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A few hints for lunching at Bouchon.
We decided to grab lunch here to avoid the lines at Bouchon bakery given we had a lazy afternoon to kill.
Scanning the menu, most the dishes seemed too hefty for a light lunch but if you're wise, you'll really enjoy Bouchon.
Separate note for the bread and butter- amazing. Baked next door at the bakery, just as you would expect, chewy outside, fluffy inside, quintessential French bread.
The tomato soup is amazing, great texture and flavor (comparable but different to Bistro Jeanty). Great start. The salads all seem well constructed, our goat cheese, walnut and endive combination was so fresh and light.
Now, before you start picking lamp chops and halibut and steak, peruse the sides (macaronio au gratin, green beans, velvet masehd potatoes), the perfect light and delicious lunch snack.
Paired with a great glass of wine, a decidedly French royal flaired decor and you've got your perfect Napa lunch.
We went here on a girls day and ordered almost all the items on the menu to share. everything was good from the mussels to the steak to the fries to the chicken.....
My favorite was the foie gras. They give you a whole jar with toasted bread. The jar looked like it can clog an artery but it was SOOOO good. I wanted to buy one from the bakery next store and take it home but it wouldn't have lasted the ride on the 95 degree day.
its a fun resturant, especially for a girls day out. The service was great and super attentive.
We can't seem to get enough of Thomas Keller,
Since French Laundry was so amazingly stellar.
We got in here without a reservation,
Thanks to someone else's last minute cancellation.
An "upscale bistro" in my opinion this place is best described,
Ambience is not so intimate and it has a more casual vibe.
Consider this French Laundry for the common folk,
It is still pricey even for an average bloke.
The value of the dishes here is comparably decent minus the fluff,
Ingredients are concentrated mostly on the local stuff.
I had their well-reviewed and famous Steak Frites.
Ohhhhh...What a satisfying treat!
The steak is a pan-seared prime flatiron served with maitre d'hotel butter,
The powerful beefy flavor made my taste buds flutter.
The addictively tasty frites (a.k.a. fries) are fried in fresh duck fat.
It's a dangerous artery clogger, but still the best frites I ever had!
Although our French Laundry mission was already complete,
We found Bouchon to be a nicely added extra treat.
We sat at the bar for a light lunch and cocktail. LOVED the bartender. He was so knowledgable & friendly. We recognized him from Ad Hoc. I WILL go back for a gin tasting! We thoroughly enjoyed the petite plateau (oysters, mussels, lobster). I would order it again.
My gf and I booked a reservation here for 830PM on Saturday night and when we showed up were greeted and seated right away.
The waitress came by and gave us their daily special which was like another menu since she mentioned like 8-10 different things.
We ended ordering a bottle of Once WInery Red Blend made especially for Bouchon which paired well with our appetizer of Duck Confit. The duck confit was the star of the night in my opinion. It was succulent, flavorable, and tender.
Main course: My gf ordered the chicken roti. The chicken was very well seasoned and cooked. It was tender and juicy. The sauce that in came with was a bit too sweet though. It had a pear flavor that overpowered.
I ordered the steak frites and it was perfectly cooked at medium rare the way I like it. I good crust on the outside and juicy on the inside. The butter on the steak probably kept it moist and flavorful the whole time I ate it. As for the fries they were pretty basic with no extra seasoning or diping sauce. I wished they would have maybe tossed it in garlic or paramesan like other other restaurants.
Good ambience, great service, good and nearly great food.
The food was excellent - I love bread and mustard.
My review is for Gerald, our server. He was awesome - we ate there for lunch (without a reservation).
He picked out T's wine for his rabbit and lamb. And it was perfect. I wish I asked him to pick mine too.
When I ordered, he suggested I add a salad, and I did. And I'm glad did. I ordered some very rich creamy crab and lobster dish that was maybe an appetizer on the specials list which he read very loud and clearly, which was heavenly after a nice crisp light salad. I was pleasantly filled and we opted to order sweets at the bakery to enjoy throughout our stay in wine country.
In between courses, they use that silver crumbscoop to get the crumbs off the table, and one of the busboys just pushed them off the edge. T isnt used to eating out white tablecloth style, and I commented that I've seen the crumbs artfully swooped with a flick of the wrist. And I dont know if Gerald heard, but from that point on, he did it and T was in awe.
