Le Comptoir du Relais-9, carrefour de l’Odéon

[Brad K.]

I have friends who were staying nearby and just stopped in last Sunday night, without a reservation. They had a table available for them. You never know...

[weinoo]

We had dinner here last Monday night and it was great. Monday nights may be chef's night off here in New York, but the chef was in full swing this night. The food was great and amazingly we had eaten in this same room on both of our previous Paris trips - back then it was basically a nice place for wine with decent food. Surprisingly, the room hasn't changed all that much, but the food surely has. And I really don't know how he does it all for 40 euros. I think our table might have eaten that much in those delicious cheeses!

[Felice]

I have friends who were staying nearby and just stopped in last Sunday night, without a reservation.  They had a table available for them.  You never know...

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Yes, but the restaurant gastronomique is only open Monday-Friday so if you go on Saturday or Sunday night, you will get the regular a la carte bistro menu, which is great, but it's not the same as the 40 euro dinner menu.

I'm not even sure that you can make reservations on Saturday or Sunday night as it's the same principal as lunch. I could be wrong though.

[raisab]

Joy oh joy! I wlked up to the resto tonight around @20:30 and asked if they had a table. yes they said, if you didn't mind sitting outside! Well they had heaters and blankets for your laps so I said yes!

Tonights menu:

Presse de Pommes ratte et foie grs, scrine, mousseline d'rtichut

St Jaques Marines, huile dolie, citron, cavir de hareng et peqilos

Selle d'agneau des Pyrenees rotie, cepes confits a huile d'olive Jus pied d'gneau

plateu de fromges affines pa P Bousoult

Salade de supreme d'orange et de pamplemousse. Fine gellee au campari, tuile sesame grillee (come to think of it, I don't think I was served this couse)

Le Bonbon de fondeur en chocolat Jaques Genin

It was all pretty fabulous except maybe the agneau itself. It was good but I would of prefered it a little more tender. I don't know wht happened to the salade de supreme. Maybe they asked me if I wanted it and I did not respond?

Mr Camdeborde himself was meeting and greeting everyone. He came and spoke with me at lest 5 times. He was also working behind the bar. What a wonderul little place and such a good value!

[fresh_a]

Great interview here with Camdeborde, and him dissing Senderens, and explaining his beginnings and philosophy on French gastronomy, the Michelin guide, etc...

[weinoo]

Thanks, fresh_a. I like his honesty and his quite obvious love for what he's doing.

[raisab]

That is a great interview with the chef.

When I wrote my other entry two nights ago it was 2:30 in the morning Paris time, and as I see it some things are not that clear. The chef was truly having a wonderful time that evening. He obviously has a well organized kitchen and thouroughly enjoys his art. I left more impressed with his comedy than anything else. La Regalade when he was chef was my favorite restaurant, but surely the true statement would be that Yves Camdeborde is my favorite chef. He creates places that people want to return to. The atmosphere, the hospitality, and goodness, the food, were magical. He certainly doesn't need anymore business, but if you can make it here, I believe you will not be dissapointed. This kind of restaurant is part of the magic of Paris.

[TarteTatin]

Also:

We took pictures when we were there last month, and friends said he looks a bit like an Elvis impersonator! Very cute.

How fun is that!

[John Talbott]

Joy oh joy! I wlked up to the resto tonight around @20:30 and asked if they had a table. yes they said, if you didn't mind sitting outside! Well they had heaters and blankets for your laps so I said yes!

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OK, I don't want to encourage bad behavior (ie not reserving ahead) but.....

This is the third report I've seen/heard of persons calling being told they were fully booked until "x" month but walking up and getting in (I know, it's worked for me in New York too). Add to what the airlines tell you, "call every week, something could open up;" walk up and ask (it happened to me at Pere Bise in the ancient past; could work for you too today.

[pierre45]

Joy oh joy! I wlked up to the resto tonight around @20:30 and asked if they had a table. yes they said, if you didn't mind sitting outside! Well they had heaters and blankets for your laps so I said yes!

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OK, I don't want to encourage bad behavior (ie not reserving ahead) but.....

This is the third report I've seen/heard of persons calling being told they were fully booked until "x" month but walking up and getting in (I know, it's worked for me in New York too). Add to what the airlines tell you, "call every week, something could open up;" walk up and ask (it happened to me at Pere Bise in the ancient past; could work for you too today.

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well .as i have reported earlier ihave tried to reserve and i was told that it was booked until jan. a few days ago i walked in on a thur night at 20.h30 with no reservation.the place was 40%empty. during dinner large groups of walk ins were seated ,mostly tourists. I think that Mr camdeborde has adopted a marketing gimming of creating an image of beeing in demand .He has no concerns of covering expenses as he is in a high tourist area.so not taking a reservation is not critical.

