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I’ve been here numerous times for lunch.
AMBIANCE of the 2nd floor of Bouchon is more akin to a French style brasserie - dark wood panels, tiled floors, brass fixtures, high ceilings and an eye-catching seafood bar. Very energetic and can get quite loud unless you're seated in the private dining area overlooking the street. I think there were smaller tables on the street balconies, but since it was raining that day, everyone opted for the Main Dining Room.
Most of the lunch patrons appeared to be a mix between Beverly Hills and LA locals on a shopping break, Montage hotel guests, and business people. Dressy casual ranging from t-shirts and jeans, to shirts and slacks. It's BH, but no need to dress to the nines here.
SERVICE was nearly perfect from the greeters and waiter except the busboys made us feel slightly rushed when they took the last nub of Epi baguette without asking and almost walked off with my fries until my friend quickly intervened. Water glasses were always being replenished without asking. To be fair, it took the 2 of us to finish our 3-course lunch in an hour and a half - I noticed most lunch patrons were in and out in about an hour or so. My 2nd visit was just fine service wise.
FOOD at Bouchon is the antithesis of what French Laundry offers - none of the wit, playing with the senses and derring-do execution displayed at the Yountville flagship that I experienced in the mid-90s. Rather, Bouchon offers Thomas Keller's Californized renditions of French homestyle bistro classics. It's not supposed to wow your senses. The end goal is to provide a lighter stick-to-your-ribs meal in upscale settings.
Description of some of the items I’ve had during my visits:
Salmon Tartar - Scottish salmon with a dollop of crème fraiche, chopped hard-boiled egg, capers, and red onions. The toasted crouton slices were the perfect vehicle to smear the tartar mix.
Moules Frites - was skeptical after reading the description of Maine mussels cooked in cider, tarragon, mustard, shallots and bacon, but this was so surprisingly delicious, I ate every morsel and sopped the last bit of broth with Bouchon's in-house baked Epi baguette. In the generous serving of steamed mussels, there was only one with a tiny bit of grit. Absolutely no sand in the broth. Fries were thin and crisp.
Profiteroles - ended lunch with the cream puffs filled with French Vanilla ice cream. Profiteroles came plain and then the server offered to pour the warm chocolate sauce over the puffs. Who's gonna refuse that?
For those concerned about prices, Bar Bouchon at street level offers many similar dishes at 1/2 the cost in more relaxed and quieter surroundings.
