I wanted to try some Thomas Keller food for a while now. My choir director adored his tasting menu at the French Laundry in Napa, a while back. Then I read about Keller’s Vegas venue, Bouchon, in Anthony Bourdain’s book, The Nasty Bits. Bourdain was humbled by Keller’s technique and envious of his fries. Since I visit Sin City often, I figured I could fit in visit to this French bistro inside the Venetian.
As a Christmas present, Mark took me on a date to Bouchon.
It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in Vegas.
originally uploaded by queenkv.
Our dinner had elegant and satisfying flavors plus good, knowledgeable service. This is Mark’s sauteed gnocchi. Now, I’m used to having the potato dumplings swimming a savory sauce. Bouchon serves up the gnocchi practically naked, save the ragoût of vegetables. After this meal, we learned that gnocchi didn’t need to be drowned in sauce when it’s cooked perfectly. It had this hearty roasted flavor that’s satisfying to any palate.
We started off with fresh oysters from California and Oregon. I’m always taking advantage of fresh shellfish when I’m on the West Coast. Since I’m stuck in a land-locked state, I often crave the bright, chilled flavors of raw oysters
This Atlantic salmon tasted light, flaky and it left a lovely buttery tone in my mouth. The beurre blanc sauce blended nicely with the sauteed mushrooms and vegetables.
We finished up with this rich dessert of dark chocolate mousse. It reminded me of the pot of hot chocolate I shared with Sara at Deux Maggots in Paris. It brought back memories of decadent chocolate warming us up during a late summer shower on St. Germain des Pres Blvd.
The food critic we met at Aureole said Bouchon was as a close as Keller could come to slumming it in Vegas. I’d have to disagreed. Maybe we caught the bistro on a good night. It was an a amazing meal and I’d like to try Keller’s French Laundry someday.
fabulous! i have yet to go to Bouchon but Keller is a genius!