Le Relais

My wife and I are going to Le Relais tonight to celebrate our 4th anniversary. We have never been and are looking forward to the experience. I keep reading about the "more casual" atmosphere, and am wondering what the dress code entails. Are tie and jacket required (I'll wear a sport coat anyways so really just tie)? We are planning on hitting the Improv after dinner so if I could not be the guy with full suit on 4th street that would be great.

[Robin Garr]

My wife and I are going to Le Relais tonight to celebrate our 4th anniversary. We have never been and are looking forward to the experience. I keep reading about the "more casual" atmosphere, and am wondering what the dress code entails. Are tie and jacket required (I'll wear a sport coat anyways so really just tie)? We are planning on hitting the Improv after dinner so if I could not be the guy with full suit on 4th street that would be great.

Mark, you'll be fine without a tie. Personally, I generally tie one on for Le Relais, but it's certainly not necessary. They wouldn't throw you out if you didn't wear a jacket, but certainly sports jacket and open collar shirt would be fine.

I re-reviewed Le Relais fairly recently, by the way. Love that place!
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/bistr ... ess-pricey

I've been to Le Relais a few times. Each time, I've worn slacks and a collared shirt and have never felt out of place. Even though there are folks in suits, Anthony and his staff do an excellent job of making your experience a comfortable and pleasant one.

We are planning on hitting the Improv after dinner ...

Good idea on getting food before the show. I went to the Improv when it opened, and after my wife and I purchased our mandated two items/person, we ended up spending $50 (more than the price of the two tickets) on two mediocre apps and two drinks.

$8.75 for a bottle of BBC? Really?

Next time we go, my "two item minimum" will be two Diet Cokes.

I never wear a tie or jacket when visiting Le Relais. I typically just wear a dress shirt & slacks. My wife & always go there for her birthday.

Have a good evening at Le Relais. it's a nice special occasion restaurant.
We're going to the Improv tonight as well but going to the first show.
restaurants.com has Improv gift certificates for food, which isn't that great (think TGI Friday's)but can get you out of there spending less than 30 bucks for two people.
If you sign up for their E-mail list then they send you offers for free shows all of the time!
We've only paid the cover charge once.

Jacket, slacks, no tie is my mode of dress at Le Relais. It's been a favorite of ours for 20+ years. I preferred the "pre-bistro" approach but still love it.

Le Relais was fantastic! I'll spare a full review since it pretty similar to those posted on various websites. I will say that my wife's trout was unbelievable. As for the dress, I went with slacks, dress shirt, and blazer while others in view were in polo shirts, so I think Le Relais has a good handle on things. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed we could have gotten 2 drinks, an appetizer, 2 entrees, and a dessert to split for $99 (including $16 tip). What a great place!