I have an early casual Friday evening dinner with family, which will likely be Lebanese delivery from Daou.
The plan is to save some appetite and meet friends at a wine bar afterwards, around 9pm.
I’ve been to Le Comptoir many times before, for wine and charcuterie, and I’ve always enjoyed it. My wife has never been before, so I’m inclined to take her for drinks.
Le Vin Papillon is the new kid on the block for me. It opened after I’d moved away to California, and I’ve not yet been.
Can anyone weigh the two against each other; both in terms of the wine list (interesting & extensive Euro selection), small plates, and the atmosphere on a Friday evening?
I want to emphasize that this will not be a full course sit-down meal. Food is secondary to the wine and ambience. Thanks so much.
BTW, I see that Vin Papillon doesn’t take reservations. How difficult would a walk-in on a Friday evening be? I imagine we’ll likely be a party of two, but we may be joined by my siblings or another couple (max 2-4 ppl). There’s no rush to get seated. I’m just curious what the scene and potential wait would be like. Thx!
I would expect the vin papillon to have a much better wine list than le comptoir. Vanya Filipovic (formely of joe beef) handles the wine list and she has a very strong reputation.
Marco Frappier (also formely of joe beef) handles the kitchen so its pretty strong. I’ve heard more focused on vegetables.
I haven’t tried to go there in a group but anything before 17h00 should be good. I would try not to be a group larger than 4 because the space can be small-ish.
Thank you. We definitely won’t be larger than 4 but we also won’t be going early. We have a family dinner at 6pm so I was planning for around 9pm. I’ve already made reservations at Le Comptoir but I’m reconsidering.