He also gladly took a picture of us. It was our first meal out since the wedding and warmly invited us to come back on our anniversary.
First off, we weren't planning on going here today but we decided to after not finding anything we liked at a certain french bistro a few blocks down. We called to make a reservation and were for fortunate to get one 2:15pm, though we got seated promptly at 2pm. We had also mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary a little early.
Our waiter was very friendly and to our surprise one of the hosts had brought us two complimentary glasses of champagne for us to toast with. The bread we received baked fresh from their bakery next door was delicious and the Clover butter they gave us was a perfect compliment with it.
The menu's were interesting as they were folded up with our napkin and silver wear on a brown piece of paper.
We decided on two entree's:
Hubby's dish-Steak Frites (pan-seared prime flat iron steak topped with buttered caramelized onions and a huge portion of fries on the side)
We;ve read the steak is a hit or miss but this time it was definitely a hit. We always order meat medium well. Normally that would be on the dry side but the hubby felt the steak was very juicy and tender still with zero fat. We would felt the fries were forgettable and don't understand the hype surrounding them. Cooked in duck fat or not, they had no real flavor. I prefer truffle or garlic fries.
My entree:
Fletan Poele (pan seared Alaskan halibut, garden squash, heirloom tomatoes, arugula and sun-gold tomato vinaigrette.
First off, the Alaskan halibut was excellent and very soft and flaky. The veggies with it were a great compliment and I especially loved the tiny heirloom tomatoes. I did feel that the tiny portion for the price should have at least included a carb to fill you up more, like perhaps some roasted potatoes or rice pilaf at least? Luckily the fries that came with his entree were big enough for both of us to get full off of.
Overall, our experience there was good. The complimentary champagne toast as apposed to the usual free dessert was a very pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, we were too full for any dessert from the bakery next door but hope to try it some other time.
Luckily, we still have a reservation for French Laundry for our actual anniversary date next month and will review on which place delivers the best food and service so stayed tuned! ;)
I'd like to go back to Bouchon and try some of there more notable dishes. I can't say I was blown away here this last time.
We stopped in on whim since we were staying at the Inn across the street. It was mid-day on a Sunday and we figured there would be a wait. An over-run bartender quoted us an hour and 45 minutes. The host quoted us an hour for a table, so we put our name in.
No sooner did we wander to a winery right outside did we get a call 15 minutes after leaving the restaurant. They had a spot open. We went back, only to find it was a spot at the bar.
From there it was just ok. No entertaining conversation from the bartender a la Mustards, some gnats flying all around, and a seafood platter that was tasty but really nothing special. The Macaroni au gratin side dish was probably the tastiest thing, which makes we want to give them a second chance.
Next time i'm likely to make a reservation and get the full experience because this time around I found it quite lacking.
Wow, the menu had so many tasty items that my head was spinning. It's a good thing I had arrived on a mission. I was there to try the salmon rillette and it certainly didn't disappoint. It comes in a sealed jar with a layer of clarified butter that gets popped off with a knife and served on a plate. The salmon (prepared two ways) is flavorful and so much fun to eat with toast points. Their onion soup is also rich and flavorful with a huge layer of piping hot cheese on top. Husband had the trout almondine and it was perfectly prepared and served on a beautiful copper platter. They were also nice enough to give us a table out in their patio so that our dog could join us tableside. He even got a water bowl! The servers were so nice and rounded out a great dining experience.
My girlfriend (at the time) and I were enjoying a weekend in San Francisco and were looking for a place to have a nice dinner. Perhaps we should have stayed and had dinner in the city.
Decided to make the trip to Napa/Yountville and give it a go at Bouchon. The famed Thomas Keller restaurant that is not the French Laundry. Driving thru Napa was nice and relaxing. A far cry from the urban sprawl that is the major city.
The restaurant is beautiful and is staffed by a friendly, unpretentious, and helpful crew of servers. Our waiter was great, was there when we needed him and he didn't linger. So lets move on to the food.
