Le Relais Restaurant — Restaurant in Louisville

Le Relais (or the Relay) name dates back to what essentially was an early name for a place to stop and change out your horses, get a snack, take a nap, and head back out. So it makes sense it is in an airport terminal. However, I suspect unlike ‘le Relais’ from long ago, this is an up-scale high-end French restaurant.

My wife and I make reservations for a Friday night and got what I suspect is one of last times for the night (7:15p). We arrived about 5 minutes early and were immediately greeted when we walked in the front door. There is no ‘lobby’, I suspect to maximize table count, you are in the dining area as soon as you step in. The place was very busy. The greeter seated us immediately and our experience began…

Unlike other recent reviewers, we were immediately served by our bus boy with water and then moments later, our waiter, Jered, greeted us and brought menus. We ordered drinks and then with my indecision, a couple of visits later from Jered, we ordered.

French onion soup, half-caesar salad and scallops for me, caesar and filet for her. Soup was border line on temperature, luke-warm, but the soup that engorged the crustini was still hot. I suspect that is a sign it sat a bit too long before they brought to me but it was hot in the kitchen, flavor was decent, nothing earth shattering. I would suggest skipping the french onion soup. Salads were good, lots of flavor, partly from anchovies which were in tiny pieces so you would hardly know they were there, but they bring the flavor. The scallops were amazing. Maybe the best I have ever had. The sides (broccolini mix and risotto) they were paired with were so-so, the raspberry reduced sauce was pretty bland and no real detectible raspberry notes from my palet. I think that sauce failed to elevate the dish as it was needed. The filet had a wine-reduction glaze which I think (I stole a bite from my wife) took away from the flavor of the filet some and I also think it was slightly over-cooked, but good none the less. Sides on that plate (potatoes and asparagus were solid wins). We did order the soufflé dessert and the tiramisu. If you like warm sweet creme things, you will love the soufflé (which I did). The tiramisu was light but full of flavor and just wonderful really. Then, my cappuccino arrived and the pairing with the tiramisu was like another level of experience all by itself. Skip the coffee, get the cappuccino, it was $2 more and you can thank me later.

All in all the experience was very good. The staff was great, the food was very good. I just think for $200 (after tip) for two people it just didn’t meet the bar for me. Just not enough wow factor for the price. Maybe other dishes are their best. Better filets can definitely be had at other local establishments. The scallops and desserts and cappuccino were by far the big wins for me.

I gave 5 stars, but they would be a 4.5 based on the wow factor to price ratio. We will go back someday, as it definitely is a unique place and...

This is probably the worst dining experience of my life. My fiancé and I went here to celebrate a Valentine's Day 2023. I waited four months to write this review so that I would have a clear mind and wouldn't just review out of frustration.

First, our reservation time was not honored, and we were made to wait in a tiny stairway for a table to open. It took about 10-15 minutes.

We ordered an appetizer and while we were waiting another couple was seated at a table in front of us, about 20 minutes into being seated. (yep, 20 minutes and we had just ordered an appetizer.)

25 minutes or so later, OUR Stuffed Onion appetizer was presented to this couple even though they just ordered it less than 5 minutes before that. They were audibly shocked at how quick it was. Meanwhile, we were still waiting on ours.

Probably 15 minutes later ours came out, which I am positive was supposed to be theirs. Oh well-- things happen. People make mistakes.

Then before we were even done with the VERY underwhelming onion (especially for like $20!), the table in front of us got their entrees-- which looked to be the same that we ordered. I was appalled. Our server never came around to ask how things were or if we needed anything. She seemed much too concerned with the regulars that had filled the restaurant.

When the entrees finally arrived, my meal was so salty I couldn't eat more than a few bites. The table in front of us ate their dessert and left while we had basically just received our entrees. Our waitress never came to ask how the food was-- just showed up at our table 30 minutes later and took his empty plate and my completely full plate and said that dessert would be out soon. She didn't seem to care that she took my entire meal back with her and didn't ask any questions. I was just so ready to leave at this point and we had already been there for WELL over an hour. I decided it wasn't worth my time to complain.

Unfortunately, we couldn't leave because we had ordered a souffle for dessert prior, when we ordered our entrees. It took probably another 20-30 minutes to come out after our plates were taken. It was not sweet AT ALL. The texture was unlike any other souffle I've ever had, and we barely ate any of it.

She finally brought the check; we handed over $130 cash with no tip and left. We have never not tipped. Even for poor service we typically tip at least 15% but there was NOTHING from this experience that deserved any additional money.

We were one of the last patrons in the restaurant. Our meal took almost two full hours to conclude.

I will never return. I've never been treated like this especially in a "Fine Dining"...

The food was decent, but the service was HORRIBLE. I made a reservation about three weeks before our visit. I informed on the reservation that it was my mom's 82nd birthday. We showed up 10 minutes early and they sat us immediately......by the front door and in a booth with my shoulder jammed into the maitre d stand. That kind of set the mood for the rest of the meal. Being so close to the host stand we experienced the different treatment of customers as they came in the door 6 feet from us. The stuffy host, who's been there forever, gushed over his regular, older clientele. Not so much for younger, newer clientele. There was a young couple that came in and the girl had hot pink hair. He looked at her and said, "WOW!" In an extremely condescending way. They got set in the only table worse than ours by the front door. Anyways, they didn't bring us any bread when they brought every other table bread. When we finally ASKED for bread it was cold, dry, and tasted like it came from Kroger (bad bread at a fine-dining French restaurant? WHAT?!?!?!). We had to wait a long time for our orders to be taken and then were rushed into ordering appetizer and entree at the same time. The rack of lamb, filet, shrimp linguine, escargot, and Grand Marnier souffle were good, (barely good considering the $), but after we ate we didn't see our server for 25 minutes and we really wanted the bill. We had to flag her down. We won't be back. If I want to sit that close to other people and have a fine-dining experience I'll just go back to Jack Fry's or Volare. At least they offer EXCELLENT food, respect their clientele, and have superb and friendly service. My mom, who lived in France, just couldn't get over bad service at a French restaurant. It blew her mind. * I recently found out the host is the owner, (which is even more appalling), that he treats his young staff (bread/water runners) like indentured servants, and that his gf (petite, thin woman who looks stressed AF) ends up being the only server most nights. Also, he's not French, but Austrian. A long time personal employee of his told me this and more. I'm still pissed about this dining experience 7 MONTHS LATER!!!!! Please support nicer people's establishments with better food!!!!!! Volare is excellent!!! Their osso buco is DIVINE!!!! They don't need the business, but they actually deserve it, unlike Le Relais. *I occasionally edit this post so hopefully no one will have a ruined special occasion by such mediocre, yet still expensive, food and atrocious,...