Le Relais de L’Entrecôte (Saint-Germain des Près)

The culinary philosophy at Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is radical in its simplicity: there is no menu. You don't choose what to eat because the restaurant has already made that decision for you, and they've spent decades perfecting their single offering.

Your meal begins with a green salad dressed in a light vinaigrette and topped with crunchy walnuts. It's fresh, simple, and serves as the perfect palate cleanser before the main event. The salad isn't trying to be revolutionary—it's simply well-executed, with crisp greens and quality walnuts that provide textural contrast.

Then comes the star: contre-filet beef, known in English as sirloin strip or striploin. The beef is cooked to your specification—you'll be asked how you'd like it prepared, and we recommend medium-rare (à point) to experience the meat at its most tender and flavorful. The cut is sliced and arranged on your plate, glistening with the restaurant's famous secret sauce.

This sauce is the heart of the Le Relais de l'Entrecôte mystique. Its exact recipe remains a closely guarded secret, known only to a select few. What we can tell you is that it's herb-based, rich without being heavy, with a complexity that reveals itself over multiple bites. Some detect notes of thyme, others sense butter and shallots, but the precise combination remains elusive. The sauce doesn't overpower the beef—instead, it enhances the meat's natural flavors while adding its own distinctive character.

Accompanying the beef are pommes allumettes—matchstick fries cut impossibly thin and fried to golden perfection. These aren't your standard French fries; they're delicate, crispy, and addictive, providing the ideal textural counterpoint to the tender beef. They arrive hot and fresh, and you'll find yourself reaching for "just one more" throughout the meal.

Here's where the service model becomes brilliant: you're never served all your beef at once. The first portion arrives with your fries, and just as you're finishing, a waitress appears with the second serving, hot from the kitchen. This ensures you're always eating beef at the perfect temperature, and it creates a sense of abundance—you're getting more than you initially see on your plate.

The wine list complements the straightforward menu, featuring selections like Château de Saurs, produced using organic farming methods. The wines are chosen to pair well with beef and the rich sauce, and the staff can guide you toward the right bottle for your preferences.

For dessert, the restaurant offers classic French options that provide a sweet conclusion to your meal. While the desserts don't receive the same singular focus as the main course, they're well-executed versions of bistrot standards.

The genius of this approach is that it eliminates decision fatigue and allows the kitchen to focus entirely on executing one dish to perfection. Every contre-filet that leaves the kitchen has been prepared with the same attention and care, following procedures refined over decades. There's no "off night" where certain dishes are better than others—the consistency is remarkable.

This isn't cuisine that's trying to earn Michelin stars or push culinary boundaries. It's honest, satisfying bistrot cooking that respects quality ingredients and time-tested techniques. In a city where chefs constantly innovate and menus change with the seasons, Le Relais de l'Entrecôte offers something increasingly rare: the comfort of knowing exactly what you'll get, and the confidence that it will be excellent every single time.