Le Critique: Hole in the Wall: Bouchon in Napa Valley

Bouchon

Recently, I posted about a visit to Yountville, where I raved about the land of Thomas Keller, in a quaint town in Napa Valley reminiscent of Europe. It could have easily been one of my French, Spanish or Greek holidays taken or to be taken. Travel is travel and it would always be what would make my heart flutter. But now, let’s talk food – certainly a key piece to a travel experience.

There’s plenty of places to eat at Yountville but indeed, I wanted to try to get in one of Thomas Keller’s. Of course, the French Laundry is out of the question because a two-month reservation is a necessity. I had no idea Ad Hoc was only open for dinner. So, Bouchon was the only one and I’ve set my mind on getting a table sans reservations. We made our case to the maitre d’, that it would just be lovely if we can get a seat outside, and give me a call as soon as a table opens up. Though we were starving at that time, we thought we’d wait. We can get a baguette at the Bouchon Bakery, which had a line to the sidewalk that never got short, but was moving nonetheless. As soon as we’ve ordered our breads, pastries and coffee, and I soon as I took this shot of a boulanger in action, I got a call and we’re in.

As you walk into Bouchon, it’s everything a casual French Bistro could be – casually elegant. We came in and we were asked if we wanted the table inside, or wait for a bit to clear the table outside. I thought, in Paris, I always dined outside, except for when we had our formal meal for my mom at Île St. Louis. Of course we chose the table outside. While waiting, I found these blank orange cards and a letterpress stamp thing on the table. Chef said if I use it, it would be loud. I thought, it’s there, meant to be used, despite the possible momentary commotion it could stir with a loud bang. The maitre d’ said, “go for it, it’s interactive and you get a souvenir”.

When we were directed to our seats, I instantly noticed the classic white plates with red lining of French bistros, but these were cleverly marked, making it stand out from all the other French food ever served in front of you. There were plenty of things on the menu, but not overwhelming. The same baguette we just bought at the bakery were served. Since I love bread, I must comment on this. I must say, it is not as good as an Acme Bread Co. baguette because it was more on the hard side not on the crispy side, but it was notable enough. I think if it were served with a better butter, it would have been, well, better. For starters, I ordered the escargot de Bourgogne en cocotte. I have to have the snails, right?! On the other hand, Chef picked something not on the menu. They had a steak tartare special that day and, though I would only normally eat raw fish, I figured, if someone will get raw meat right, it will be these guys.

Indeed they got the raw meat right! That with the sun-dried tomatoes and the avocado paste, it was glorious. I would say it must be eaten with all the elements together. I personally love snail, ever since I was a kid. But other than an escargot in Paris and the one from Spencer on the Go (an off-shoot of Chez Spencer), I haven’t had enough of the none Filipino style of cooking the snails with their shell in coconut milk. The Burgundy snails were huge, and that was a delight because as it is with escargot, there’s never enough snail in the dish. The mushroom cream and peas were a good dip to the puff pastry that covered the Staub pot when it was served. Between the two though, Chef’s steak tartare won. The acidity was just perfect with the amount of raw meat and its tenderness. The buttered but crispy toast it came with provided a good starchy balance to the acid.

For our plats principaux, I ordered the bouudin blanc, since I liked the boudin when I had it at Angèle and I wanted to see what Bouchon’s rendition would be. This white sausage was served with potato purée and French prunes. At first glance, I thought I didn’t like how it looked. But that didn’t quite matter because the saltiness of the sausage complemented by the sweetness of prunes and anchored by the creamy potatoes were just the perfect traditional flavors Bouchon aims to exude, and does so well.

On the other side of the table, Chef was enjoying his moules au safran, Maine bouchot mussels that were steamed in white wine, mustard and saffron. It was served with French fries which I don’t quite get but I believe this is the normal pairing as we had a similar pot like this at La Muscleria in Barcelona, and it was also served with fries. I don’t care, I love potatoes. Chef was excited over his dish, and the mussels had good flavor and aroma. I would say that the sauce was a tad bit underwhelming, just a tad. Perhaps I was just looking for a bit of a pow, but I think the mustard took a bit of the wine flavor that I was craving for with the mussels. On a side note, the fries were amazing because it was just the way I like them, thin with some crisp and minor sogginess that I oh so love.

I would have loved to have ordered dessert as I was eyeing on the crème caramel right as soon as I opened the menu. But, Chef and I had just spent $60 at the bakery and we’ve been waiting all lunch to enjoy them.

Another regret that I only noticed now as I read the menu again was that we didn’t order any of the cheeses. This is not too high on my priority list normally but because Chef and I enjoyed a cheese platter at Bar Bambino in San Francisco, I’ve been curious to have a cheese tasting at a French restaurant and this could have been my chance.

Well, that I shall not forget if and when I visit Bouchon in Las Vegas and New York.