[John Talbott]

well .as i have reported earlier ihave tried to reserve and i was told that it was booked until jan. a few days ago i walked in on a thur night at 20.h30 with no reservation.the place was 40%empty. during dinner large groups of walk ins were seated ,mostly tourists. I think that Mr camdeborde has adopted a marketing gimming of creating an image of being in demand .He has no concerns of covering expenses as he is in a high tourist area.so not taking a reservation is not critical.

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Very interesting Pierre. You'll recall, I'm sure, Michael Todd (the third husband, if memory serves me, of Elizabeth Taylor and inventor of ToddAO, precursor of later widescreen films) who had insufficient customers at his Times Square cinema until (surely apocryphal) he put out a sign saying 2:30, 4:30 sold out, a few tickets remain for 6:30. I'm sure Yves is not in the same company.

[ComeUndone]

I suppose another report with picture doesn't hurt...the food portion for the bistro menu is huge. I'm not only referring to the dishes that I ordered...it was equally large for different dishes that I saw around me as well.

http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...day_lunch_.html

[ComeUndone]

I liked the food so much I returned a couple of days later for lunch again: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...er_lunch_a.html

[Images]

We have just returned from a short trip to Paris. We tried to make reservations at Le Comptoir du Relais before we left and were told that they were closed until February. We decided to stop in on this trip to make reservations for April, and found the restaurant totally torn apart. It is under construction on the inside, gutted, a total mess. We went into the hotel and asked when they would reopen and were told that it would not reopen until June.

Does anyone else have any news on this?

[Felice]

I liked the food so much I returned a couple of days later for lunch again: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...er_lunch_a.html

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Are you sure you were in the right place? I'm in that area fairly often and am pretty sure I've walked by in the last two weeks and didn't notice anything. It would seem strange for them to renovate so soon, seeing that they haven't been open all that long.

[John Talbott]

I liked the food so much I returned a couple of days later for lunch again: http://wscwong.blogs.friendster.com/desser...er_lunch_a.html

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Are you sure you were in the right place? I'm in that area fairly often and am pretty sure I've walked by in the last two weeks and didn't notice anything. It would seem strange for them to renovate so soon, seeing that they haven't been open all that long.

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Ditto; I walked by two weeks ago and saw nothing amiss.

[TarteTatin]

We called them on January 2nd and Madame said they were closed for the month of January.

So we strolled by a few days later, just to see, and it was, indeed, completely torn apart, for renovation...We were so sad!

[John Talbott]

We called them on January 2nd and Madame said they were closed for the month of January.

So we strolled by a few days later, just to see, and it was, indeed, completely torn apart, for renovation...We were so sad!

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That is strange since as Felice says, he just renovated it. My two thoughts are he wants more room in the dining area (which without the terrace was not huge) or had a structural problem.

[Ptipois]

I am not surprised. Since the first opening of this place I've felt the chef was not entirely satisfied with it. I suppose he could use a better-designed dining space, and a more ergonomic kitchen. He probably wants to make the place better suited to what he intends to do with it. I hope the renovation is indeed the right solution.

[fresh_a]

Madame Camdeborde told me a couple of weeks ago that they were closed for the entire month of January for renovation..

[Images]

This is the photo I took last week of Le Comptoir under renovation. Again, we were told they wouldn't reopen until June.

Le Comptoir

[cigalechanta]

This is this Sunday's New York Times.

Besides Le Comtoir, Gaya, Mon viell Ami, and Benoit.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/travel/22paris.html

[TarteTatin]

There's also a picture in today's New York Times.

Darn. Now it'll be even more difficult to get in!

(When it opens again!)

[Felice]

This is the photo I took last week of Le Comptoir under renovation.  Again, we were told they wouldn't reopen until June.

Le Comptoir

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I walked by tonight and there is a sign saying they are closed for renovations until th end of the month.

[John Talbott]

I walked by tonight and there is a sign saying they are closed for renovations until the end of the month.

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You'd think this was on a level with the hour by hour recounting of the sinking of the Titanic; but here's today's bulletin: I talked to two carpenters on the sidewalk, aka terrace, fitting wood that looked awfully much like recessed lighting covers and my question: when will you be done?/when will it reopen; ans: either dimanche or demain soir depending on how deaf/unlearned you/I are/am. In any case, if it reopens this week I'll be surprised, it's a shambles. But, these guys said the issue is the kitchen reconstruction anyway.