176 replies to this topic

[fresh_a]

It's supposed to be announced today. Anyone clued up?

Edited by fresh_a, 07 February 2005 - 04:43 AM.

[John Talbott]

It's supposed to be announced today. Anyone clued up?

Francois Simon in "Croque Notes" Saturday wrote

Yves Camdebord, ex-Regalade will sign for his new hotel/restaurant that’s in the 6th on Monday

I take it "signed" doesn't necessarily mean announced. On attend.

[fresh_a]

I reckon that as soon as it's "signed" , people can legally find out the information , thus hungry food writers will drop the info in the press. It is one of the most highly anticipated openings of the year ,as you well know. I think, sooner, rather than later the info will show up. Before the announcement, as it invariably does...

[fresh_a]

Here it is:

Yves Camdeborde has taken over the Hotel Relais Saint-Germainin Paris' 6th arondissement, a four-star hotel dating from the 17th century, with a total of 22 rooms. He will also be taking over the annex brasserie of the same name, "Le Comptoir du relais", which will be open every day from 12h00 until 23h30 pm, although, Camdeborde says the cuisine will be nothing like La Regalade, because he doesn't like "reheated dishes" ! The brasserie will be open on April 1st.

Here's their official website (for the moment)

Edited by fresh_a, 27 February 2005 - 07:59 AM.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Here it is:

Yves Camdeborde has taken over the  Hotel Relais Saint-Germainin Paris' 6th arondissement, a four-star hotel dating from the 17th century, with a total of 22 rooms. He will also be taking over the annex brasserie of the same name, "Le Comptoir du relais", which will be open every day from 12h00 until 23h30 pm, although, Camdeborde says the cuisine will be nothing like La Regalade, because he doesn't like "reheated dishes" ! The brasserie will be open on April 1st.

Here's their official website (for the moment)

Have we any access to a menu? Or are we supposed to book on faith?

[fresh_a]

We're supposed to book on faith.

[Felice]

I was told that the restaurant will be open non-stop from noon-midnight and will be more like a wine bar. It's not going to be like La Regalade at all.

[fresh_a]

It will be a brasserie.

[boaziko]

Here it is:

Yves Camdeborde has taken over the  Hotel Relais Saint-Germainin Paris' 6th arondissement, a four-star hotel dating from the 17th century, with a total of 22 rooms. He will also be taking over the annex brasserie of the same name, "Le Comptoir du relais", which will be open every day from 12h00 until 23h30 pm, although, Camdeborde says the cuisine will be nothing like La Regalade, because he doesn't like "reheated dishes" ! The brasserie will be open on April 1st.

Here's their official website (for the moment)

Hi fresh_a

Do you see signs of actual opening?

As a brasserie I guess there will be no need for reservation for lunch?

(Hope to hop over in late April)
Boaziko

[Felice]

Hi fresh_a

Do you see signs of actual opening?

He is definitely already installed in the hotel and I have seen him in the restaurant several times (I live close by) , but he has not changed the menu yet. I'll stop by on my way home from work tomorrow night and ask what the reservation policy is.

[Le Zouave]

From what I've heard, he won't be ready by april 1st...

[fresh_a]

That's what I posted on February 27th...

[Le Zouave]

Sorry, fresh_a: I was just saying that the place might not open on april 1st. Camdeborde doesn't seem ready at all.

[Ptipois]

Sorry, fresh_a: I was just saying that the place might not open on april 1st. Camdeborde doesn't seem ready at all.

On Sunday evening, I went to say hi to Yves in his new hotel - beautiful hotel, by the way. He showed me a couple of gorgeous rooms and said that he wanted to do one thing at a time: first get the hotel business rolling to his liking before he takes care of the restaurant. He wants to devote his entire attention to each successive task in order to do it well. That made sense to me, so I didn't ask for a date, thinking that everybody must be asking him . Anyhow, whenever he opens his new auberge, I know he won't disappoint us.

