 A
Moveable Feast
By
virtue of its association with celebrated chef, Thomas Keller alone,
the place emits a certain pedigree and cachet that’s impossible
to miss. ‘Foodies’ who have tried to score a seat at
the famed French Laundry in Yountville, California know all too
well of the difficulty of this task. The French Laundry might very
well be the holy grail of dining in California. You will not find
this with Bouchon or its more casual offshoot, Bouchon Bakery.
The restaurant’s
‘concept,’ if you will, is based on a type of restaurant
found in Lyon, France, serving traditional Lyonnais cuisine such
as sausages, duck pate or roast pork. There is an emphasis on dishes
that are quite fatty and heavily oriented towards meat; also, rather
than focus on haute cuisine, it focuses on a convivial atmosphere
and a personal relationship with the owner. And this is where the
comparison ends.
To
me, Bouchon is more brasserie than bistro – because of its
size (it seats almost 200 people) and really, as far as ‘local
neighborhood joint’ goes - well, I suppose that’s valid
if you live in The Venetian. Also, I could be wrong, but I doubt
you’ll see Thomas Keller greeting and seating diners. Chalk
it up to semantics, though, because it doesn’t matter what
it calls itself, the restaurant still serves some of the most authentic
‘French comfort food’ in town. Another plus? The ambience
is to-die-for. The designer, Adam D. Tihany, has outdone himself
– re-creating an authentic Parisian bistro reminiscent of
the flapper  era. The details – such as the French pewter
bar, mosaic floor, velvet banquettes and antique light fixtures
– will transport you to the early days and café-scenes
in Paris as romanticized by Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.
Helmed
by Chef de Cuisine Mark Hopper, the menu in Bouchon Las Vegas never
veers far from the classics, and what is tried-and-true such as
gigot d’agneau (roast leg of lamb), poulet roti (roast chicken)
and boudin noir (blood sausage).
We wished
we brought more of an appetite, or a bigger group, so we could sample
the Grand, or even the Petit Plateau consisting of lobster, oysters,
shrimp, clams and mussels. Or the salade de frisee aux lardons or
even the terrine de foie gras de canard. If you plan carefully (unlike
us), dinner can be a complete affair and you can happily while away
the entire evening pleasing your palate with course after course
of fine food.
 On
a side note - while I haven’t attempted brunch here, (and
trust me, that’s next) I have heard nothing but good things
about it. And not just because I spoke with Pastry Chef Chris Herrin.
If the epi bag-uette we were served before dinner was anything to
go by, then imagine what a breakfast of freshly-baked croissants
or baguettes (they make approximately 400 loaves of bread a day),
home-made jams, country, rib-sticking fare of sausages and eggs,
would be. The antithesis of the typical Las Vegas breakfast buffet
- at Bouchon, you wouldn’t have to jostle or line-up for food.
Now on
to dinner. Given that we were pressed for time, we decided to go
straight to the main course and ordered the steak frites (steak
with french fries), of course, as traditional as they come; and
the truite aux amandes (trout with almonds). We weren’t disappointed.
A pan-seared prime flatiron done to perfection and served with maitre
d’hotel butter (with parsley, lemon juice, salt and black
pepper); and the french fries – crispy, crunchy, and not a
soggy piece in sight.
 The trout was, as expected, also perfectly done. The
mistake most home chefs commonly commit with regard to fish is overcooking,
which was obviously not the case here. The fish’s flaky texture
contrasted nicely with the crispy green beans and crunchy slivered
almonds. The entire dish needed nothing more than a simple beurre
noir (butter sauce).
For
dessert, we ordered the bouchons (molten chocolate cake or lava
cake as it’s called these days), though for reasons unknown
to us, we were also served a sampling of the rest of the desserts
on the menu, and then some. Out came a slice of the tarte au citron
(lemon tart), crème caramel (caramel custard), and a plate
of petits fours (some macarons, candied fruit, peanut brittle, caramel
corn and a truffle).
Sated
from the meal, and enjoying the requisite final cup of espresso,
I didn’t think it could get any better than this, save for
maybe a cigarette or two, to complete the scene. I wondered if Hemingway
would approve – I think he would, if not for the smoking ban.
-Rachel
M. Sugay
Bouchon
Venezia
Tower, The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino.
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Suite 10101. 702-414-6200.
Open daily for breakfast, 7-10:30 a.m., Monday-Friday, Brunch, 8
a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday-Sunday; and dinner, 5-11 p.m., nightly. Price
range: Breakfast – Specialties, $9.95-$21.50; Breads and Pastries,
$2.50-$12.95; Fruit and Yogurt, $4.95-$8.50; Side Dishes, $4.50.
Dinner – Seafood, $6-$98.50; Salads, $9.75-$14.50; Main Courses,
$16.95-$34.50; Hors d’oeuvres, $6.50-$48; Cheeses, $9.75-$15.25;
Sides, $5.50-$5.75; Desserts, $5.50-$9.50.
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