Le Relais du Bois, Paris
When Rory suggested lunch together, he insisted that we go to Le Relais du Bois. It is a charming little bistro, in the back streets near the OECD. Perhaps its strongest point is that it never changes. The chef Michel prepares traditional bistro cuisine, with flavors of yesteryear.
A bit of history:
It was in 1944 that Madame Giovanni, a restaurateur of Italian origin, opened her first bar in Paris, at 1 rue Guy de Maupassant. Originally, it offered its tasty Italian specialties to residents of the La Muette district. The restaurant, located on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, naturally adopted the name Relais du Bois.
For more than 24 years, the bistro treated customers in the neighborhood to osso bucco and authentic veal blanquette. In 1968, Madame Giovanni sold the Relais du Bois to Paul and Serge. A certain Lucien, a former assistant to Madame Giovanni, regularly came back to help the restaurant team, before joining them in 1971.
In 1973, Lucien took over the establishment and gave the Relais du Bois a second wind and a new personality. The restaurant then left its Italian bar guise to take on that of a French bistro. The Relais du Bois now offers bourgeois and traditional cuisine, while preserving on its menu the specialties that made Madame Giovanni’s success.
Thus, between the grilled entrecôtes and the fresh fish specialties, the Relais du Bois still cooks today the Milanese escalope, a legacy of the restaurant and its know-how. Quality, rigor and respect for customers have made the success of the Relais du Bois over time. It is thanks to these values that this trusted establishment has been able to build lasting relationships with its customers for over fifty years.
So when Rory and I returned to the Relais a few weeks ago, we were welcomed and remembered as part of the Relais. Maybe us oldtimers from the OECD all look a bit the same.
Old Lucien is a bit like us. He has retired too, and his daughter has taken over the management of the Relais. And she assured us that nothing has or will change.
That’s why I ordered: green salad with blue cheese; sole fish; and floating island for dessert.