April 2006
Paris ’06
by Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng
LE COMPTOIR
L’Hôtel Relais Saint-Germain
9, Carrefour de L’Odéon
75006 Paris
01.44.27.07.97
I’ve stopped counting the number of trips I’ve been making back to Paris since first having lived there in 1990 on the Smith College Junior Year Abroad Program. Suffice it to say, it’s been a 16-year-long-distance relationship; One that I am fully devoted to and still very much in love with. On my last few trips to France, I spent most of my time visiting wineries and meeting winemakers so I was hardly in Paris. I have wanted to write a piece on wine bars (or rather bistrots à vin) for a while but never stayed long enough to visit the ones I wanted to until the most recent trip.
The timing couldn’t have been better. I synchronized my last trip with the riots in November, and this time I arrived in the middle of the student protests against the CPE (First Employment Contract). With much delay, I got into the city much later than I had expected causing me to miss a delicious lunch I had planned in my head at Le Pré Verre. As soon as I plonked down my luggage, I headed out from the 5th arrondissement to the 7th arrondissement to run some errands.
I ended up at Le Comptoir right after I got into Paris centre ville. On my way from Maubert Mutualité close to the Sorbonne to run some quick errands near the department store Le Bon Marché in the 7th arrondissement, I stopped by what I remembered as a casual café to have a light late lunch (hopeful to find a good glass of wine). Turns out the spot I remembered is now under the direction of Yves Camdeborde (also owner of the Hôtel Relais Saint-Germain next door).
A Drappier Brut Nature as champagne by the glass pleasantly surprised me — a bargain at €6 (at least by New York standards, where a flute can easily top $15). As I had a birthday dinner to attend that night and it was already late afternoon, I opted for the chilled asparagus soup with tapioca and foie gras (€7). The soup sounded divine, and the asparagus base was indeed very vibrant and refreshing. But the tapioca was an unnecessary hindrance while the dense little pieces of foie gras just felt too heavy. Suffice it to say the soup didn’t quite work. But I was just so happy to find myself smack in the middle of Odéon enjoying my first meal in Paris, that I couldn’t complain. Plus, I was indulging in the Drappier. Pale onion skin in tone, it was a 100 percent Pinot Noir non-dosé bubbly (meaning it is a completely dry champagne with no residual sugar added to the final wine-making process). I was really paying attention to this elegant wine. It had all the Pinot Noir characteristics of red fruits, with just enough acidity that kicked in and kept it in balance. Since it had no dosage, the acidity had to be just right or it would have been too harsh to enjoy. A good start to my first glass of champagne in Paris!
Satisfied, I ordered my usual after-the-meal espresso. I smiled when it arrived. Ah… It’s all about the little details that make me appreciate France. The espressos always come with a thin piece of dark chocolate, sometimes a chocolate covered nut. In this case, it was a little cube of nougat with nuts. How could I not smile?
A glance at the wine list revealed fun and eclectic choices. Just to give you a peak at the apéros: an Authentique Absinthe de Pontarlier by François Guy (€6), a Pastis d’Autrefois La Muse Verte (€4) or yet a Pineau des Charentes Rouge, François 1er by Dominique Rivière (€6). Surely a rendezvous spot I will be suggesting to friends for drinks on my next trip, maybe giving the food a second try.
