Paris: Le Comptior de la Gastronomie
Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie is a gourmet food and wine enthusiasts perfect pairing. The gourmet grocery store that connects to Le Comptoir Restaurant is both a tease and a prelude to what is pending. Jars of foie gras, wrapped torchons, cases of preserves, and a hand selected wine corner welcomes you to the foodie’s candy store. If that weren’t enough, a vast selection of cured hams and salamis beckons you, until you catch a glimpse of their black truffles from Perigord. At 1,300 euros per kilo, the smaller jars of these fresh truffles suddenly gain my full attention.
A hundred year old epicerie with lavish delicacy from all over France is truly a sight to be savored. The store is a visual feast; a sort of visual amuse bouche as for what is to come. A this point, I’m visually stuffed; it’s time to grab an outdoor table at Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie. I’m confident that they can live up to 800 year old credo of Les Halles district; ‘The Stomach of Paris.’
Sitting outside on a perfect September evening is a treat all its own, but pair that with an indulgent meal comprised of foie gras in two out of our four dishes, now that is something special. Foie gras, like a perfect late summer’s evening in Paris, can be either too overbearing and leave you waning, or under bearing and leave you wanting. With back to back foie gras dishes, I don’t think that we are going to be left wanting.
We started off with a generous slice of a foie gras patè served with mango chutney and the surprising addition of slivered pickled ginger. The foie was everything you could ever want. That rich, deep livery flavor would soon encompass golden toast points, which inevitably melts in your mouth while lending a subtle crunch to the building of food euphoria. That all too familiar pop of pickled ginger lifts the sweetness of the chutney and the whole experience to another level. French bread, a smear of traditional foie gras, a dollop of Indian chutney, finished with a sliver of Japanese ginger. This is nouveau French cuisine in one bite.
As our dining experience continues to creep past an hour and a half, the sunlight begins to weave in and out from in between the Parisian skyline. I couldn’t help but notice how the energetic servers parried through the sidewalk traffic, and around chairs, to eagerly greet their guests. The service was one of the most remarkable aspects of Le Comptoir. In a city that can often be typecast as arrogant and impolite, Le Comptoir’s extra friendly and helpful staff informed me that acting like a snob is not what they do around here. “You might find that in other restaurants, but not here. Here, we like to have a good time.” This is just one more reason to venture to Le Comptoir.
In case you’re wondering about the kitchen well, let’s just say that they are doing something right too. Imagine house made raviolis enveloping seared morsels of foie gras like a silk blanket. The foie gras stuffed raviolis with a white cream truffle sauce is a decadent dish without bounds. Each bursting at the seams ravioli swims in a doubly rich truffle cream sauce. Flavors of earthy black truffles, salted butter, and cream coat your mouth. As every slice spills the foie gras into this heavenly pool of cream filled wonder.
Our final plate was a gorgeous yet generous portion of pan-seared duck breast. Each bite is a crisp reminder that the French really do know how to crisp up a duck and find that perfect cook somewhere between mid-rare and medium. Of course you can’t be in France and not expect a magnificent sauce to accompany a hearty protein. An inventive sauce comprised of a cardamom infused balsamic reduction gently touches your sense of smell before you venture in for that first bite. The pomme pureè, yet another standout, had almost equal parts butter to potato ratio. Jayme liked to dip some of the pureè into the truffle cream sauce of the raviolis. No complaints here.
Be it the intoxicating atmosphere, the rich history of Les Halles, the approachable waiters, or the desire to shop even after a full meal of duck and foie gras. ‘Le Comptoir’ immerses you into a hundred year old tradition of keeping locals, tourist, and the foie gras starved denizens satisfied. Les Halles maybe known as ‘The Stomach of Paris,” but ‘Le Comptoir de la Gastromie’ is clearly its taste buds.