Beignets de Brandade de Morue:
(Cod Brandade w/tomato confit & fried sage)
As I ordered this hors-d'oeuvre, my date shot me a look like...perhaps you shouldn't order that.. lets get the foie gras instead. Unfortunately I was inisitent and Threw the dice... let it ride... lost the house.
This dish was horrible. Looked beautiful but lacked flavor. Was very far from being delicious.
Steak Frites:
Okay after "the Bourdain" stated that these were the best fries in the world every foodie was on a quest to try these little bastards. Nothing special and perhaps because of all the hype fell short of the my expectations. Best frites ever.... Mon Ami Gabi Las Vegas.
The steak was cooked to perfection and tasted absolutely amazing. erkkk scratch bang boom (Someone hit the DJ's table and the song begins to skip and the turntable needle gets derailed) On the bottom of the steak there was a small piece of extremly tough tendon running along the whole piece of meat. Making it very difficult to cut the steak. Every bite is like participating in the great outdoor games. Sawing away at the steak like a lumberjack would a tree trunk.
Braised Short Rib:
Very tender delicate piece of meat that melted in my mouth accompanied by a forgetable starch and some tasty roasted vegetables. This dish was great and went off without a hitch.
So in a few words. Pretty good at times, mosty disappointing.
Reluctantly Recomended
I went here the first time we ventured to Napa on a B&B weekend. I love this place!
I like the casual/ upscale vibe and most importantly the food.
I had the leg of lamb and my boyfriend had the steak frites. They were excellent.
We both enjoyed the profiteroles and this adorable, i guess, jar of chocolate mousse.
I can't wait to come back and eat here the next time were in Napa.
I've only been here once and I think I didn't order quite correctly so for me it was just ok. My other 2 mates ordered the steak frites and the duck breast and they were both quite delicious. The fries are perfect I must say but overall I wasn't super impressed. I think Bouchon probably turns out consistently good food each time though.
I haven't been to French Laundry yet but have been to Ad Hoc twice and loved it both times.
Over at the bakery I had the best macaron I have ever had. I will be back just to get one of those again.
My friends and I were in the Napa/Sonoma for a weekend, we decided to try Mustard Grill. When we got there, the wait for two hours long ! So, we decided to go to Bouchon instead. Wait for the table was about 45 minutes so we went to the bar and had lunch there. I had tartine du jur sandwich, which happened to be halibut. It tasted pretty good to me since I like halibut. I had to pass on the dessert since Bakery was next door.
Food - 3.0
Service - 3.5
Ambiance - 3.5
This would have been five starts if our pesky fly friend would have left us alone.
We made a reservation when we were about half an hour away. They had our table ready when we arrived. I had an eagle's eye view of the fresh oysters, but I resisted.
We started with the tomato soup (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and the French onion soup (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). They were both delicious and a great start to our meal.
We then had the halibut sandwich (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) paired with a side of green beans (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). The other two shared the croque madame (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and a side of mac and cheese (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). Once again, all the dishes were fantastic.
The french fries: they sure know how to portion them! It was a struggle to finish even half, but we forgot our doggy bag at the restaurant. Apparently, the secret to them so crunchy and tasty is a bit of duck fat when fried. Don't over order...the fries are sure to fill you up.
Bouchon is amazing. The atmosphere and service were wonderful. We came on a Saturday night after an entire day of wine tasting, and when we (not too hopefully) asked if it would be at all possible to move our reservation from 7 pm to 5:30 pm, the hostess was incredibly helpful and accommodating and sat us after only 20 or so minutes of waiting at the bar.
I had the roasted lamb with pearl onions and crispy polenta. The meat was cooked perfectly- tender, juicy and not at all gamey. However, both the lamb and the jus it was served in were way too salty for my taste. I also got to try a beet salad and a lemon tart that were both incredible and made up for the salty lamb. This was definitely an amazing experience, and I'm really excited to come back next time I'm in Napa- I really want to try the steak frites that everyone's been raving about.
Top 10 Things I Learned at Bouchon
10. Yountville may as well be called Kellerville. The name is whispered in conversation with such reverence, you'd sooner see someone elbowing Angelina Jolie in the ribs than miss an opportunity to lay eyes on "the man."
