Bouchon (Yountville, CA)
Bouchon
6534 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
707.944.8037
www.bouchonbistro.com
Tue 03/13/2007, 05:40p-07:10p
I believe Bouchon was Thomas Keller's second restaurant after the Laundry. The food is strictly French bistro fare, so perhaps not as far of a stretch as Ad Hoc. The restaurant was recently rated one-star by the famed Michelin guide, and there is also a location in Las Vegas at the Venetian.
I quite liked the decor of the place...so French. Table spacing is a bit tight though. The dress code was surprisingly casual.
Definitely one of the more unique menu presentations I've seen. There are a lot of items I'd like to try on my next visit back. Click for a larger version.
Plenty of French baguette is provided, along with two spreads.
Along with the meal, we drank a Martinelli Vineyard Dry Select Gewürztraminer, Russian River Valley, 2004 we purchased from literally across the street (at V Wine Cellar). It was quite good. Corkage was a reasonable $20.
Sautéed Foie Gras
This was one of the specials of the night. It was served with apricot and "French toast" and was one of the most saccharine preparations of foie I've ever had.
Crab and Lobster Salad
This was the other special. It was served with frisée salad and toasted brioche (an interesting pairing). Lots of meat and very little filler. My only complaint was that it had a bit of shell.
Poulet Rôti
Roasted chicken with French green lentils, pearl onions, button mushrooms, bacon lardons, sauce Chasseur. My dining companion ordered this so I didn't get a chance to sample unfortunately. I believe it was said to be quite delish though.
Moules au Safran et à la Moutarde
Maine bouchot mussels steamed in white wine, mustard & saffron, served with french fries. Step aside McDonald's, these are now the best pommes frites I've ever tasted! Salty, savory, skin-on, simply scrumptious. As for the mussels, a generous portion with great flavor, though not as firm as I'd like.
Finishing off with mignardises is usually a good sign of the intended quality of a restaurant. We had chocolate chip cookie, some sort of gelée, "Oreo" cookie, a macaroon, and finally a peanut butter cookie. A nice way to close the meal!
6534 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
707.944.8037
www.bouchonbistro.com
Tue 03/13/2007, 05:40p-07:10p
I believe Bouchon was Thomas Keller's second restaurant after the Laundry. The food is strictly French bistro fare, so perhaps not as far of a stretch as Ad Hoc. The restaurant was recently rated one-star by the famed Michelin guide, and there is also a location in Las Vegas at the Venetian.
I quite liked the decor of the place...so French. Table spacing is a bit tight though. The dress code was surprisingly casual.
Definitely one of the more unique menu presentations I've seen. There are a lot of items I'd like to try on my next visit back. Click for a larger version.
Plenty of French baguette is provided, along with two spreads.
Along with the meal, we drank a Martinelli Vineyard Dry Select Gewürztraminer, Russian River Valley, 2004 we purchased from literally across the street (at V Wine Cellar). It was quite good. Corkage was a reasonable $20.
Sautéed Foie Gras
This was one of the specials of the night. It was served with apricot and "French toast" and was one of the most saccharine preparations of foie I've ever had.
Crab and Lobster Salad
This was the other special. It was served with frisée salad and toasted brioche (an interesting pairing). Lots of meat and very little filler. My only complaint was that it had a bit of shell.
Poulet Rôti
Roasted chicken with French green lentils, pearl onions, button mushrooms, bacon lardons, sauce Chasseur. My dining companion ordered this so I didn't get a chance to sample unfortunately. I believe it was said to be quite delish though.
Moules au Safran et à la Moutarde
Maine bouchot mussels steamed in white wine, mustard & saffron, served with french fries. Step aside McDonald's, these are now the best pommes frites I've ever tasted! Salty, savory, skin-on, simply scrumptious. As for the mussels, a generous portion with great flavor, though not as firm as I'd like.
Finishing off with mignardises is usually a good sign of the intended quality of a restaurant. We had chocolate chip cookie, some sort of gelée, "Oreo" cookie, a macaroon, and finally a peanut butter cookie. A nice way to close the meal!
posted by kevinEats at
5:40 PM
23 Comments:
I'm going in December and doing French Laundry hopefully want to come?
