The crowd at New York's legendary Comedy Cellar is always primed for high-profile drop-ins like Louis C.K. and Jerry Seinfeld. But this was different. Dave Chappelle was in New York — and on stage.

Chappelle, one of the country's most sought-after yet reclusive comedians after walking away in 2005 from his still-influential Comedy Central show, spent three recent nights onstage at the Cellar, sometimes joined by friends, includingChris Rock, Kevin Hart, Marlon Wayans and Paul Mooney.

In jeans, a white long-sleeve T-shirt and black jacket, his hands frequently reaching for the cigarettes he's known to chain-smoke, Chappelle captivated the audience, many of them aspiring comedians. And during an exchange with Rock, he made news when he joked about the two of them doing a long-rumored tour together.

"You should come down to Palm Beach," Rock reportedly said to Chappelle.

"After next Tuesday," Chappelle said, "I'm free for like 11 years."

Chappelle has been known to pop up at comedy clubs for last-minute, unannounced shows, usually taking the stage well after midnight. But his latest three nights at the Comedy Cellar seemed the comedian's most serious flirtation with a more permanent return to the stand-up circuit.

Even Rock appeared to take the banter seriously. He discussed his tour availability onstage and, according to online reports, told Chappelle, "By Halloween I could do dates."

"This could be the show," Chappelle said to Rock after the two texted Jay-Z from the stage and left a voicemail for Arsenio Hall. "Fireside chats with Chris Rock."

"I'm in," Rock replied.

Chappelle has spent much of the last seven years with his family in rural Yellow Springs, Ohio, tucked in the sparsely populated plains that lie between Dayton and Columbus. The sleepy, largely white town allows Chappelle to lead a peaceful life where he can shop for groceries, eat at restaurants and drop by the corner store for American Spirit cigarettes with relatively little attention.

A longtime family friend of Chappelle's who attempted to reach out to the comedian for the L.A. Times on a recent trip to Yellow Springs came back empty-handed.

"You know how he is," the friend said apologetically. "Dave's just a reclusive dude."

Neither Rock's publicist nor the two publicists known to work with Chappelle returned requests for comment about a potential tour.

But the excitement generated online and among comedians at just the mention of a tour with or without Rock speaks to the lasting legacy of "Chappelle's Show," which was on the air for just 2 1/2 seasons starting in 2003.

The sketch comedy show, which featured over-the-top parodies and politically incorrect themes, quickly became one of the hottest shows on television and catapulted Chappelle into comedy's highest echelon and a $50-million renewal contract. He broke that deal when he took off for Africa without telling anyone he was leaving — and without finishing production on his third season.

The comedian insisted he just needed a break, but ultimately never returned to "Chappelle's Show."

"I can't think of anyone else in television history who made the kind of career move that he did — to walk away," said Tim Brooks, a television historian.

Individual "Chappelle's Show" sketches have amassed hundreds of thousands of views on Comedy Central's website, while the DVD boxed set of the show's three seasons has shattered sales records. The show's Season 1 sales in 2004 surpassed "The Simpsons" to become the overall bestselling television show on DVD at the time, according to Videoscan.