Le Comptoir Updates Their Menu | Marin Dining Scene April 20, 2024

Since my original blog article on the opening of the then-new French restaurant & epicerie in San Rafael, Le Comptoir, I have dined there countless times. I have also been asked repeatedly if I have an ownership share in the restaurant (I don’t!) because I’m there so often. I just love the food and the ambience, and the friendly team that skillfully welcomes big crowds each evening. I was excited to hear they have updated their menu this week and thought I would share it with you.

UPDATE APRIL 2017:

The April 2017 menu is here and I am happy to report that the Fried Camembert has returned to the menu!

ORIGINAL ARTICLE FOLLOWS:

Chef Jeremy Blaringhem and General Manager Alexandre Prod’homme have freshened the menu nicely, adding new dishes and removing others. Gone for now are the sweetbreads, the sole and the lamb. Welcome additions are a new pork dish, a tuna entree and pork ribs on the rotisserie. My favorite new addition is the squid appetizer.

The Decadent Ravioles de Royans

Before I talk about the new entrees, I must mention one of my favorites that I overlooked in my first article: the Ravioles de Royans. It took me a while to try this dish as I had incorrectly assumed that pasta is better left to Italian restaurants. This dish is incredible — especially if you add the optional aged Comté cheese — a delightful, rich combination of pesto and cream. Don’t make my mistake of waiting to try this amazing dish. We almost always order it as an appetizer for the table.

The Roasted Pork Ribs

Chef Jeremy has put the rotisserie to good use with the addition of Roasted Pork Ribs. They are served with an optional choice of three sauces: the cream of dijon mustard sauce, a green peppercorn sauce, and persillade, which is a mixture of parsley, garlic, oil, vinegar and other herbs. The persillade is a nice complement to the ribs which are very meaty and seasoned with aromatic herbs (which herbs, they will not tell me!)

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

The Tombo Tuna

The updated Grilled Pork Tenderloin dish is a nice refresh of one of my favorite dishes. Gone is the bed of cabbage in the original version of this dish, and now it’s accompanied by sauteed carrots and sweet peas, along with a delightful sauce of fresh chanterelle mushrooms. During my travels in France, I remember remarking at the flavor and variety of mushrooms there. I am so happy to experience that same feeling here in Marin County.

Replacing the sautéed Sole on the menu is the Seared Tombo Tuna, which Alex says is already “very popular.” It is a nice tuna steak served with ratatouille and a kalamata olive tapenade vinaigrette. Flavorful and delightful.

Squid á la Provençal

Saving the best for last, the new squid appetizer, Squid á la Provençal, is my favorite. It is a Monterey Bay squid sauteed with cherry tomatoes, gypsy peppers, spring onions, garlic and pastis. The sauce alone on the dish could be sold by the bowl and I often ask for extra bread so I can “sop it up” as we used to say in the South.

Owner Stephen Bouillez along with his partner Susannah Dempsey spend their time between Le Comptoir in San Rafael and the flagship restaurant, Gamine, in the city. I am excited to see what changes fall will bring to the menu. I continue to hint that I would love to someday see Duck Confit at Le Comptoir!

My Favorite Red Wine at Le Comptoir

No article about a French restaurant would be complete without a mention of their famous wines. My current favorite is a robust red wine called Déesse from Château d’Esclans, the same winery that produces the popular rosé called “Whispering Angel.” Alex says Le Comptoir is the only restaurant in the United States where you can find this full-bodied red, a blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes.

Other news in the San Rafael dining scene is the re-opening of the popular State Room, which closed for a week due to a fire, and the addition of a new wine bar called Incavo. There are also rumors (which I have confirmed with a San Rafael council member) of a gourmet marketplace opening across from Arizmendi Bakery in the location that once housed a gym. Fourth Street downtown is becoming quite the restaurant row! I am working on a blog article about Incavo now and will publish it soon.

It has been great fun watching the popularity of Le Comptoir, with huge crowds every night of the week, often spilling out onto Fourth Street late into the evening. Generally people are in good spirits and it feels like part restaurant part dinner party, with the occasional visitor upset because they have not had the foresight to make reservations. I believe it’s the only restaurant in Marin — and maybe the whole bay area — without a sign. Clearly they don’t need one!

When not dining in Marin’s wonderful array of restaurants, I work as a real estate agent in the Marin luxury homes market. I am an enthusiastic cheerleader for the paradise that is Marin County: the hiking, the restaurants, and of course the gorgeous homes. If I may be of service, please contact me at 415-847-5584. Bon Appétit!