Comte Roger Carcassonne — Restaurant in Carcassonne

Comte Roger, Quelle Catastrophe After living in France 30+ years I can say without hesitation the lunch I, my wife, and our guest had at Comte Roger was one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had at a highly rated french restaurant. Where to begin?

At the time we made our reservation over the phone we were NOT informed we would be the only table sharing a lovely outdoor terrace with a party of 50 corporate business guests, leading to us being seated at a table crammed in a corner next to the service bar. While the ever growing number of corporate guests arrived, standing directly adjacent to our table and carrying on loudly as if we were not there, the final straw came when one of the guests bumped into our waiter just as he was serving our drinks, resulting in an entire drink being spilled on my shirt and lap. The waiter returned with a roll of paper towels for me to dry myself, as well as a fresh drink, and proceeded as if nothing had happened. A few minutes later someone in the restaurant realized we were outnumbered and asked if we would prefer to move inside...yes please. In retrospect that is when we should have left. On the way to our new table we passed the manager and I showed her the drink I was now wearing. She shrugged and went off to see to the party. In the mostly empty dinning room our waiter pointed us to a dark table against a wall, while I pointed to a much nicer table with a window view that was clearly meant for other guests arriving later. He relented and seated us at the window table.

It became clear things were not going to improve when the waiter informed me the 1/2 bottle of wine I had selected was not available and made no offer to bring us a full bottle as compensation for the troubles we had already experienced. Our guest ordered a 1/2 bottle of white while I went ahead and ordered a full bottle of red for my wife and me. The waiter brought both wines to our table, uncorked them, and departed. I was left to taste and pour the wines myself? At the end of the meal, after more confusion regarding our coffees, the three of us spent a good ten minutes trying to get someone's attention to request the bill. When the 230 euros bill finally arrived, I noted exactly zero compensation for the seating debacle, spilled drink, and overall poor service. We even had to get up to pay at the desk since the wait staff had abandoned us to clean up after the party on the terrace. Except for our waiter, all of the problems could have been avoided simply by informing us at the time we made the reservation that the restaurant terrace had been reserved for a large party and we would simply have booked a table for the following day, but alas.

Sadly, for the kitchen staff none of the fault lies with them. The food was excellent. But the management and waiter who "served" us were another story entirely. Based upon all the glowing reviews which led us try this restaurant, I have no doubt our experience was an exception. But when a restaurant falls short to the degree we experienced the least one would expect is some acknowledgment, compensation, or apology. None of which were forthcoming. In fact, as we passed the manager on our way out she was too preoccupied chatting with a VIP from the party to thank us for coming or even acknowledge our presence. Fortunately, France is full of lovely restaurants run by wonderful people who know how to look after their clientele. From our experience Comte Roger is not one of them. Adieu Comte Roger, you shall not be missed.

One final note. If dear reader, you have made it to the end of this tome and are under the impression we must have done something to deserve the service we received, ie. been difficult, demanding, or rude in some manner at any point during the meal, I can assure you this was not the case. As I noted at the beginning of this review, I have lived in France for over 30 years. My father was french. I speak the language and understand the culture. Restaurant Comte Roger earned...

Since we were in the region, where Cassoulet is abundant, we decided to take our hosts suggestion and go to the place where even the Michelin guide says you should go. It was about 8:30 PM on a Wednesday night so we rolled the dice and decided to give it a try even though we didn’t have reservations.

Though the place was nearly full, the host greeted us and we explained that we were really looking forward to having dinner with them. He spoke possible English and I speak passable French so we figured it out. Something must’ve clicked because he said wait just a couple of minutes. As we were doing so several other servers came up to see if we’d been greeted, all of them, indicating that there were no seats available. So glad that we found the right guy! Please note that none of the other servers were unpleasant, they just knew how busy things were.

We were seated outside and with the evening at a pleasant temperature, the setting really was magical. In fact when we went in to use the restroom inside, we were happy that we had gotten the patio as the noise level was a little louder than we would’ve preferred for that particular evening.

That initial greeting set the tone for the whole evening. All of the staff were super friendly, went out out of their way to make us feel welcome, and that out desires were being met for the evening. When the waiter brought us the menus, I told him that we heard their Cassoulet was outstanding and we didn’t need them. He got a good chuckle and let us know that we were making a good choice.

All of the advice was exactly correct. The meal was stupendous! We had both had the dish elsewhere in the past, but nothing compared to what we were served. Speaking of that, The service was impeccable. In fact, it was so wonderful that I signaled the manager who came over and let her know what a great evening we had had. And that all of their staff was to be commended.

A lot of times it’s wise not to believe the hype, but this time it was definitely true. Sure, you can get the dish elsewhere, but not in this atmosphere and not at this level of perfection.

A small bit of advice, I’m pretty sure we were fortunate to get a seat as we saw multiple couples and groups turned away after we arrived. So make a reservation. You really do want to...

If you only budgeted for one pricey restaurant inside the walls of the city, then let it be this one. From start to finish, everything was delicious. For once I devoured everything on my plate, which is rare for me. But all the dishes are expertly made and the flavors all contrasted and blended so well. My beef was cooked medium rare perfectly, it was very tender and melted in my mouth, and it's accompaniments of a balsamic reduction, creme potatoes and veggie mix was delightful. My husbands duck was also cooked well and served in a delicious sauce.

The dessert was great, not saturated with sugar or covered with whipped cream as some places are prone to do, which don't get me wrong, that's nice but not all the time and it has its place. Instead my muscat ice cream was light and subtle, and paired well with the sugared and airy crackers. My spouses chocolate cake was just as delightful and easy to consume because it wasn't overtly sweet, with a smooth and buttery crust. This was finished with a nice, little coffee and we both left supremely content and satisfied.

Portions were good, not so much you feel stuffed and unable to move, but also not a scant offering of a meal where you leave hungrier than you came in. There is inside and outside seating and we ate on the charming little terrace, it was covered so we got to enjoy the sound of rain as it hit the roof and came down. Staff was nice and attentive. The only thing to note is you should call ahead for a reservation. We walked in and were asked if we had a reservation, we said no and were turned away. It seemed odd because it did not seem full, so we went around the corner and called and made one and went back within 10 minutes. We asked about this but were never given a clear explanation, so just to be...