9. Bistro is to Paris as Bouchon is to Lyon. Parisian bistro food is typically slow-cooked (braised), whereas Lyonnaise cuisine revolves around cured and forcemeat processes. Lyon (and not Paris) has the reputation as the French capital of gastronomy...at least, that's what the sommelier told me. (I think he looked it up on Wikipedia after I asked him why the restaurant was called "cork" in French.)
8. It's true, the STEAK FRITES dish is gastrorgasmic. One of the best steaks I've ever tasted, this flatiron had a dob of maitre d'hotel butter, which blended flavors of parsley, white pepper, and shallots with the steak's juices. All of this was mopped up with an over abundance of the most gorgeously prepared frites ever to touch my lips. It is impossible to eat this dish without making an O-face.
7. Hosts and servers that live to host and serve act like they are permanently between jobs. This generally leads to contentedness or kvetching, depending on the personality. We counted ourselves very lucky to have landed Chad as our server.
6. The ROASTED LAMB (with potatoes boulangère and braised Swiss chard) and the POITRINE de PORC (crispy pork belly on a bed of confit made with corn, arugula, and red onion) both caused significant toe-curling. Appetizers like the signature SALMON RILLETTES and the PATE were also to be worshiped, eliciting countless moans from the group.
5. Keller's lifelong dream is to open a burger restaurant. I've never met him, but to me this means that he's the kind of guy I'd like to share a beer with some day.
4. The ideal number of people to have at a dinner table is 4. This guarantees laying claim to a sizable piece of turf in an otherwise crowded restaurant. Four people also insures that a minimum of eight different dishes can be shared and experienced by all. If two people should somehow order the same dish, the egregious mistake can be remedied by ordering a shared plate for the table. If this should occur more than once, then the ordering process should be taken over by a solitary individual. (I'm not difficult to eat with...really...)
3. Oxtail has never been high up on my list of favorites, but that's probably because I've never had it prepared sous-vide and served with seared monk fish cheeks, trumpet mushrooms, pickled shallots, endive and a lobster bordelaise. This may well rank as one of the top 10 dishes I've ever had in my life. I cried a little on the inside, and the thought of it still gives me chills.
2. Desserts that live up to their descriptions are rare, so when nothing on a dessert list instills excitement, chances are they won't taste exciting either. We had PROFITEROLES and BOUCHONS (brownies shaped like corks...funny, that). They were both simple, good, and what one might expect, but not off the charts.
1. Few chefs deserve the recognition that Keller gets, but if there were a chef alive that could be said to have the Midas touch for restaurants, it's him. You're not likely to find him in the kitchen these days, but damn if he doesn't know how to whip a restaurant into shape and create an amazing menu. Personally, I think there have been some changes to Bouchon over the past 12 months, and I suspect it's because Per Se is now firing on all cylinders, so Keller's been able to focus his attention on some of his other under-appreciated children. Without question, Bouchon lives up to its reputation as a Keller.
"Oxtail." (shudder)
Perfection.
Perfect warm fall Napa night, perfect dining companion, celebrating my 26th bday (perfect age) and PERFECT food.
I of course had been reading reviews for days before hand, doing my research - but knew regardless it would probably be a split decision. I wanted the croque madame and my date wanted the steak frites, but both of us were eyeing the mussels (the entree). There are also mussels as a starter, but they are served chilled. I decided to play dumb and ask the waitress if the starter mussels were warm, she said they weren't but that they could do a smaller version of the entree, we decided on that and BOY were we happy. Perfect moules frites. Which brings me to another perfect part of the dinner. I definitely was looking forward to trying the fries, but all three of the things we ordered came with the fries. We asked if we could sub out two of the orders for another side, which was a great idea, since we couldn't even finish the one order of fries.
Since my date had told them it was my birthday when he made the reservation, they brought us complimentary champagne in the beginning and then they brought us desert with a candle. Perfect end to a perfect easy, unfussy meal.
I ordered the trout which was actually really delicious but the 3 stars are because they forgot to bring us our salad! Also my friend wasn't too excited about the Bouillabaisse. I tried it... it was definitely not the best I've had. They should have the staff spend more time in Marseille! At their bakery across the way I tried the chocolate 'bouchons' and enjoyed it but wasn't blown away. Apparently I'm in the minority as there's always a line coming out of that place.
oooo la la...we didn't have to wait a minute for seating. It was just a walk-in on a Saturday afternoon..1pm and we were seated immediately by a nice gentleman.
