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This is no summer for Paris. The dollar scraped at it lowest value next to the Euro in July, killing the usual American summer European trekking, and coining a new, tacky line- "the American Peso." For myself and Mrs. LBT, the pull to Paris was two-fold, as we were visiting family, and taking advantage of our lighter summer schedule (the school calendar does have its advantages).
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My last full trip to Paris was at the beginning of the birth of the Euro, where you could still pay with Francs, and the dollar reigned like the Roman-like dot-com era, ready to burst and deflate. Choosing restaurants was no hard feat, as long as you could get in. This visit, nearly a decade later, we chose to pass on the still-transcendent shopping, and focus our peso on some gastronomy.
In Paris, true home of the trend, the
gastro-bistro has been on the rise for the past couple years.
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Small, modest pub-like atmospheres feature foams and terrines as if they were mayonnaise with your steak frites and fries, and priced to continue this illusion. Another feature of the
gastro-bistro is extremely limited seating; on our weekday visit to Le Comptoir du Relais, the food patrons waited patiently with copies of Le Monde or the Herald-Tribune until the host nodded everyone in at the stroke of noon. Sure enough, even the few outdoor tables filled up on the rainy afternoon within minutes.
We started with a shared salad of artichoke, green beans and foie gras with a delicate mustard dressing. Not always versed on the varietal of words for meats,
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the Mrs and I both ordered chicken, but the contrast between the two only illuminated the great extension that a good French chef can confound the bird.
Mrs. LBT ordered a chicken terrine on a bed of risotto, complimented by a light, citrus foam. I went for the
coquelet, which I fancied as some wild offal, but quickly discovered was merely a young chicken. However, this perfectly tender bird was complimented with a rich
au jus to inspire a thousand blogs. The mode of wine in July is the rosé, and my glass helped break down all those food toxins only Americans worry about.
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For dessert, we opted for a walk around Saint Germain, and then a visit to Crêpe du Jour, the latest addition to Le Comptoir's empire on the block, which also includes a hotel.
Le Comptoir du Relais
5, Carrefour de l'Odéon
75006 Paris
+33 (0)1 44 27 07 97