Bouchon Review

There are many reasons to like Bouchon, but probably the one that really sticks out in our mind is that it's open late. Most of the better restaurants in the area stop taking in people at around 9:00. If we get back from work pretty late and need to...medicate...with some good eats, it's great that Bouchon is there for us. Yes, I know, life's hard.

Bouchon food

Don't make up your mind until the waitperson tells you the specials.  There's always something intriguing in the list of specials, and we almost always get something from there.  If it's offered, try the salmon tartare with egg and creme fraiche as an appetizer.  The salmon is chopped and served surrounded by chopped boiled eggs.  It's quite tasty.  Here's a picture of a classic French onion soup.

Another great dish was a very tender, delicious boudin blanc (white sausage) with pureed potatoes.  I still talk about this sausage and how perfectly it was cooked. 

My theory is that it was cooked at low temperature in butter, and I have threatened to try this at home. I've also had a skate wing which I liked quite a bit but my husband didn't much care for, but I have a higher tolerance for strong-tasting fish than he does.  Another well-done special was a scallop dish with radish and citrus sauce.  The celery root soup is also very rich and tasty. Here's the Canard a la Rouennaise which is a pan-seared duck breast with duck gizzard sausage, braised field greens, & sweet corn with sauce Rouennaise. Perfect pan-seared duck with a little bit of crunch and caramelization on the outside and succulent meat underneath.

On the regular menu, Bouchon has an excellent mussels and frites dish (not quite as good as Bistro Jeanty's, but still pretty good) and steak frites.  The pate de campagne is also very good.

The desserts at Bouchon are good but not earth-shattering.  There are the standard French restaurant desserts like a chocolate pot de creme, profiteroles, chocolate mousse, and ice cream. Here's a hazelnut infused pot de creme which was very creamy, smooth, and rich.

The food at Bouchon is simple, but not mundane.  It is just made well.  You can easily imagine the kitchen as a madhouse with a bunch of high-strung perfectionists screaming and throwing knives at each other.  But out in the calm of the dining room, a plate of sausage with mashed potatoes, which sounds really uninspired (and is, when we cook it at home), turns out to be memorable because it's just done so well. 

Bouchon setting and service

Bouchon looks and feels very much like a French bistro.  Bouchon's service is solid. Waiters are very knowledgeable about their menu, and they're very professional. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Thomas Keller quietly enjoying a late dinner.  We once saw him, as a customer,  politely grill one of the waiters as a quality spot check.  He also gamely interrupted his dinner to autograph a stack of menus for a group of really big kids on a field trip from the local four-star culinary school.  The guy is a rock star around here. 

Bouchon is a popular place to people watch. It's open late, it's a Keller joint, the food's good, etc. Lots of regulars who know each other there.  You may recognize us as the two badly-dressed trolls in the dark part of the restaurant, clawing and spitting at each other over the last piece of something really tasty.  Try not to stare.

Price of our meal

 appetizer + 2 entrees + 1 dessert + 2 glasses of wine + tax & tip = $135

Other Bouchon reviews and links

• Frommer's restaurant review
• Bouchon Las Vegas
• lovetoeatandtravel review
  
• fork&bottle review
•  Christian Lindholm review from 2004
• SweetNapa's reviews
•  TripAdvisor reviews