Bouchon Beverly Hills
Average user Rating: 83
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77
2/8/2010
Unless you are living like Ted Kaczynski (or Dixon) you probably know about Thomas Keller’s Bouchon grand opening in Beverly Hills last week. It has easily been the most widely anticipated restaurant opening this year. I know that Dixon has always wanted to go to the French Laundry like I want to go to Chez Panisse.
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77
1/3/2010
Everyone knows that food isn't just "food" when Thomas Keller is involved. When it comes to that guy, surpassing your wildest expectations in culinary mastery "of this and of that" is just the thing you'd expect at his newly opened presentation masterpiece of a French Bistro. And that, my friends, is the barely 2 month old Beverly Hills location of a "most coveted" little chain restaurant known as Bouchon. Needless to say, Keller created a significant amount of hype with this anticipated opening, and especially among the "OC" crowd, as on the prior Tuesday before Bouchon's grand opening (November 17, 2009), we (I included) got to stand in line for upwards of 2.5 hours at South Coast Plaza's William Sonoma to get our "hot off the press" Ad Hoc cookbooks signed (as well as 30 seconds of face time with Chef Keller).
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89
1/1/2010
I have to say I was a little let down by the opening day experience at Bouchon Beverly Hills, though looking back for the most part the food was quite good. Perhaps it is a testament to Chef Keller's reputation that anything less than perfection is a disappointment. Chef Keller admitted the food isn't up to his exacting standards and the only way to get there is through practice. For those who want a reservation, the long wait could be a blessing in disguise. Thirty fully booked days practically guarantees the kitchen will be a finely tuned machine by the time you get a table. I expect that were I to return in two months, my experience would be totally different.
89
Opening Weekend: Bouchon
11/23/2009
It's safe to say that this was the most highly anticipated restaurant opening of the year. When the reservation lines opened up on November 2 at 11:00AM, I called at 11:06AM and only had a choice between 5:15PM and 8:15PM for Saturday night. Thomas Keller's empire had landed in town!
We arrived on time for our 8:15PM reservation, and were seated within minutes. The restaurant itself is quite nice. The view of the Montage courtyard, at night, was lovely with all the lights and the water fountain. I rather liked the light fixtures in the main dining room, and the dark wood decor. Perhaps one of the most delightful things about walking through the restaurant was the seafood bar...lovely little lobsters and oysters on display ready to be consumed by happy customers.
Our drink orders were taken within minutes of us being seated. We chose a couple of cocktails from the bar. They were good, but really nothing as spectacular as the drinks from Bar Centro at The Bazaar. I did enjoy the ganish in my Bouchon Cocktail...the fragrance from the fresh orange and lemon peel kept my martini fresh and enticing as I love citrus. Bread service was delivered shortly after.
My husband being the bread fiend and afficionado, dug right in. He loved the baguette-style rolls. They were wonderfully crusty on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. It was quite easy to tell that it had come out of the oven just a short time ago. I quite enjoyed the crostini-style toasts. I know it's so simple, but the sea salt that was sprinkled over the toasts made them all that much better. The white bean puree was nice, but nothing to write home about.
For appetizers, I had the pate and he went for the demi-homard (half lobster). I really loved the pate. It was smooth, rich, creamy, earthy, and delightfully porky. I wasn't crazy about the cornichons, sliced radishes, and watercress. I've had the rendition at Daniel Boulud in Vegas, and that plate was beautifully garnished with homemade pickled vegetables (i.e. ramps, carrots, beets, etc.). But that pate with it's pancetta-like trim around the perimeter was very nice. The lobster was served on ice and presented very well. They managed to stand it up, and served it with remoulade and cocktail sauce. It was perfectly cooked...melt-in-your mouth lobster. None of the toughness that can sometimes be found in an overcooked lobster was in this dish. The hubby did not find the remoulade and cocktail sauce interesting enough, decided to use Bouchon's homemade dijon and lemon to accompany the demi-homard.
For Entrees, I selected the moules au safran and the hubby went for the braised short rib. I loved the presentation of the mussels. They come in a large cast iron pot, and the lid is lifted as soon as it arrives at your table. That aroma of garlic, white wine, butter, and saffron was amazing...I could have sat there all night with my nose to that pot! The mussels were prefectly cooked...not chewy at all, and slightly creamy. I dunked each one back in the broth before I popped it in my mouth. What surprised me about the mussels dish was that even the mussels sitting at the bottom of the pot in the broth did not overcook as I happily consumed the ones on top first. That's well thought out execution there. And then there were the fries...and those fries were the best fries that I have EVER had. Super super crisp on the outside, and mash potato-like pillowy on the inside. Perfectly salted...these are now my standard for french fries...those things they sell at McDonald's will no longer fulfill my craving. Even my husband was suprised to find how good they were...and as a note, I was not excited to share my fries with him...that meant less for me! His short rib was perfectly cooked to fork tenderness. He found that his piece had a little too much fat it in it, but the red wine sauce really helped cut through the fat. I liked the body of the red wine sauce...well seasoned, well reduced...but it was a tad too salty for me. I did not get a chance to try the vegetables that came with the short ribs, but my husband's empty plate assured me that they were quite good.
