Sara C.
Yelp
My husband surprised me with a visit to Le Bouillon for my birthday, and it was pretty dang nice, if a little bit stuffy/quiet for the type of food/vibe I usually gravitate toward.
The ambiance is arty with a large mosaic sculpture being the focal point of the space. It definitely feels upscale and airy, so it did fit for the romantic atmosphere my husband was wanting.
Don't get me wrong on the food; everything was expertly cooked and plated beautifully. It just wasn't so much my style, but I did come to it with an open mind and enjoyed a lot of the items.
We started with the Tartine and Lox. It came as a large cracker, with a creamy spread as the base and flowery little strips of lox with pickled veggies. It looked gorgeous and tasted very flavorful with the components all working together perfectly.
For my entree, I chose the Hanger Steak with Root Vegetables and added a crab cake on top. I absolutely loved the steak and the crab cake, which were both seasoned to perfection and sitting in a heavenly tarragon cream sauce.
But the root vegetables I could have done without. I usually like earthy flavored things, but these were a little too heavy on that, in addition to being the largest component of the dish.
My husband got the Duck Breast, which came with a bed of carrots, beans, and duck fat. It was so tasty and each piece worked together on the plate so well. I definitely recommend this over the dish I got.
We got two desserts, and both were decadently divine:
-Olive Oil Cake: This was on special when we were there and our waitress said it was definitely not as sweet as other desserts, but if you like more "muted" sweetness, like cornbread, you might like it. She was absolutely correct - it was almost exactly like corn bread, but without a corn flavor. More just a buttery bread flavor, but topped with a delicious blueberry compote and homemade whipped cream.
-Chocolate Tart: Our second dessert was definitely more desserty - a big hunk of chocolate mousse with cherries and cherry drizzle on top. You can't go wrong with anything chocolate and cherry, and this was the perfect example of that. Not too much sweetness in the chocolate mousse, so the extra sweet cherry components could really sing.
Overall, I think Le Bouillon has a lot of great things to choose from, but you definitely have to be in the right mood to dine there!