Le Relais

Last saturday night i ventured out for an 8 o'clock dinner appointment at Le Relais. We tried a booked solid Jack Fry's to no avail and the classic french cuisine of Anthony Dike was our quick second choice. After a jaunt through the lobby to look at the cool retro-airline photos, we walked in the back door to a semi-bustling scene with smiles on the faces of the diners who were getting their fill of the great food being served. My father had entered slightly before us and we saw him smiling at the table to the right of the front door and went over to join him. sierra sat on the bench seat next to him and jennifer and i faced them in the bistro seats. i had read that they simplified their menu and had dropped their prices accordingly. i was apprehensive that the excellent fare might have been compromised and was anxious to view the new menu.

the list of starters seemed to be a very apt list to satisfy the franc in any one. the list was highlighted by a pork pate that was served with two baby sweet pickles, pickled red onions, and whole grain mustard, along with two crisp wafers. the velvet smooth pate was wrapped with uncooked bacon and the flavor of the pate nary needed any of the accoutrements to send my taste buds into the fourth dimension. This was as good as the best pates i have had in france, switzerland, or anywhere else for that matter. Dad settled into the crabcake appetizer that i had ordered on my previous trip here. i had a bite and although it was prepared perfectly, it did not re-kindle the dazzlement of my memory. this could have been because i was so enamored with my pate. Jennifer had a salad which had nice flavor, although there was not a large amount of creativity in the caesar, i presume the menu was following the m.o. of classic french. the salad was a solid choice. Sierra decided on the mussels after i hyped the "snails" all day. at 3 years old, i was excited she considered the escargots de bourgogne as long as she did, and she always eats what she orders, so i felt fate took a hand as she assured the waiter the mussels were best for her. best is a great word to describe this dish. the 15-20 shellfish were soaking in a white wine shallot sauce and topped with pommes frites. the sauce was so good i swear i would have drank it after she polished off the mussels if a straw had been provided. ok- maybe a little hyperbole there, but maybe not. the fries were 'garlicky' and were excellent for sopping up as much of that great jus as possible. the pissaladiere was a tough choice to pass up, but we had four superb starters nonetheless.

as we were finishing up our first plates, the second ones arrived. perhaps a few minutes of digestion would have been welcomed to savor the dishes, but the kitchen cannot see our progress, and our waiter was perfect in all other matters, so i will not hover on this slight miscue. jennifer and sierra split the salmon with hollondaise sauce. jennifer has become a big fan of salmon in the past year and this dish seemed to satisfy with a meaty excellence. the bed of lentils served as a nice texture enhancer to a fish that can come out dry even when cooked with great care. the portion was ample for the two of them. dad had the special steak covered in a bistro sauce that contained mushrooms and almost had the consistency of a gravy. the medium rare beef was very tender and had enough fat on it to enhance the flavor without being over-powering. i had the coquilles st. jacques which were four plump scallops that were of exteremely high quality. i was saddened to see two of the four had been seared for a minute too long on the one side. the chef knew to only sear one side, but must've been checking on another dish and let that one side stay in the pan too long. i sliced off the underside of the two "fried" scallops and went on enjoying the winter vegetables and mushrooms which provided a wonderful land mix to the fruit of the sea. even with the cooking mistake i was still thinking of this dish on the ride back to shelbyville.

For dessert Jennifer and sierra split the profiteroles. the ice cream was great, but the bourbon sauce seemed to be a bit over the top for my taste buds. i am pretty sure that the regular chocolate sauce was not meant to be improved on when greats like paul bocuse perfected this sweet treat. i had a creme brulee which was on par. i don't know what i was expecting, but the dish just seemed to coast by. i should have taken my father's wisdom to heart and ordered the cheese. 'if the available cheeses are served with care on a beautiful piece of petrified wood, go with the cheese, Ash' he should have said. there were two double cream cows milk versions that were very good, but the semi-hard english cheese and the blue from Australia were the ones that left me feeling like i made the wrong choice. sierra barely let anyone try any of the english cheese as she thought the stick cuts made for excellent swords, and then she ate them. this cheese selection showed an excellent nose as the textures and flavors were well thought out and varied.

well, my apprehensions were expelled after being reassured that Le Relais is at the upper echelon of Louisville dining, as it always has been. the service was top notch, even intuitive enough to inform us that Bobby J is performing on Thursday nights at Volare. He thought Sierra was too cool by ordering all of that "grown-up" food, and she ate that up as quickly as the mussels. the host is top notch and the decor holds a special place in my heart and always will. ambiance should never be overlooked when the experience is what keeps diners coming back, not the food, the service, or the decor seperately- one must mesh all of these into one. and Le Relais does just that. excellent **** (although not as strong of a 4 as last time)