When locals and tourists alike yearn for an elegant “Audrey Hepburn-styled” proper Sunday brunch, we look no further than Thomas Keller’s legendary restaurant, Bouchon. As the Chef for the #1 restaurant in the country, (Napa Valley’s The French Laundry) rumor has it, that he opened the original Bouchon as a place for him to go and eat when he wasn’t working at The French Laundry. Bouchon is elegance with a casual tone. It is a calming alternative to the usual Vegas symphony of slot machines and blips and whistles. With light cream tiled floors, dark wood pillars, and marbled countertops sitting in front of an open kitchen, Bouchon’s design is simple, yet chic. The servers are outfitted with traditional French uniforms (black vests, white aprons) and carry their trays back and forth to a restaurant brimming with everyone from families with kids in Vegas T-shirts, to couples dressed up in fine Sunday attire. The atmosphere is perfect, the reputation of the place is impeccable, and food nerd that I am, I couldn’t wait to try it.
As with the trend that seems unending here in Vegas, the noise level was a bit high, but the space was just beautiful – from its open air patio to it’s scrumptious-looking raw bar. I enjoyed the airy and European feel to the design and was pleasantly surprised to be seated within 10 minutes on a Sunday morning. Our table was perfect in detail, with the white linens and personal pitchers and decanters for your coffee or tea.
The snarky and spoiled Travel Channel personality, Anthony Bourdain, deemed Bouchon as the place with “the best French fries ever.” So that was first on my list of must-trys. The plate overflowed with enough fries to feed a family of 4, and they were good, but the best? I’m not too sure. Anthony, it seems to me, that you might have just been sucking up to Thomas Keller on that one. I mean, if you work in food, I guess you have to brown-nose it a little for the only chef in America to have ever received simultaneous 3 Michelin star ratings for two different restaurants.
Next on the list is the infamous Roast Chicken with bacon chive waffles – the chicken was full of flavor, and so moist, it was a nice compliment to the savory waffles. The Croque Madame, however, was a disappointment; though the house made sausage was incredible, as were some of the offerings from the raw bar. If you are looking for fresh, clean, sweet-tasting seafood in Vegas, this is some of the best that I have sampled. They also offer an omelet of the day, quiche of the day, and some amazing baked French toast (which was worthy of plate-licking).
The biggest problem we had with our dining experience was the lackluster service. The food took forever to get to the table, and when it did come, it came one at a time, leaving that awkward feeling of “Gee, should I wait for the others to get their food, or just be rude and start eating now? I mean, I did order eggs, and they get cold fast. Hmmmm…” We need to get to the point here in town where quality gets what quality deserves. The food may be good here, but if my service lacks, am I really going to want to go back and pay $25 for an omelet? Not so sure. SLV
Issue 66 featuring: Eufrat, Jade Bryce & Jessamyne |