Bouchon is amazingly delicious. I thought it would be so overrated but to my surprise, every dish we ordered tasted so muahhhhhh!
Magret de Canard et sa Cuisse Confite - roasted duck breast and crispy duck leg confit with appetizing sauce. My friend wiped off all the sauce on the plate like it just came out of a dishwasher. Whoever was doing the dishes would love him for that.
Steak Frites - pan seared prime flatiron served with butter and French fries. The steak was very flavorful and cooked to the right temperature.
Boudin Blanc - white sausage with potato puree & French prunes. The sausage and potato puree just melt in your mouth. I couldn't get over how good the potato puree was. Best mashed potato I have ever had.
Tartine du Jour (2) - toasted open-faced sandwich with halibut salad. Halibut looked so snowy white. It tasted sweet and fresh and light.
Not to forget to mention about their fresh-baked bread from Bouchon Bakery. We finished 3 baguettes. A friend (and you know who you are) was so crazy about the butter she literally finished the entire cup. =P
Service was good too.
I really enjoyed the meal here.
Ahh, Bouchon, Thomas Keller's "other" establishment in Yountville. How can anyone have but the highest expectations for this restaurant? Thankfully, during my visit it lived up to these expectations. My bf and I came here while we were in Napa for our birthdays. Reservations for dinner were running 2 months in advance, so we opted for lunch (doesn't accept reservations) and hoped for the best. I'm glad we did, as it was a much more relaxed experience than I was anticipating.
Side note: what's up with the painting at the back of the restaurant which has all these items with French words written underneath them? None of the words matched the pictures!
We were promptly seated upon entering around noon, and the stewards brought the twisted bread and butter immediately. Nice to see at least one restaurant that hasn't opted out of providing bread without having to request it. We both ordered a local Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the langue et ris de veau (sweetbreads and calfs tongue) and salade de poulpe (grilled octopus with apricots and beans) to start. Both appetizers were delicious- the sweetbreads slightly breaded and the calf's tongue velvety.
For our main courses, I chose the gnocchi with summer vegetables and my bf one of the daily specials, boudin noir (blood sausage) with mashed potatoes and roasted apples. (They also had a lobster crepe as a speical that day which sounded divine). I don't care for blood sausage, but the potatoes were divine, with a consistency so uniform and soft you would think they were from a box (except of course they're not!). The gnocchi was delish as well, a nice departure to be served without a sauce. A sauce can sometimes overwhelm the gnocchi, already slightly heavy as a starch, but these were crispy and not heavy at all.
We opted out of dessert, thinking we would head to the bakery next door (instead we ended up slow rolling by TFL, wondering if Keller still goes barefoot in the kitchen). The only negative of the whole experience is that the bathroom is outside the restaurant and sharded with the bakery (as well as being single stall!) so it was kind of a surprised against the almost perfect restaurant. A positive was the waitress' perfect pronunciation of the daily specials' French names, as well as the FoH manager bringing the newlyweds next to us champagne gratis. Don't forget to get the DIY stamped business card on the way out!
The food here is exceptional. Even if you are a vegetarian (as I am) you can find plenty of delicious french treats. My favorite items are as follows:
1. Croque Madame (just ask for it without ham and egg if you do not eat eggs) - make sure to get the frites on the side too unless you like them covered in yummy mornay sauce which I am sure many do.
2. Macaroni Gratin - scrumptious blends of cheeses baked with a nice crispy top layer and a nice small portion.
3. Potato puree - Their potato puree is TO DIE FOR good. I think it is all cream and butter, what's the harm in that?
4. Gnocchi with sauteed seasonal local vegetables - hands down this is the best gnocchi you will ever taste. It is served with a hazelnut butter sauce and seasonal veggies.
5. Spinach - When in season it is delectable and very local (within a few blocks I believe).
6. Pot de Creme - Hazelnut is the BEST!!!
7. Last but not least try the cocktail THE BRIGITTE it is so freaking good you will thank me.
Enjoy!
