Le Comptoir du Vin Brings New Life to Old Digs
The brand new Le Comptoir du Vin takes the former space of Bottega in Station North, re-imagining the space and the offerings, while keeping much of the same magic and comfy food that made the “Old” Bottega so special. Knowing that some of the same people behind Bottega would be running Le Comptoir, my wife and I were eager to try it. Bottega was our favorite restaurant in Baltimore before it moved a block away and eventually became Orto. Babysitter booked, and off we went for a 6:00PM reservation.
The small and unassuming building near Penn Station has never stood out from the outside. If you were walking by, you would likely never know a restaurant lied within, but I have the feeling that’s just what they are going for.
Le Comptoir du Vin, meaning “The Wine Counter” in french, aims to deliver quality wine and a limited food menu in a modest and cozy setting. Just like its predecessor, the menus are written on boards around the room, but unlike its predecessor, alcohol, with a focus on wine, has been added to those offerings, as Bottega previously was only BYOB.
We walked into the empty restaurant a few minutes ahead of our reservation time, and were greeted by the host bluntly, “Do you have a reservation?”. While not the warmest reception in an empty restaurant, a potentially unsettling start to the evening, quickly turned around for the better. We read the wine and food boards and each elected to start with a glass a vioginer and ordered the sourdough bread starter.
The bread, oiled and grilled nicely, served with butter and a daikon oroshi, was very good, but likely not worth ordering again at $8. We shared the clams, steamed in butter and white wine with bacon and aromatics. When you think of French steamed clams, this is what you think of. Simple preparation, with plenty more of that great grilled bread to soak every bit of the sauce up.
Dreaming about that sauce.
Having peeked at Instagram posts of other meals, we had pretty much predetermined what our entrees would be, and we happily found those items had made the cut for the days offerings on the menu board. I am personally a sucker for a good steak tartare, and having recently converted my wife after an excellent version at Woodberry Kitchen, she agreed to help me eat it. While the French lentil dish, seems to already be making a case for never leaving the menu.
Do you ever get a dish where you just don’t want it to end, wanting to eat it forever and ever? Well I do, and I had that with both the tartare and lentils that night. The tartare screamed dangerously rich, topped with a raw egg yolk and served with buttery roasted potatoes and homemade aioli, it could have easily been just too much to take, but for me, it was perfection. I enjoyed every last bite, combining all the plates ingredients on each forkful, savoring each bite. Paired with a glass of Côte du Rhône, helping to cut the richness a tad, I easily could have eaten this all night.
Unfortunately, I had to share it, my wife’s newfound fondness for tartare had her snagging bites off my plate. That was ok though, as I also got to enjoy her French Lentils. With what I surmise are North African influences, served with Labneh and picked onions, the Lentils are simply remarkable. The labneh served a perfect vehicle for picking up each spiced bite, and my wife was lucky I just didn’t eat all of it.
Le Comptoir du Vin, with its petite bar counter, may be focusing on becoming a wine bar, but to me, the food is the star of the show. At reasonable prices, each dish we had was executed here you could sense the passion the kitchen has. The tiny open kitchen could make anyone scream of claustrophobia, but what comes out of there shows they have passion and for each plate that goes out. Pair that with a friendly and attentive service and I do not see why Le Comptoir won’t stick around for a long time.
New restaurants are dangerous to review early, as there are many kinks to work out. But clearly the Bottega charm and aura is still in this space, feeling like they never left.