For now, I can recommend the hotel warmly. It is not easily spotted by visitors, being a small 17th century building at the root of rue Monsieur-le-Prince. The façade is narrow, the lobby is like a candy box, the staircases and elevator are minute, but the rooms are spacious, comfortable, quiet and tastefully furnished, with period furniture and beautiful oak eaves on the ceilings. The prices are not outrageous for a 4-star and this location: about 300 euros. So if any visiting e-gulleters should take a fancy...

[Felice]

Nobody's been yet? It's definitely open. I walked by a few weeks ago and was told that they would be doing a brasserie type menu during the day and a "menu gastronomique" in the evenings. The menu is 40 euros.

[John Talbott]

Yves is back & big.

Well, since no one else has put pen to paper about Yves’ new place, I guess it falls to me. What to say? The Comptoir of the Relais St Germain lists itself as 1, rue Monsieur le Prince or 5, Carrefour de l’Odeon, 01.43.29.12.05, which is more accurate, sitting as it does in this charming little confluence of streets just south of the Bd St Germain and the Odeon Metro. It opened 3 weeks ago for business and will be written up this week by our fair city’s cuisine’s worthies. It really is two restaurants, the lunchtime “brasserie” and evening restaurant. I started with lunch and will report on dinner later.

Let me start with a few caveats. When I called to reserve, I was told no reservations were taken at lunch, but on arriving, was told I could have any table but two which were reserved for “special people.” Fair enough, since the first three couples who arrived were warmly greeted by Yves, albeit only with two kisses each. It has a neighborly touch – at one table, two guys, seemingly sober, burst into song periodically. The clientele was 1/3rd known to Yves, 1/3rd walk-in and 1/3rd Anglophonic. Reservations for dinner, however, are necessary, lest you be forced to eat the brasserie menu instead treated to the the prix fixe menu (40 Euros).

It’s a neat looking place (reminding me of a cross between the new Dix Vins offshoot and the Café Constant); with shiny windows, an eager but unpolished staff, plain tables (only room for 24 covers inside and 14 outside, I’d guess) and a substantial menu sitting at each place. It is not what I’d call a brasserie, but that’s grist for another thread. It has two soups, hot and cold, several salads, 6 tartines (including a spectacular looking one with grilled spring veggies), a handful of cochonnailles dishes (I guess his new specialty), and about 8 entrees, 8 mains (fish and meat – the osso buco looked terrific and was quite popular) and 8 desserts (cheese, ices, crème brulee, tarte tatin, baba, etc).

I started with the terrific “verrine” (a terrine in a Aux Lyonnais-type Ball jar) of jarret and ears of pork, served with toasted bread, cornichons and lentilles that had a flavor I could not pin down. (The regular bread, which looked like that of Le Regalade of yore, was stale where it had been cut). Then I had the beef cheeks in red wine with carrots in a casserole – the beef was wonderfully cooked and seasoned but the wine sauce not as rich and/or as reduced as I would wish.

The wines run from 3-4 E a glass (12 cl); bottles are 14-30. There are long lists of aperitifs, digestifs and coffee/teas/etc. The only water they serve (aside from Chateau Delanoye), appears to be Chateldon.

As F. Simon would ask: Should one go? Absolutely; great location, great prices (my meal was 37E), great ideas.


Edited by John Talbott for typos.

Edited by John Talbott, 31 May 2005 - 12:37 AM.

[PCL]

HAIL YVES!!!!...

[Ptipois]

A small report on my first meal at Yves' Comptoir. You'll find it by scrolling down, the first part is devoted to my first meal at Végétable (Passard's ephemereal restaurant at Le Printemps).
All in French, sorry.