Had a 9:30 reservation after a day of wine tasting with three friends.
To start we had, in addition to all the bread and butter they brought, beers and cocktails and an assortment of oysters, which were all very tasty. A very nice beer selection. We also ordered the soup du jour, a celery root and apple soup, which was incredibly tasty.
My fella and I both had fish dishes - a salmon pot-au-feu for me and a pan-roasted trout for him. My vegetarian friend had the gnocchi and an assortment of vegetable sides. For dessert we had various ports and liquors and the pot de creme and creme caramel, both of which were very good. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy their food.
The service was friendly. Our server was very nice and casual, which I always appreciate at a place that could potentially be sort of snooty and chi-chi. However, as we were finishing up we were getting the "hurry and get out" vibe, which always sucks, especially considering it was before their official closing time.
I wouldn't suggest going in expecting orgasmic OMG THOMAS KELLER IS A GOD food, but do expect very tasty, well-prepared food in a nice bistro with a good fancy-casual vibe.
Excellent food, very loud atmosphere, average service. The tables are also very, very close together.
I wouldn't hesitate to go back if for no other reason than to visit the bakery.
What an amazing day spent with great friends, marvelous food and unbelievable wine.
I'll not go into details of our déjeuner délicieux. Vy has done a remarkable job with her review....well okay, I had a fantastic Poitrine de Porc which consisted of crispy pork belly with corn, arugula, red onion confit, poached currants and Bayonne ham vinaigrette. Porc was, as Vy so aptly stated, unctuous and rich. It literally melted in my mouth. Frites from the Steak Frites were fried perfectly and plentiful. Poulet Roti was tender and juicy (brined for 12 hours), Lamb shank was flavorful and not gamey at all. Lobster Crepe was tremendous. Service was on point.
But......
Ohmigodohmigodohmigodohmigod!!!
I met the Rockstar of Napa himself, Thomas Keller!
My eyes nearly fell out of my head. I tried to remain calm and asked to have my picture taken with him. He was gracious, soft spoken and oozed charisma. I never in thousand years thought I would have an opportunity to meet him. How lucky was I?!!!
I went to the bathroom, squealed, and did the happy dance.
It was indeed a phenomenal day.
My husband and I were visiting family in Napa so we all went here for dinner on Saturday night. I was looking forward to a delicious meal. We all ordered 1st/2nd courses and 3 desserts and each got to try a little of everything. We had wonderful wine to drink and fantastic service.
This is a nice, casual place with great food and atmosphere. Will definitely go again!
Went here for my birthday! Loved it!
*Worth the trip and would definitely visit again
*The most perfect Croque Madame I've ever had
*Perfectly cut, cooked & seasoned Pomme Frites
*Excellent service
*Great Ambiance (Commoners like me felt very comfortable)
*The best butter ever...They were honest to tell us its Clover Storneta
*House made mustard was really good
ps. my profile photo is of the Croque Madame :)
I ate here after a recent trip to Napa/Yountville. The staff is unbelievably friendly, and the food was decent for the pice (though the appetizers seemed to be overpriced and we elected not to order). The entree portions were large, and well worth the price.
The clientele was random, and one of the reasons that I'm giving this a 3-star review is that I feel they need a dress code, and that they need to enforce it. There were a large number of patrons in shorts, swimtrunks (!), and t-shirts, while individuals at my table were business casual. Other diners were donning sport coats, which seemed more appropriate for this restaurant.
The decor was just right - not over or underdone. My only critique is that the large palm tree in the center of the restaurant seemed out of place. Also, the folded wax-paper menu was a little tacky to be honest.
As stated before, we didn't order an appetizer. But we all had the following: Gigot d'Agneau, Steak Frites, Fletan Poele, and Moules au Pistou. All of the dishes were generous portions, and a table of four was unable to finish the frites that came with the Moules au Pistou. While many of the people raved about the frites on here, I wasn't impressed.
But Thomas Keller's French Laundry is probably the most talked-about restaurant in the area, and if you're searching for an alternative menu from this famous chef at a fraction of the cost of the French Laundry, you likely won't be disappointed with the food. Just stay away from the frites and stick with the fish.
