Discussion of Robin Garr's La Coop review

[Robin Garr]

La Coop brings bistro to town
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr



Since the loss of Deitrich’s and the short-lived Le Beaujolais at the Douglass Loop, the lack of a good French bistro in this town has been a major whining point for foodies. Sure, we have the awesome Le Relais, but it’s a fancy, upscale restaurant, hardly a bistro by any standard.

So what is a bistro? It’s hard to define simply in English, but let’s call it the Parisian model of a friendly, family-owned neighborhood restaurant that offers a simple bill of fare and tasty libations at wallet-friendly prices, with no pomp or circumstance.

The word bistro — often rendered as “bistrot” in France — is said to derive from the 1814 occupation of Paris by Russian soldiers after Napoleon’s loss at Waterloo, an event that gave us, among other things, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and maybe the bistro, too.

The impatient soldiers would hammer on the table with their fists, yelling “Bystra!,” which means, more or less, “Move your butt!” in Russian. Eager to please, or at least to get the rude Russkies out of there, Parisian restaurateurs responded with a quick-service concept based on a simple menu and drinks list aimed at rapid service in an informal setting.

Believe me, there’ll be no need for pounding the table and bellowing at La Coop Bistro à Vins, newly arrived in the former home of 732 Social in the Green Building. Gossip-hounds will recall that the wildly popular 732 went down in an ugly divorce between its owners Steven and Michael Ton and their partner and chef Jayson Lewellyn. The Ton brothers, who also own Doc Crow’s and Basa Modern Vietnamese, are now joined by their partner at Crow’s, wine-geek extraordinaire Brett Davis, in La Coop.

A real winner in my book, La Coop captures a lot of authentic bistro spirit in a nicely redone venue that makes me, for one, feel very much as if I’m dining in Paris, except that the servers are a hell of a lot easier to understand.

We found the mood, the food from former Oakroom chef Bobby Benjamin’s kitchen, and the service all outstanding during a recent evening meal.

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/la-co ... ro-to-town

And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/la-coop-brings-bistro-town

La Coop Bistro à Vins
732 E. Market St.
410-2888
http://www.coopbistro.com
Rating: 91

My wife and I's experience there this past Saturday was wonderful. I can tell I am in the awesome zone when my toes curl up from the goodness. Toes were curling up the entire time. My new favorite. Check it out!

Our experience was very good. The duck confit in the cassoulet was not prepared particularly well but we liked everything else and the service was excellant. We ate outside about a week ago - hard to believe it was 732 given the changes they've made. I hope they rotate the menu with some seasonal options. We still give the nod to Le Relais but this is a fine alternative.

[Robin Garr]

We still give the nod to Le Relais but this is a fine alternative.

Do you feel they're directly competitive, though, Mark? I love Le Relais, but except that both are French, it seems to me that they're in different niches: Fine restaurant vs bistro. For me, calling that race would be more of a mood thing than anything I could do qualitatively.

Not arguing here, just ruminating ...

La Coop brings bistro to town
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

...stuffed eggplant, the only vegetarian option)

Ruminating on the review I kept coming back to these 6 words. Something about saying it's the only vegetarian option really seemed as if you were putting their lack of vegetarian plat options in a negative light.
In a traditional french bistro (L'Ami Louis, Allard) you are lucky if you see one vegetarian option and the same holds true for American French Bistros (JoJo from Jean Georges, DB Bistro Moderne from Daniel Boulud, and even Balthazar (Which has 2, but is really more of a brasserie and a much much larger restaurant)).

I think for the size of the kitchen and restaurant space they have as well as the concept being french bistro the menu is well balanced, if you include the seafood dishes the vegetarian/seafood choices are 4 out of the 8 possible plats.

Overall though it is a very well written review and well deserved. My two meals there have been nothing short of excellent food wise. Service was a bit shaky opening night, but improved drastically by my second visit. Tried to make a third visit last Saturday at 9:30pm only to be told they were on an hour wait! And we all know Louisville doesn't like to wait for much.

[Robin Garr]

Ruminating on the review I kept coming back to these 6 words. Something about saying it's the only vegetarian option really seemed as if you were putting their lack of vegetarian plat options in a negative light.

No. You're thinking too hard. It was a mere statement of fact.

