Finally went to Le Relais

After being in Louisville, finally went to Le Relais a couple of weeks ago. It was fabulous.

The crab cake and smoked salmon appetizers were quite good--I found the crab cake to be a surprisingly interesting variation on a crab cake. My wife's trout dish reminded me of what is so lovely about French food. My steak au poivre was quite good (although I'd get the trout if I went back). My son enjoyed his poulet, and my brother-in-law raved about the duck special.

We did not get dessert, so can't say anything about that, but it was a very lovely meal. It reminds me how odd it is that french restaurants are so hard to find in the U.S.

It reminds me how odd it is that french restaurants are so hard to find in the U.S.

I think it has more to do with cost than with quality. Let's face it--good French restaurants are expensive. There are quite a few in the larger cities, but not much in the mainstream suburbia.

It's not the same, but at least a few franchises are creeping along--La Madeleine and Le Pain Quotidien just to mention those two. I was in Washington DC last week and dipped into a Le Pain Quotidien. Unfortunately, I had just finished lunch. But I must say that the place was impressive. There are franchises in several East Coast cities. La Madeleine is located mainly in the South.

I'd love to see either of these franchises move into our neck of the woods to at least up the ante from Qdoba and Chipotle..

It reminds me how odd it is that french restaurants are so hard to find in the U.S.

I think it has more to do with cost than with quality..

While I agree that the cost is a big part of it, I think there's also the "feeling" (whether true or not) that French restaurants are the last bastion of uber-rich sauces, that it's impossible to order without a ton of butter, cream, and other fats, and that people just aren't eating like that today!

I know we spend a lot of time in Chicago, and there are a few French places there (Mon Ami Gabi, the now-closed Cyrano's) that are both inexpensive and have some lightly-sauced dishes, but here in Louisville it's tough to find affordable AND light. The last time we ate at Provence (other than for a wine dinner) I had steak frites, and there seemed like a half stick of butter covering the steak and lining the plate!