This review is for the bakery:
Location: Excellent; worth a drive. (5)
Croissants: Marginal. (2-3)
Bread: Ok (3-4)
Lemon tart: Better than average: (4)
Bouchons: Excellent (5)
Macaroons: Excellent (5)
Chocolate tart: Excellent (5)
Summary:
Location and items-involving-chocolate are a good bet.
Everything else... meh.
Is there anything that is bad at this French Cafe Bistro? The crab salad may be the best i have ever eaten...and believe me, i don't like salads. The frites and the croque madame are delicious. It's perfect for a nice lunch outside while taking a break from wine tasting.
It's super cute, and it brings you back to a quainte Parisan cafe.
I always look forward to coming here...some day I'll make it to his other restaurant French Laundry....some day....
let me start by throwing some stuff out here first...
1. we have the bouchon cookbook, it's like our bible
2. out of my TOP 5 favorite foods ever, 3 were hit this night (dark chocolate mousse, demi glace, & fried dough)
3. thomas keller was sitting two tables away ;)
4. best experience at a restaurant, ever.
alright, so on wednesday for my *birfday* my lovely bf said where ever you want to go, and naturally this suggestion was perfect.
the floor manager, i apologize i am horrible with names, but you were fantastic, friendly, awesome, professional, and increased the amount of joy i had at this restaurant by 10 folds. our server was super friendly, and helpful with decisions.
we gracefully stuffed our faces here to the point that one should not wear your skinny jeans the next day after washing them for the fact they need to be stretched out first.
1/2 dozen oysters- PEI and British Columbia. BC ones kicked ass.
Ballottine de Lapin- roasted beets amazing, roulade was good.
Brandade- yum!! tasty cod inside, crisp fried dough on the out.
Ouiche- bf was mad that this was better than his, it's serious. uber creamy texture, chunks of bacon on the inside
French Onion Soup- on the house. velvety, meaty, DEMI glace! i have been craving it since.
Braised Lamb Shanks- lamby, tender, delicious sauce with. lots of veggies
Magret de Canard et sa Cuisse Confite- the confit leg was orgasmic. breast seemed just slightly tough. chanterelles were devine.
Profiteroles- being lactose intolerance i really need to learn to let go of ice cream. but i can't because places like this have absolutely amazing vanilla ice cream. rich chocolate poured on top at table side.
Mousse au Chocolat Noir- with some tuille spoons, paired with a 20yr tawney, i was in heaven..i was swooning over it so much that the lady next to me was dying to know what it was.
volume was just right, sitting at a table near the bar, beautiful decor.
beyond excited to come back :)
i'm a napa novice and can't tell you if bouchon is as good as it gets. for me, it was top of the line.
our server was very knowledgeable, made excellent recommendations, and was refreshingly humble.
instead of a traditional order, we went with an assortment of appetizers: the day's special - a lobster/pork belly/corn dish, a dozen oysters (4 delicious varieties), terrine foie gras de canard, tuna tartare, and the creme caramel for dessert.
everything - and i mean everything - was perfection. a brilliant meal to cap off a day of wine-tasting.
Food & service was excellent. We had lunch there with a reservation. Hubby had the steak & I had the duck. Memorable meal.
I'm a picky eater.
I've been called finicky.
The problem with this restaurant is that I could find nothing less of spectacular food. It just isn't right that food tastes this good, with this great a service, in this peaceful a setting.
I remember pinching myself.
Since it was a vacation we wanted to eat well and knew this spot had to be included.
Started right off with the Petit Pateau (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) which was a 1/2 lobster, 9 oysters from various regions, 3 jumbo juicy shrimp, 3 clams and 6 mussels. They paired it with wonderful dipping sauces although the juiciness of each bite didn't need any sauce. Simply amazing! Soooo delicious.
Next we were ready to eat. Our appetites were teased and it just couldn't wait. Out came the plates paired with wonderful wine from the region of Napa (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) our server paired it exactly to our taste buds delight!!
The Steak Frites (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was an oversized portion of the crispiest fries with a special sprinkling of something magical. Who knew fries could taste this great? The steak was huge! A pan-seared prime flatiron done to perfection in a medium rare with maitre d'hotel butter. Lord have mercy!