[Robin Garr]

No. You're thinking too hard. It was a mere statement of fact.

Note also that I rated them 91, which would fall into the CJ's four-star range. I really do think you're stretching to defend them where no defense is necessary, Ryan. I LOVE La Coop!

Maybe I just need to get with the reality of the 21st century, but am I wrong in thinking that $115 for two isn't exactly "wallet-friendly prices?" That puts it squarely in the special-occasion bracket for this average joe and his average-joe salary.

Ruminating on the review I kept coming back to these 6 words. Something about saying it's the only vegetarian option really seemed as if you were putting their lack of vegetarian plat options in a negative light.

No. You're thinking too hard. It was a mere statement of fact.

Over analyzing is such a double edged sword.

Hi Robin,
La Coop is one of the few new places I've been interested in trying and your review has heightened my interest. French Pub food sounds appealing to me. I found a mention somewhere online that they have a selection of Belgium/French ales. My assumption (may be the wrong one) is that these are all bottled. Ok, fair enough. I found out recently that French style beer paired with French foods can be a delicious combination.

I would like to know what beers they have available and what they are charging for a bottle. Their website is not functional at the moment. Did you or anyone else who's been there happen to notice? Cheers!

Will somebody please start serving "la poutine" in Louisville. I'm currently in Quebec City and already had it three times to make up for the rest of the year when I can't get it in the Ville.

Note: Please don't refer to some faux poutine as we discuused last year in this forum. I'm talking about straightforward, 3-ingrediants poutine. If Burger King can pull it off in Ontario, I'm sure somebody can crack the code in Louisville, or at least figure how to import the cheese.

[Robin Garr]

Maybe I just need to get with the reality of the 21st century, but am I wrong in thinking that $115 for two isn't exactly "wallet-friendly prices?" That puts it squarely in the special-occasion bracket for this average joe and his average-joe salary.

I get your drift, Jeff, and guess I'm comparing it to most of its neighbors along East Market, where it's probably competitively priced with Harvest, Wiltshire, Rye and Garage Bar and a little below Decca. Also note that this price incorporated both cocktails (Kir Petillant) and a $40-something bottle of wine, so I'd call it fairly wallet-friendly for food (basically all entrees under $20), but you can run the price right up with alcohol.

Will somebody please start serving "la poutine" in Louisville. I'm currently in Quebec City and already had it three times to make up for the rest of the year when I can't get it in the Ville.

Note: Please don't refer to some faux poutine as we discuused last year in this forum. I'm talking about straightforward, 3-ingrediants poutine. If Burger King can pull it off in Ontario, I'm sure somebody can crack the code in Louisville, or at least figure how to import the cheese.

Jim- Although it isn't remotely like your Qubecoise "la poutine", Equus/Jack's has an incredibly yummy KY Poutine. It is parmesan fries with chicken gravy and mozzarella shreds. No brown gravy or curds here, but really good nonetheless.

[Robin Garr]

I would like to know what beers they have available and what they are charging for a bottle. Their website is not functional at the moment. Did you or anyone else who's been there happen to notice? Cheers!

Shane, about a dozen beers, all bottled, all French or Belgian except for "Roi de Bieres Petite" and "Roi de Bieres," which are Bud Light and Bud, respectively.

Here's a shot of the beer list - sorry it's not real clear, but I hope you can make it out:

I would like to know what beers they have available and what they are charging for a bottle. Their website is not functional at the moment. Did you or anyone else who's been there happen to notice? Cheers!

Shane, about a dozen beers, all bottled, all French or Belgian except for "Roi de Bieres Petite" and "Roi de Bieres," which are Bud Light and Bud, respectively.

Here's a shot of the beer list - sorry it's not real clear, but I hope you can make it out:

Thanks Robin. That Page-24 Biere De Printemps is one I've had and it was amazing! One of the most balanced beers I can remember ever having. Let's have one of those (750ml) at $18 and a couple of the smaller ones at $9. Do they have a happy hour? Just kidding!.

Sounds fine for an occasional splurge and a bit cheaper than a trip to France. Although I should get one of you pairing experts to go with me on this one. Left to my own devices I'll just drink that bitter ale all evening and Bob's your uncle. Cheers!