Bouchon

6534 Washington Street
Yountville, California
707.944.8037

Rating Scale:

• Panties in a twist (unimpressed)
• Panties low-riding (intrigued)
• Panties on the floor (impressed)
• Panties swinging from the chandelier (amazed)

Conditions: Mom-daughter weekend in the wine country for Mother’s Day.

Rationale: We couldn’t get in to French Laundry so decided to try Thomas Keller’s “other” restaurant in Napa.

Long story short: A lively French brasserie with food so good you will forget you never got that reservation down the street.

The deal: Walking into Bouchon, you are immediately reminded that even in sleepy Napa, there is a scene. Bouchon typically features a full house of diverse diners, talking loudly and proudly passing forks and toasting wine glasses with satisfied grins. The setting is as much like a brasserie in Paris as one could imagine on the West Coast, complete with burgundy-colored velvet, brass fixtures, antique lighting, and a raw bar to savor as you have your first cocktail. The white tablecloths feature a brown paper menu that unfolds delightfully, revealing the showcase French menu.

To start, there is, of course, all the fresh seafood you could want from the raw bar, including oysters and lobster. A generous slab of paté and complementary cornichons make more substantial starters and are perfect paired with the Roquefort and endive salad in walnut vinaigrette. As for entrées, the steak frites will long haunt my mind. A perfectly grilled steak arrives topped with chopped, cooked sweet onions that quickly absorb the circle of herb butter, making every bite sensational. Flawless frites come piled high on the side and will get grabbed quickly by everyone at the table. Lamb with merguez sausage and coco beans is an extraordinary take on the traditional lamb dish. The arctic char, delicately prepared and blanketed in whole-grain mustard sauce, is an ideal fish choice with buttery potatoes and petit pois.

Bouchon masters the traditional French favorites (Croque Madame, moules frites, poulet roti) and delivers them all with flare, taking them to the next level. Even side dishes prove tempting: macaroni au gratin, potato purée, marinated artichokes, haricot verts, and sautéed spinach. Dessert is a must and preferably an adventure into cheese and sweets—particularly the butterscotch pot de crème, which has a unique salty aftertaste.