Pamela W.
Yelp
We often visit Boullion when we visit family and friends in the OC. However, last night's dinner was quite disappointing for our party of six. We ordered wine, but our waitress seemed unfamiliar with the proper way to open and serve it. Thankfully, our nephew kindly stepped in to assist her in opening the bottles.
To start, we ordered two servings of mussels, which were tasty. Unfortunately, the French fries (pomme frites) were a complete letdown and definitely not worth the calories. They arrived at room temperature and were disappointingly soggy. We requested some bread (French baguette) to accompany the mussel broth, but it was also served at room temperature, rather than the warm bread we've enjoyed in the past. The mussel white wine lacked its usual flavor, so we didn't miss having warm French baguette to soak up the broth. Additionally, we ordered two servings of steak tartare, which were good, but, once again, the French fries were served at room temperature and were soggy. I mentioned this to the waitress, and she mentioned that she would inform the chef.
We also ordered a bowl of French onion soup along with our other appetizers. However, it wasn't served until after we had finished the other appetizers. It was tasty, although not the best we've had.
For our main courses, we ordered the daily special, which was the beef stroganoff, and it was absolutely delicious. The Canard à L'Orange (duck) was good, but a bit on the salty side. The Le Steak au Poivre came with French fries, but due to our previous experiences, we inquired about substituting the French fries for mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, we were informed that absolutely no substitutions were allowed. We then asked if we could order a side of mashed potatoes and were willing to pay extra for them, but we were still not allowed to pass on the French fries. However, the steak itself lacked flavor and was rather tough, although it was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was delicious. The Le Burger Francis was tasty. However, the tomato slice was extremely thin, almost see-through. I had to lift the bun to ensure the lettuce was there because it was so small.
Due to the slow service, we asked if we could take home two Tarte Tatins to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, we were informed that it wasn't possible because it came with ice cream. We suggested omitting the ice cream and we would buy some from a nearby store, but we were politely told that it wasn't an option. We settled for the crème caramel, which was delicious. At the end of our meal, we tried to pay with three credit cards, but were told only two could be used. We split the bill between two cards and attempted to pay cash for the third person, but again were told it wasn't allowed. The restaurant strictly allows only two forms of payment. We paid with two cards and divided the cash among ourselves.
The restaurant has a charming French atmosphere. However, the management should reconsider their rigid policies and be more flexible with their customers. Our group of six may need to reconsider returning to Bouillon due to these many challenges.