Paris - Le Comptoir de La Gastronomie

While we had enjoyed our time visiting Champagne, Alsace, and Lyon, the Missus was so excited to be back in Paris. After quickly getting settled into our room at Hotel Malte. The Missus had enjoyed visiting the 2nd Arrondisement and while I like the 7th, I thought it would be nice staying somewhere other than the 7th or the Latin Quarter. It would turn out that the Missus really enjoyed the 2nd. Anyway, with no plans, other than perhaps to do some shopping and do what we love doing in Paris; wander and enjoy. Until recently, I didn't even know there was a French term for what we do in Paris; it's called Flâneur or flânerie a term I first heard on that wonderful podcast, The Earful Tower.

And so we headed out, taking a quick walk through the Jardin du Palais Royal a half block away from the hotel. Framed by arcades on three sides, this was an oasis of peace from the hustle and bustle of Paris on a Wednesday afternoon.

From here it was short stroll to one of the Missus's shopping stops; the Louis Vuitton Vendome location which had just completed setting up for Christmas.

Sadly, the Missus couldn't find anything She wanted to spend Her hard earned money on....so She did the next best thing; She bought something for me.....more on that later in the post.

But heck, we were in the Place Vendome area, known for all the luxury shops in the area.

From here, the Missus indicated She wanted to see the Christmas Window displays and tree at Galeries Lafayette, so we just wandered on over. On our way we strolled through this interesting square and this Statue.

Apparently, this is Place Edouard VII. So, a square in honor of the King of the United Kingdom in Paris, eh? Apparently, "Bertie" as he was called, a man of great um...appetites, loved Paris......though I don't think the square is named in his honor because of his excesses or his, ahem....taste in furniture. Perhaps it's because of his role in getting the Entente Cordial completed.

Anyway, in Paris, every corner, every block, and every square has a story. You can find an interesting blog post on the square here.

Soon enough we arrived at Galeries Lafayette. There's something about the window displays and the Christmas Tree inside the department store that brings out the inner child in me. Perhaps because I spent much of my childhood as a Jehovah's Witness and we didn't celebrate Christmas and this just has me imagining that this is what the holiday season should be like. Maybe not, because the Missus just loves this as well.

We slowly worked our way back to the hotel, took a break, and then headed out to dinner.

I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out what we'd have for this dinner. And naturally, after reading all those blog (and you know....those other sites) posts on Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie….and oh, my, all that foie gras. Sold! So, we made our way the few blocks over to rue Montmatre  (funny thing as I'm a trip behind on my Paris posts; this is currently our favorite area of the city) and the restaurant, which is half deli/restaurant. We had reservations, which was good thing since the place filled up really fast.

Man, was there a queue lining up! And remember me mentioning that all the Korean tourists had vanished from Les Cocottes on our last visit? Well, I think this is their hot spot right now as two-thirds of the customers were either Korean or Chinese tourists.

One of the reasons I picked "Le Comptoir" were all the duck and foie gras dishes. So, we started with a very nice bottle of wine that the friendly, but over-worked Server helped the Missus select.

And the first dish up was the "Pan Seared Foie Gras with Gingerbread and Mixed Salad" (20€ - about $22/US).

We enjoyed the greens; the dressing had a nice acidity. The gingerbread toast was interesting. Of course, I didn't order this for the greens or the toast. The foie gras was terrible, over-cooked, mealy, with sinewy strings in it. It had that texture we call "dog food". Because it was burned on one end, it was quite bitter.

The Foie Gras Ravioli with Truffle Sauce (21€ - about $23.25/US) was better, if having a bit of a greasy texture to it.

The truffle cream sauce overwhelmed the foie gras in the pasta; which was over-cooked as well. You couldn't make out the rich-earthy sweetness of the foie. Too much of a good thing with regards to truffle oil dumped on a typical cream sauce here.

The last dish of the evening was the Cassoulet "Gratine" (18€ - about $20/US).  I enjoy a good cassoulet and even make a version at home; so this was my pick for the meal. Unfortunately, well......this time around, the photo says it all.

The duck was over-cooked (seems to be the theme), hard, and dry. Everything else was so bland and not hot either.

We've had a couple of mediocre meals in Paris before; but nothing that was this bad. You know, it's tough.....if this were San Diego, I'd have made a couple more visits to see if it was an off night, or just not do a post at all. But, when one goes on vacation, spending $$$ to get to a place....working on selecting something ahead of time, well...… I will say this; TripAdvisor and Yelp loves this place....which is why....you know....

Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie
34 rue Montmartre
75001 Paris, France

Well, there was some good (I think) news. The Missus just couldn't find anything She wanted at Louis Vuitton, so She decided I needed a new messenger bag (She hated the one I used to use). Knowing little about the LV brand other than the rather distinctive patterns and logos, I figured that I could get out of this by telling Her that "I don't want loud patterns or a logo on my bag"....hah, that would end things right there....but no, with the help of the wonderful (these sales people are amazing) young lady.....they found me my current bag.....I'm not going to say how much it cost; because I get the heebies when I think of it. So yes, I take an LV bag to work everyday and folks, unless I tell them, can't even tell.

 

Comments

[kat]

always a nice visit in paris :)

[Kirk]

Always Kat!

[Junichi]

Those Christmas decorations are fantastic. If that doesn't cheer you up I don't think anything will. Bummer dinner was sub par. Especially after doing research and having high expectations going in.

[Kirk]

You really can't help but get into the holiday spirit when you see all the decorations Junichi.