La Relais

A fine dining restaurant we ate at in St.Lucia ( at the Ladera Resort) was totally open air ( no walls), way up on a mountain. Fabulous! There were water guns on every table to strafe errant birds.

Deb

Nothing beats looking at a Mountain Lion 20 yards away from us at a place on the side of a mountain outside of Phoenix..... Great burgers and atmosphere at the place, but that scared the hell out of me. I looked at it, picked up my beer and went inside as quickly and quietly as possible, got my wife and went home. Never told her what I saw.

I'll take rats and birds any day. They just want a bite to eat of whats on your plate, not a bite of you.

Speaking of outdoor critters, Avalon has a regular critter. It's a squirrel that the staff has named Frances. The manager there, Larry Watson, claims Frances has been there since the Bobby J's days. Frances comes quite close to the diners but, to my knowledge, has not bitten anyone. Critters are a part of outdoor dining. My husband and I have chosen to eat at Avalon over other places just to see if Frances was around. As a matter of fact, when their patio opens, I want to go and see how Frances is doing. Heck, I would take critters over a lot of human beings out there.

SEEING a critter while dining on a patio, is one thing, being BITTEN by that critter is something else entirely.

I can see the critter wanting to swipe some of my food, the critter thinking Im food is something completely different.

not to mention that we arent discussing a nice clean pet rat like you had in science class we are talking about a wild animal that certainly hasnt been to a vet to be vaccinated.

Ive never had them but Ive been told that the series of shots they do for rabies SUCKS.

I dont hold anything against the restaurant, it was an uncontrolable accident. However, I could definately see it causing some apprehension, and would definately make me choose for the dining room, over the patio. But it wouldnt keep me away from the restaurant.

When I first dined at Le Relais, I was a little disappointed by the menu; it seemed a little stodgy and old-fashioned. Once I tasted the food, however, I realized how horribly wrong I was. The food was EXCELLENT, and though it was cllassic, it isn't stodgy at all. The atmosphere is elegant; it's a place that is classic rather than hip, and sometimes that's a very good thing.

Yes, someone was bitten outside. The restaurant can't help that; an airfield is, after all, a field, and it has wildlife. The inside is immaculate.

If you haven't been, you'd be doing yourself a huge disfavor by not going, so if you can still get a reservation for tomorrow, GO.

Yes, you should still go, and try the Rat au Poivre avec pommes frites . I would pair this with a nice Gigondas. They do have a nice wine list.

about the rat..it was not a wild rat it was a pet brought by a customer that got away..how can the restaurant prevent this? I'm sure you could call Anthony to confirm this..instead of perpetuating this sort of thing.

and yes I see the irony in posting this three days after the last post

about the rat..it was not a wild rat it was a pet brought by a customer that got away..how can the restaurant prevent this? I'm sure you could call Anthony to confirm this..instead of perpetuating this sort of thing.

Who the he** brings a pet rat to a restaurant?

Well I went and it was awesome! Of course I was tucked away in one of the most beautiful if not romantic dining rooms in the state. I ordered the trout meuniere and my companion ordered the salmon. He started with the Caesar (always does) but I started with the chevre salad. The salad was ample. Slices of baguette with toasted chevre at 3, 6, & 9 with a mound of greens lightly tossed with a tarragon vinaigrette holding down the center of the plate. Simple presentation but very effective and fresh! Delic. And then came the trout with haricot vert(s?) and in my case, au gratin potatoes. The trout was rich, rich, rich and velvety....no other words will do. The "herbie" haricot vert were crisp and a brilliant green, so a great contrast. I ate them like pommes frites.

On the menu, the trout comes with fingerling potatoes but there is no way I'm going to Le Relais and not order the au gratin. If necessary, I was willing to switch entrees. And though it was as rich as the trout, it presented it's own distinct flavors and really delivered them. The au gratin could cure the economy if given the chance! The portions were so large, I ordered a doggy bag and went no further in the menu. I didn't even taste the salmon which is unusual for me. (BTW Donna, a new server for Le Relais who has worked for Bim since The Hearthstone and The Bristol, said Bim was in on Thursday and doing well. So there is your Bim spotting. ) The service was great, Anthony was everywhere on the floor that night. It's such an intimate dining room too which is nice. I like the new Bistro menu. The classics are spot on, the portions are ample and the value is there. It was awesome. CD

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I hope the OP overcame her fears and dined there. Does anyone know who she is?