The Divine Dish

Dinner at Bouchon, Beverly Hills

Posted on Jan 06, 2013 under Archives | No Comment

Named for the particular style of cafe that existed in the province of Lyon for centuries, top chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon features classic bistro favorites and seasonal offerings along with a signature raw bar featuring a wide array of oysters on the half-shell.  Bouchon Beverly Hills is among three in the country (others in Vegas and Napa) and features antique lighting with a French country design.

I recently dined at Bouchon for an article I am writing on the most romantic places in LA.   My friend and chef in training Travis came along, below is what we sampled.

In French bistro style, menus are printed on brown paper and wrapped around each diner’s napkin.

We started off with marinated olives with rosemary and lemon peel.  Bread was warm and served with whipped butter.

I enjoyed a dirty martini with hors d’oeuvres.  Next came a nice selection of oysters.  Bouchon has one of the best selections of oysters, mussels, shrimp, crab, clams and lobster at their raw bar.

We also received a lovely charcuterie board with country style pate with watercresss, cornichons and radishes; chicken liver mousse, salami and prosciutto.

We loved the chicken liver mousse.  This appetizer is huge and can easily be shared by four people.

Next came a lovely bibb lettuce salad.  At first glance it appeared to be just a pile of bibb lettuce with herbs, but when we took a bite the flavor of the house vinaigrette was outstanding and paired perfectly with the fresh crunchy lettuce and scattered herbs.

Our pasta course was the special of the night, an amazing risotto with shaved truffles.  We both loved this dish.

Our main fish course was a pan seared Scottish salmon with braised kale, roasted sunchokes, quinoa and a Meyer lemon emulsion.  Delicious.

Another house specialty is the pommes frites, french fries, that were so good that Travis took the remaining fries that we couldn’t finish home with him.

Desserts came next, all outstanding.  The creme brulee had a crunchy caramelized top, the mille-feuille aux noisettes had perfect layers of chocolate cremeux and hazelnut creme in a coffee sauce with mango gelato, and the house gelatos were light and refreshing.

After dessert, we were lucky enough to get a tour of the kitchen.  The kitchen at Bouchon is spotless.  Paper lines the metal dinner prep areas encouraging chefs to plate neatly and cleanly.  The baking room is huge and pastry chefs work around the clock.  The main prep area also features three flat screen TV’s that offer views of each kitchen at the Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and Napa Bouchon bistros.  Reservations are available at 310/271-9910.