Bouchon

Location: Yountville, CA (Napa Valley)
Cuisine type: French
Atmosphere: European bistrot, small outdoor tables
Meal: late lunch
Price range: ~$15/appetizer
Overall grade: 8.7

Ben



Probably the finest restaurant we have visited in a little over a month in the bay area, appropriate for our first visit to Napa. The atmosphere is pretty upscale and offers pleasant outdoor seating with a view of the shopping center across the road. The service was very prompt and polite. The wine selection was fitting to Napa, and we went with the house wine at $8 / glass (off the menu was ~$14 and up) as we had just come from a vineyard. The starting bread roll and butter on the table were fantastic, and we ordered 3 appetizers - cheese platter, french onion soup, and salmon rillettes (a cooked&smoked salmon paste). The soup was served as we had in Europe, cooked in the bowl with a lot of cheese and crouton in the bowl – an incredible version of my favorite soup. The cheese was all very good – a nice french ripeness with a mix of goat, sheep, and cow milk, and served with  cranberry and walnut bread. The salmon rillettes was actually a great dish as well, though a new experience to me – served cold in a jar with a thick layer of fat gel settled on the top, which was to be eaten with  toasted bread. Overall the food was great, the wine selection expansive, the atmosphere light and chatty. The price is pretty high (~$10 soup and $15 for appetizers / wines), though reasonable for the location and quality.


Food 9
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 9
Service 8
Value 6

Nina

After a wonderful visit to O'Brien Winery living up to even the most romantic visions of Napa Valley (leisurely enjoying various estate wines while hearing the wonderful story of the O'Brien couple living their dream of operating a winery and while admiring the charming views of the vine covered hills), hunger came calling. I spotted a place downtown Yountville called Bouchon, which brought back pleasant memories of the authentic hole-in-the wall restaurants sprinkled all over old Lyon called "bouchon lyonnais".

To more fully enjoy the very authentic French cuisine on this menu we decided on a selection of smaller dishes to share. We started, of course, with French onion soup. It was served with a rich bread well soaked in the soup and topped with a thick slice of gruyere cheese, melted in the oven to seal all the flavors in the serving bowl. It was rich and flavorful, and it set the bar pretty high for the remaining dishes.

The next dish was something I had never tried before - rillettes aux deux saumons - essentially a chunky pate made with fresh cooked raw salmon, smoked salmon, butter (&olive oil), and spices, served with crispy bread crostini. I was not sure what to expect, especially when we were presented with a sealed jar, covered with a strange layer of fat on top of something which indeed looked salmon-y. It seems like the fat was a combination of the butter and olive oil use in the preparation of this dish as well as the natural fat of the salmon, and its placement on top served as a natural preservative for the home-made pate which was packaged in the jar for a unique presentation and quick serving. I found that the best way to enjoy this pate was to pick just a bit of the fatty topping along with a scoop of the spread, just enough to produce a crunchy-and-creamy bite on top of a small crostini.

The final savory dish was a cheese selection - tomme de savoie, tome brebis and fleur de marquis - served with slices of walnut and of cranberry bread, fresh honeycomb, sliced apple and candied walnuts. There is not much to be said about this dish since the components are fairly straightforward. The cheese tasted fresh and ripe at the same time, the flavors were rich and took me back to the days when I would stroll through markets in Lyon admiring and tasting various artisan cheeses.

No French meal would be complete without dessert. The most sophisticated selection on the menu was the ile flotante, a rich creme anglaise topped with a light and soft meringue, served with caramelized almonds and crunchy caramel. I chose this (yes, I usually make the call on dessert, no surprise there :) ) because the other offerings were much more predictable - the usual creme brulee, sorbet, chocolate cake, which not only I can get anywhere else, but also feel pretty confident making at home. The star of this dessert was the creme anglaise, which was rich in both texture and flavor, and coated each bite of the much blander meringue for a very harmonious combination. Finally, the caramel and almonds added the perfect crunch to finish the dish.

I absolutely loved this restaurant, which although a little on the pricey side not only featured an amazing authentic French menu but also had an excellent wine selection (many of which were also available byt he glass) and friendly, but not overbearing service.

Food 10
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 9
Service 9
Value 8