The Poulet Roti (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) arrived as well. The dished were equally amazing and we were just in awe at how delicious our food was. The juice of the half chicken was sealed in with the crisp roasted skin. Served on a bed of red wine poached pears, mustard greens, fingerling potatoes and whole grain mustard jus. Loved the few bites I was able to get from her.
As if it could get any more amazing...the Creme Glacee in a Sorbet of Fruit flavors ( http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was all we needed to polish off lunch! Since figs were in season, this dish was perfect!
Bellies full and happy we left overwelmingly pleased. I will come back here soon. I can't wait!
Love Yountville!
I totally forgot I even came here ... I guess that says something then.
We came here for dinner during a Napa weekend along with a hot air balloon ride and B&B stay near by.
The food was just alright. I know it's a Thomas Keller restaurant and all but I wasn't impressed.
I remember enjoying the truffle french fries though but you can't really go wrong with french fries.
I wouldn't really come back here and would rather explore the other restaurants nearby.
I went Bouchon on the July 4th weekend for dinner as a group of 4. Even though we didn't make any reservation, we were seated without waiting. Everything we ordered was great, but I still can't forget steak fries.
The steak was the best I've ever had! The beef was very tender and juicy, but what's I liked the best was the sauce. It was so delicious! Also, the french fries were great as well. I don't know why the simple french fries could be that great. I wanna go back to have the steak fries again.
By the way, my husband asked the wait person to substitute the french fries since we didn't want too many of them, and he's got lots of green salad as a side. I thought it was nice of them.
Great place for lunch! At least it was for me since that's all I had there. We did a shot gun trip up here for Memorial Day. Made my reservation via Opentable the night before and got a 1pm seating. I ordered the duck, which was very tasty. I'm a fan of duck, so when I see it on the menu, I try to order it most of the time. Plenty of sauce, but not too much to flood the plate. The server was really good, although he disappeared for a bit at one point. Fries were exceptional, but typical authentic "French" Fries.
Only 1 big complaint about this place. 1 menu for lunch and dinner. I'd like to be able to eat at the same restaurant twice within a day (which I would never do unless I was in Ripon, Ca, or something), and not see the same exact dishes.
Thomas Keller is da man! Granted, his Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Building is a bit overpriced, but he knows how to make a tasty meal, whether it be a sandwich, fine cuisine, or old fish.
His salmon rillette (rillettes aux deux saumons) is his signature dish at Bouchon. Don't leave there without enjoying this dish, unless you're allergic to fish or afraid of the high mercury content. Food and ambience is very nice in Bouchon. Superb staff who are helpful, but they do get tired as the night wanes on.
Still, I highly recommend Bouchon even though it was plan B for the Ms' birthday. Plan A was French Laundry, but I really needed both kidneys, was not willing to part with my first-born, or sell my eternal soul in order to make reservations at Keller's flagship. If anyone has a tip on how to make reservations at French Laundry on a weekend night, please drop me a line. I may part with one kidney.
I think of this as a great late supper spot. At the peak dinner hour, the restaurant is unbearably loud, crowded and, in summer, sweaty. (Some people thrive on this energy. I am not one of them.)
But I love it after the mood mellows out. Great raw seafood, frites and amazing breads from their bakery next door. Surprisingly, they also do a mean cosmo--I hate super-sweet drinks. Here, the cosmo is balanced, tart and refreshing.
The food was excellent! I had the Mussels and fries and my boyfriend had the trout. The mussels were cooked to perfection and the trout was mouth watering. As an appetizer we had oysters and for desert we had the profiterols, it was a wonderful meal.
I had to deduct a star because the noise level was LOUD! I could hardly hear my boyfriend talk, let alone myself. I suppose the loudness of their main webpage should have been an indication or a warning. hehe
Overall though, it was a good meal.
I ate late night food here at 11:45pm on a Friday night, just before it closed. Excellent. Probably not what it was intended for, but we were glad it was still open. The bar served great drinks while we were waiting for our food. I would love to go back and have a leisurely meal.
Good place. Will go back.
Yountville, CA
Category: French
Yountville, CA
Category: French
Yountville, CA
Category: Bakeries
Yountville, CA
Category: American (New)
Yountville, CA
Category: American (New)
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