Because we were also there to celebrate our anniversary, they sent out the Ill Flottante "floating island" to our table. The panna cotta-style meringue was sitting in a sea of creme anglaise and homemade caramel sauce. The meringue was topped with whole and crushed candied almonds and almond tuille cookies. I like meringue, but this meringue reminded me of marshmallow fluff. The crunch from the almonds and the cookie helped this dessert from being too mushy and creamy. Quite honestly, the best thing on the plate was everything but the meringue. The homemade caramel and creme anglaise were quite lovely. We tried the lemon tart (because we're both fans of citrus), too. It was just way too tart and way too lemony. Now I like lemon, but I had two bites, and the roof of my mouth and my tongue were tingling from over-exposure to citrus. It was almost like I had taken a sip to coffee that was too hot and it scalded my taste buds. My hubby loves key lime pie, and even this was way too much for even him. We, nonetheless, sent it back. Determined to end the night on a good note, we opted to try the Valhrona chocolate bouchons. They were lovely dark chocolate brownies with a molten chocolate center. I loved the crispy outer texture of the bouchons, and that fresh Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream was a delightful foil to the rich chocolate.
Service overall was very good that night. Our server, Jill, was a wonderful lady with a lovely British or Australian accent. She took very good care of us, and was very attentive. Our water glasses were never empty the entire time we were seated. My only complaint was that she never asked if I wanted wine with dinner, and by the time the courses were served, I was more interested in eating than the wine, but I'm sure the wine would have accompanied dinner quite nicely.
An overall review...not deserving of one Michelin star (the Yountville location has one star), but quite good. I know it's opening weekend, so I'm sure they'll make the necessary adjustments. I love desserts, and was not so "wowed" with the execution of two of the desserts. But I would go back. I would love the try the fresh oysters and the foie gras terrine. They also had escargot as a special on Saturday night...and I LOVE escargot...would love to try that as well. Bouchon is open just for dinner now, next week, they'll start serving lunch, and on December 13th, Bar Bouchon will open up downstairs with drinks and small bites.
Bouchon
235 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 271-9910
http://www.boucho nbistro.com/
85
Bouchon (Beverly Hills, CA)
11/19/2009
So last night, Bouchon was finally graced upon us. Staying true to my form, I just had to go opening night, sampling all that I could. Bouchon really needs no further introduction, so I'll get right into the vittles:
Beignets de Brandade de Morue [$14.50] | cod brandade with tomato confit & fried sage
Quite simply, brandade is a fine purée of salt cold (morue), olive oil, milk, garlic, and potato, a specialty of the Languedoc and Provence regions of France. Here the brandade is turned into fried fritter form, possessing a light, delicate body as well as a profound cod flavor, balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the tomato and pepperiness of the sage. Very, very good.
Terrine de Foie Gras de Canard [$48.50] | served with toasted baguette (5 oz.)
To this very day, the best cold preparation of foie gras I've ever had is still the Moulard Duck "Foie Gras Terrine" that I consumed on my first French Laundry visit. Thus, expectations were expectedly high. I was a bit surprised at the presentation here, with the liver served simply in a canning jar (à la Church & State), accompanied only by toasted bread. Nevertheless, the terrine was pretty stupendous, superbly capturing the quintessence of foie while still remaining refined and approachable. A bit of salt elevated things even further.
Pate de Campagne [$13.50] | country style pate with watercress, cornichons & radishes
A pâté de campagne translates to "country terrine," and true to its name, is a more rustic preparation than you'd find with many other pâtés. I appreciated its gritty, coarse texture, nicely moist, with identifiable pieces of pork mixed in (though I would prefer even larger chunks). Its flavor was markedly savory, with a substantial liver-y twang to boot. I liked the contrast of the peppery watercress, sour cornichons, and bitter radishes--all were helpful in balancing out the gravity of the pork.
Rillettes aux Deux Saumons [$16.75] | fresh & smoked salmon rillettes with toasted croutons
Traditionally, rillettes is a preparation of pork whereby the meat is cooked in fat and subsequently shredded into a paste. Bouchon, however, substitutes salmon--fresh and smoked--for pork, which is blended, but not cooked, with fat. The result was stupendous: a luxurious pate, imbued with the pure essence of salmon, but simultaneously rich, dense, and fatty. Excellent.
