New chef makes great addition to Le Relais
by Hollie Hopkins

Since arriving on Louisville's dining scene over a decade ago, Le Relais has deservedly earned its reputation for exquisite food and top-notch service. With the recent addition of a new chef, Daniel Stage, the restaurant should easily maintain its lofty position among Louisville's finest.

Actually, Stage is a repeat at Le Relais, having served as a sous chef there about six years ago. In the interim, he has presided over the kitchen at Louisville Country Club, returning to Le Relais last month as top toque for lunch and dinner.

Le Relais is located in the right side of the terminal at the Bowman Field entrance off Taylorsville Road. Inside, the space has an intimate, 1940s feel; plush banquettes line the walls, white-clothed tables are closely spaced and burled-wood veneer walls add warmth to the room. A small bar stands at the rear. When I enter, I am always reminded of Rick's Café in the movie Casablanca.

Despite this inviting interior, my friend and I took advantage of a recent balmy evening to dine on the deck. There, the scenery included blue skies, wispy cloud and all manner of small aircraft coming and going. Our server promptly took our drink orders: Tanqueray and tonic for me and Stolichnaya and tonic for my friend. As we sipped our cocktails and enjoyed the view, we perused the menu.

Starters, priced at $5.95 to $13.50, include a green bean salad with roasted shallots and a Dijon vinaigrette, roasted garlic served with gorgonzola and pan-roasted foie gras with plum chutney and polenta. The 10 entré selections, priced from $17.75 to $25.75, offer tantalizing choices like a salt-roasted duck with caramelized vegetables and tuna served with orange-pistachio couscous and a brown-butter vinaigrette.

To begin, we opted for something traditional and something different. My friend's escargot de bourgogne ($6.50) was delicious. The six plump mollusks had a wonderful texture - good seafood that was not too overdone - and the butter bath had just the right subtle lacing of garlic. The crusty French bread was perfect for soaking up the juices. The only word for my prosciutto with black mission figs ($10.25) is sublime. Two large crostini slathered with boursin cheese and topped with caramelized onions provided the base for the sweet figs and seeming mounds of the salty Italian ham. Served with field greens and an apple cider vinaigrette, this dish was a veritable feast of fall flavors.

For the main course, I selected the quail mousseline ($21.50). In this preparation, the quail was stuffed with chicken and served on a pool of black truffle sauce. While the quail was tender and moist, the chicken was slightly dry. The truffle sauce was simply wonderful, adding an earthy tone to the meal. The accompanying sun-dried tomato risotto crowned with flash fried tomato chips provided a luscious addition to the plate.
My friend chose the smoked scallops ($19.75). Four huge sea scallops surrounded a mound of capellini, which was studded with chanterelle mushrooms, roma tomatoes and spinach. The intense smokiness of the seafood was delightful; it tasted as divine as a wood fire smells. The dish was nicely complimented by the nutty mushrooms and the rosemary infused olive oil coating the pasta. While my starter won our top honors in that category, her entré took that prize for the main course.

The award-winning wine list at Le Relais offers a tremendous selection of vintages at fairly reasonable prices, including a small sampling of half-bottles and wines by the glass. My friend enjoyed a glass of the Merryvale Chardonnay ($8.75) and I sipped the Louis Latour pinot noir ($6.75). Both proved to be excellent accompaniments for our respective dinner selections.

Well sated, we nevertheless allowed ourselves to be tempted into sharing the chocolate mousse ($5.50) for dessert. Two large dollops of the light concoction were separated by a scoop of fresh whipped cream and topped with paper thin slices of dried orange. The drizzling of chocolate and raspberry sauces were a great addition for both the eye and the palate.  Along with two excellent cups of decaf coffee ($2.00 each), this made a fine conclusion to a splendid dinner.

Throughout the evening we received stellar service from the entire wait staff. We were particularly impressed with our server - friendly, knowledgeable and perfectly unobtrusive until needed.

For those of you who already know and appreciate Le Relais, new chef Stage will not disappoint. For those of you who have never been, go. As Bogie said to Claude Raines when Ilsa¹s plane left the runway in the conclusion of Casablanca, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.