[John Talbott]

OK. What can I say? Yves holds up, Yves rules, Yves is omnipresent. Yes. A totally different place at dinner; not better, not worse, just different. Much more festive, more flowing out into the street, more noisy, more food, more Yves and just two more Anglos than at lunch. First, he got off his mode of transit and after a most pleasant shaking of the hands as if he knew me (from La R?, from Monday?), the set dinner commenced; 5 courses changing every night, so it really doesn’t pay to relate them. But I will; starter of a chilled soup of mentholated (not like the cough drops, though, folks) beans and lentils, foie gras in tasty jelly with peas and carrot, saddle of Spring Pyrenees’ lamb with incredibly complimentary raviolis of green asparagus, wonderful platter of cheese (à volonté), one of which, a Normand mixture, was very special, a macaroon stuffed with crème and fraises des bois, terminating with a delicious mango caramel by Jacques Genin (15th). All this, with superb company and nice wine and of course, much Yves = 100E even. Can’t be beat! (And yes, it was written up today in Zurban, so reserve in advance. Enjoy it while you can.)

Edited by John Talbott to correct caramel error.

Edited by John Talbott, 02 June 2005 - 08:54 AM.

[Louisa Chu]

John, actually they were mango caramels you had at Le Comptoir last night.

[docsconz]

Anyone know how far in advance they take reservations?

[John Talbott]

Anyone know how far in advance they take reservations?

No idea - but the info given by most sources is they don't take reservations and they have no phone - but I simply called the hotel number - 01.43.29.12.05, last week (10 days before) and got in for Wednesday dinner without a problem; but they insisted they didn't take reservations for lunch (altho as I said, on my arrival, two tables were "reserved.") But that was all before the reviews started appearing. Except for Louisa, though, (thanks Louisa for the correction), I don't think the Anglo community has tumbled onto it yet.

[Louisa Chu]

Right now, they take reservations only 2 weeks in advance - by phone, fax, and email but best by phone. Plus they plan to stay open all summer - no vacation/August closure.

John - you're welcome. BTW I'm not Anglo.

[docsconz]

Thanks. I'll have to remember to give them a call later in the summer.

[jml3]

Just to reinforce what Louisa has said. I am based in Washington but will be in Paris June 10-16. I asked a French colleague yesterday to book dinner for four people on June 14, and he was able to do so by telephone without problem.

Now I have something to look forward to!

[Felice]

Just to make things even more confusing as far as Le Comptoir's opening hours are concerned. A friend told me he ate there on Sunday night, but it was not the set menu. So, it appears that you can eat there on the weekends, you just won't get the 40 € menu.

[fresh_a]

Often prix-fixe menus are from Monday through Friday..

[John Talbott]

Just to make things even more confusing as far as Le Comptoir's opening hours are concerned.  A friend told me he ate there on Sunday night, but it was not the set menu.  So, it appears that you can eat there on the weekends,  you just won't get the 40 € menu.

As a matter of record, Francois Simon in Saturday's Le Figaro notes that weekends (I assume nights) there's a single dish.

[JudyB]

It's too late now for us, but just for the record does Le Comptoir normally have any sort of menu on display outside?
We were in Paris last week and staying within walking distance so we went to have a look at the menu, but we couldn't see any sort of menu on display for the restaurant itself. Although the "cafe" was clearly open there was building work at the front of the hotel which stopped us getting close enough to see if there was a menu inside.

I'm afraid that we gave up on Le Comptoir for that evening and went to the excellent Casaluna instead - of which hopefully more later when we have recovered from our trip. (We never went back to have another look at Le Comptoir since we found more than enough nice places to choose from elsewhere for the rest of the week).

[daemon]

It's too late now for us, but just for the record does Le Comptoir normally have any sort of menu on display outside?
We were in Paris last week and staying within walking distance so we went to have a look at the menu, but we couldn't see any sort of menu on display for the restaurant itself. Although the "cafe" was clearly open there was building work at the front of the hotel which stopped us getting close enough to see if there was a menu inside.

I'm afraid that we gave up on Le Comptoir for that evening and went to the excellent Casaluna instead - of which hopefully more later when we have recovered from our trip. (We never went back to have another look at Le Comptoir since we found more than enough nice places to choose from elsewhere for the rest of the week).

I don't know aboutlunch but regarding the evening meal, there's a slate board w/ the 40euros eve. menu, that is hung on the outside left wall, next to the pancakes take away.