When? I need details!
Kevin,
Do you have any experience with the Las Vegas Bouchon? I'll be in Vegas next month and Bouchon is definitely on my list.
Keep up the great work with the site!
Thanks! I haven't been to the Las Vegas outpost, but I hear it isn't quite as strong.
However, if you're in Vegas, then you have a whole host of other, better restaurants at your disposal. I'd forego Bouchon personally.
You're right about having a host of other choices. Vegas certainly is a Foodie Utopia. Is there such a thing as having too many choices? No, probably not!
Based on your reviews, I may consider CUT as well. I was in L.A. over the summer, but didn't have a chance to check out the original location. I recently had a wonderful meal at Puck's "The Source" in Washington, D.C. so CUT is very appealing.
Michael, if you have the budget, definitely check out Joel Robuchon, probably my best Western-style meal ever! In addition, I'd being going to Guy Savoy and Alex as well.
Kevin,
Thanks for the suggestions. I'd like to try Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy, but I'll be doing a solo trip to Vegas. I wonder how these restaurants would be for a solo dining experience...
I do hear that Guy Savoy has an area called "Bubble Bar" where one can sample several smaller plates of the restaurant's creations.
I'm by myself a lot of times when I'm out on business as well. I imagine dining solo would be fine, though I haven't done it at these particular establishments.
I believe you're correct about Bubble Bar though: https://media.harrahs.com/press_kit.aspx?regionid=1&hotelid=14&catid=703. It looks like a good option.
Kevin,
I just returned from Vegas and did end up at Bouchon for breakfast...
I ordered the Oeuf Au Gratin: two eggs in mornay sauce, served in a cast-iron dish with lardons and tomato coulis. This was quite good and very rich. The dish was served with Lyonnaise Potatoes that were nothing special. I also ordered a banana nut muffin that had a wonderful streusel topping. I'd definitely go back for the Au Gratin and the muffin, but I would order another side dish. I also found the service to be a bit lacking, but I have seen worse.
I also went to Guy Savoy and chose to eat at the Bubble Bar. This was a wonderful way to taste several of the chef's creations. I was sad to see, though, the lack of a crowd. When I arrived I was the only one in the restaurant and even as I left only one other party had arrived.
Michael, I'm glad to hear you had a good time in Las Vegas.
Your experience at Bouchon sounds about right, but that is unfortunate about Guy Savoy. I hope it stays around long enough for me to give it a try.
I just saw the most amazing news while observing the press for XIV by Michael Mina...Thomas Keller is opening a Bouchon and Bakery in Beverly Hills!!! Have you heard of this? What do I need to do to get a reservation when it supposedly opens this fall?!??!
Yeah I heard about this last year. Do you know exactly when it's opening? Once the date draws near, you should be able to just call and make a reservation. That's what I did for Gordon Ramsay, XIV, and Bazaar.
I wish I knew when it opens. I will just have to keep it on my radar!
Just check Eater LA religiously, and you should be fine. ;)
kevin,
I'm going to be in vegas for 2 days. Any suggestions for some of the better restaurants there?
Chris, on the high end, consider: Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Bar Charlie, L'Atlier de Joel Robuchon.
Off strip, there's also Raku, which is a chef's favorite for Japanese.
Hi Kevin,
We're taking a trip to Napa next month and although I'm on the waiting list at FL, do you have any alternatives? My vendors recommended Tra Vigne, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Martini House and La Toque. Your thoughts?
Joce, I've not been to any of the places you mentioned, but I've heard good things about them. I'd also consider: Ad Hoc, Auberge du Soleil, Cyrus (Sonoma), Meadowood, and Redd.
Beverly Hills Reservations begin October 26...
Just saw that. Hopefully they can stick to their November 18th opening date!
I am very excited, having never really eaten Thomas Keller cuisine, only imitating it from his cookbooks!
Snagged a 9:15 reservation for opening night! They say they close at 10:30, but when do you think they actually will?
I'm at 7:30p. I say they stop seating at 10:30p, and close at around 1:00a.
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