|
Reviewer: Foodnut.com Bouchon 6534 Washington St Yountville, CA 94599 707-944-8037 |
Classic French done right. Bouchon is a French bistro that is part of the Thomas Keller French Laundry empire. They have locations in Yountville and Las Vegas, we have been to both and finally had a chance to return to the Napa Valley location after 8 years.
Be sure to check out the Bouchon Cookbook
Bouchon’s classic French decor sets the mood, with rich colors, large paintings that prepare you for a top French meal. Clearly most of the people here are touring the Wine country.
The restaurant is not very big and has a busy, loud vibe. The Vegas location is far bigger. The room looks like it was transported from France.
Bouchon Bakery is next door, which sells some of the best pastries and bread around.
Bouchon Menu
Bouchon Food Picks:
Huitres – Oysters half dozen ($24.50) of kusshi’s were fresh and accompanied with a lemon, cocktail sauce, aioli, and a mignonette sauce.
Demi-Homard – Half Lobster ($17.50) was served chilled and was pretty big. Good quality with sweet meat.
Pomme Frites with truffle ($18) was expensive but decadent, with small black bits of truffle. If you like truffle, order this!
Assiette de Charcuterie ($14.50) with picked vegetables, Dijon mustard, petite baguette was had several kinds of delicious thinly sliced meats as well as accompanying items. A nice appetizer to put you in the french mood.
Foie Gras Saute ($28) seared Hudson Valley foie gras as silky smooth. It came with a strawberry compote and a cool white cake.
Soupe a la Oignon ($9.75) or french onion soup was a very good classic Hors-D’oeuver. It was steaming hot and had a strong onion flavor. The cheese on top was crusty and tasty.
Quiche du jour ($13.50) was a spinach and provolone quiche. Extremely high quality and nothing like the quiches you buy locally or shudder- get frozen. Top notch ingredients and very smooth.
Steak Frites ($37.50) or pan seared prime flatiron with carmelized shallots, maitre d’hotel butter and French fries is the quintessential bistro entree. The steak did not look visually appealing, but was excellent. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was super tender. The fries were plentiful and awesome. Some of the best around. Crispy and not greasy.
Espandon poele – Pan Seared Swordfish ($34) with tabbouleh, English cucumber, nicoise olive & tomato vinaigrette was fantastic. Perfectly cooked and a hearty portion too.
Gratin de Macaroni au Homard Lobster Gratin ($38) aka Lobster Mac n Cheese with Comte Cheese, breadcrumbs & lobster cream. A huge dish filled with tender pasta and large chunks of lobster. Expensive but worth it.
Haricots Verts ($9) glazed French green beans are what you expect. Some veggies to round out the meal.
OK:
Salmon Special ($33) had a huge portion of Poached Salmon on top of kale and potatoes. Very good salmon even though the preparation was more different than we’ve been accustomed to. The pea shoot greens and potatoes seemed out of place on this unbalanced dish. A case of weekend special to clear out stuff?
Mojito ($11) was pricey and just average. Not enough sugar. Wine was a better bet.
Pans:
None
The service at Bouchon was friendly and functional but not as available as we would like, probably because the place was so small and busy. This is not an excuse!
Wine prices were high with glasses running $16. The glass of St Clement was a good call by the waiter. Cocktails also were expensive at $14+. The food was excellent and was accentuated by the posh atmosphere. This is a perfect place for the laid back atmosphere of the Wine country.
Diners on a budget could get by with a lower cost sandwich ($18.95), but why not splurge if you are on vacation?
Yountville is home to some of the best restaurants around. We’ve reviewed:
Bouchon is also at:
Bouchon at The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-414-6200
Bouchon Beverly Hills
225 N Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 271-9910
Bouchon Overall Rating: 
(Excellent
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Excellent) |
| Service Rating: |  (Very Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Excellent) |
| Value Rating: | (Very Good) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Full bar |
| Attire: | Dressy |
| Hours: | 11:30am-1230am |
| Parking: | Lot, street |
| Reservations: | Yes |
| Prices: | $16.95 - $32 |
4 Comments
Left Bank Restaurant Review, San Mateo, 94403, French Restaurant | Foodnut.com
July 13, 2009 at 12:02 am[…] good, making it a good experience. We only had one salad miss the target. You could drive up to Bouchon or fly to France to do better. The San Mateo and Pleasant Hill locations closed in […]
Bouchon Bistro Restaurant, Las Vegas | Foodnut.com
January 30, 2010 at 12:04 am[…] They have locations in Yountville and Beverly Hills. We came for a quick brunch bite. See our Bouchon Yountville for a longer […]
The French Laundry Restaurant, Yountville | Foodnut.com
September 17, 2010 at 12:02 am[…] This was our first visit in way too many years. The Empire now includes per se in New York, Bouchon in Yountville, Las Vegas, and Beverly Hills, and ad hoc in […]
Cafe des Amis Restaurant, San Francisco | Foodnut.com
September 21, 2010 at 5:23 pm[…] of almond hints. Watercress salad was also a bit over salty. Fries were average, not spectacular. Bouchon’s Steak Frites is better than this […]