Frisee aux Lardons et Oeuf Poche [$13.50] | frisee salad with lardons, poached egg, bacon vinaigrette & toasted brioche
With lardons, egg, and frisée on hand, it'd be fairly difficult to screw things up. And indeed, the combination of salty lardons, luscious egg, moderating brioche, and light frisée was excellent, an almost faultless commixture of tastes and textures tied together by the overarching creaminess of egg. Superb.
Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut [$36.50] | sunchokes, fennel, confit of grapefruit, tarragon
Another special was the halibut. Texture-wise, the fish was near-perfect--soft, flaky, superb. By itself, the halibut was supremely mild, delicate even. I enjoyed the contrast provided by the sunchokes and tarragon, but felt that the fruit overwhelmed the fish's natural savor with a pronounced sweetness. The accompaniments needed to be toned down a bit.
Truite aux Amandes [$27.50] | pan-roasted trout with haricots verts, almonds & beurre noisette
The most controversial dish of the night, this was Bouchon's take on Truite aux Amandes, or trout amandine, a very classic dish of trout, with roots in French and Creole cookery. It's typically made by cooking trout filets in butter, and topping the fish with beurre noisette (brown butter), parsley, lemon (making trout Meunière), and almonds (turning it to Amandine). The trout alone was very mild, possibly underseasoned. We thought that it might've been intentional, but when we asked Chef Keller about it, even he admitted that it wasn't, and that the kitchen was still learning. Looking past the fish, I appreciated the vegetal tang of the green beans, and surprisingly, the almonds weren't overpowering at all (I expected them to render the fish overly sweet). This needs to get better.
Thon Confit a la Nicoise [$31.50] | confit of big eye tuna, pole beans, fingerling potatoes, arugula, hard boiled egg & radish
The tuna was easily the most successful fish entrée of the night. I could've easily eaten the tuna by itself--mild at first, but with a delightful salty finish. However, I loved it with the various accoutrements, which recalled a Niçoise salad. The earthiness of the potatoes, the tang of the beans and lettuce, the bitterness of the radish, and the weightiness of the egg--all worked beautifully in concert with the lightly-cooked tuna.
Gigot d'Agneau [$31.50] | roasted leg of lamb with Swiss chard, pommes boulangère & lamb jus
I first tasted the lamb by itself. It was suitably tender, with a surprisingly elegant savor and just a hint of that signature lamb gaminess--quite nice. Given the finespun flavor of the meat, I found its accompaniments heavy-handed, overpowering the lamb if you weren't careful.
Boudin Noir [$26.50] | blood sausage with potato purée & caramelized apples
Ah, the infamous boudin noir, a blood sausage made with pork and its blood. Taken alone, it had a gritty, concentrated taste with just enough of that iron-tinged flavor. It was best when eaten simultaneously with the potato and apple, with the former tempering the power of the sausage, and the latter adding a sweet counterpoint.
Plats des Cotes de Boeuf [$34.50] | red wine braised beef short rib with caramelized Savoy cabbage, glazed sweet carrots, parsnips & jus de Boeuf
And here, our final savory of the night. It's hard to go too wrong with braised beef, and this was no exception. The beef was superbly balanced, both in terms of taste and texture, and I really appreciated the various vegetables used here, which added a rustic, hearty character to the dish, while balancing out the heft of the beef. Very nice.
Ile Flottante [$9.00] | meringue with vanilla creme anglaise, almond & caramel
Ile Flottante, also known as floating island or œufs à la neige, is a somewhat fascinating dessert comprised of an "island" of meringue, set in a "sea" of vanilla crème anglaise, and topped here with almond and caramel. Here, the meringue was almost panna cotta-like in consistency, with an equally delicate flavor indubitably enhanced by its various sugary accoutrements.
Valrhona Chocolate Bouchons [$11.00]
How could we not end with Bouchon's eponymous dessert pastry? Think of these as miniature cork-shaped chocolate cakes, dusted with powdered sugar. Paired with the ice cream, they were a simple, but delicious way to end the meal.
We walked out of Bouchon full and sated. In terms of food, though most of it was on point, there were certainly misses here and there. This isn't unexpected, given that it was opening night. I'm willing to give Bouchon a pass, with the explicit expectation that the wrinkles will be ironed out given time. Service, handled mostly by our lovely server Songhi, couldn't really be faulted.
In the end, Bouchon is a welcomed addition to the Canon Drive dining scene, and I'm sure it'll become a go-to place to satisfy your beignets de brandade cravings, once the kinks get worked out, of course. Hopefully, Los Angeles hasn't seen the last of Thomas Keller. I don't think we're quite ready for another French Laundry, but wouldn't Culver City be a great place for another Ad Hoc, or even the long-awaited "burgers and bottles" concept? I think so.
Full review with photos: http://www.kevineats.com/20 09/11/bouchon-beverly-hills -ca.htm
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