, while a five-course prix-fixe dinner is served for weekday dinners.
The menu is all in French, and the servers are very busy but do try to help those who struggle. I saw quite a few people give negative ratings due to the fact that the menu is in French. I am fine with criticizing restaurants for the taste of food, but not for the fact that the menu is in the native language. In New York all the menus are in English, as they should be. It is very kind, but not mandatory, that some restaurants in foreign countries give translations on their menus. So be prepared, but these days our phones are capable of helping us out in these situations.
We ordered a bottle of sparkling water and received a basket of delicious bread. The bread was truly fantastic and incredibly fresh.
My cousins got a small bottle of wine which arrived in this clever ice bag.
Our appetizers were this nicely prepared tuna
and a wonderful foie gras on toast with romaine lettuce. After enjoying these great starters we were really excited for the rest of our meal, well.......
Before I talk about the main courses I would like to say that the service at Le Comptoir was wonderful; our server was fun and very helpful. We marveled at how hard everyone at the restaurant worked, from the man who had to climb up and down the little stairs to bring the plates of food from the kitchen, to the servers who had to run back and forth making sure that everyone was being taken care of.
Ok, so, the main entrees arrived, like a false note at the end of a beautiful aria, or a clap of thunder at the beginning of a spectacular hike. All three of us were utterly disappointed by the entrees, the presentation was nice but the taste was either totally off or lacking something. So, what happened? Maybe it's the fact that I have anticipated a visit to this place for a few years now, maybe it's all the blogs, TV shows, and magazine write ups that have hyped up this restaurant so much that anything short of a spectacular dining experience would be a disappointment? I don't know, but for all three entrees to be sub par? One, I would understand, but not three. Not only did we not enjoy our food, we felt like we were missing something, or being duped.
The three entrees that we ordered were:
Octopus with crozets (little pieces of flat and square pasta) and fresh veggies. My cousin, who enjoys octopus, said that this octopus was bland and had a peculiar texture. He ate a little of it and left the rest untouched.
His wife ordered this tuna with vegetables. She said that the veggies were very fresh and tasty but the tuna was terribly veiny and difficult to cut through.
I ordered this suckling pig in lentil stew since the server said that it is their best dish.
It looked lovely and I really couldn't wait to dig in, sadly, the meat was terribly dry and the lentils were tasteless. I ate the lentils but left most of the meat on my plate.
Totally disappointed by this underwhelming meal we decided not to order any dessert.
I don't know, I saw that all around us people seemed to be enjoying their food; maybe we just got the three dishes that were off. Did we order the wrong entrees? Could it be that people just go by the reputation of the restaurant? Could they really be so easily influenced? As we were leaving the restaurant we walked by the line formed outside, about 12 more people were waiting in anticipation of a fantastic dining experience. Hmmmmm.
Le Comptoir Du Relais
9 Carrefour de L'Odeon
Joanna
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