My sister and brother-in-law surprised us and invited us here Sunday night.
I brought a
2003 Loring Wine Co. Pinot Noir - Cargasachi Vyd. My brother-in-law brought a
1997 Joseph Phelps InsigniaWe were seated and the waiter asked if we wanted both bottles decanted. We said yes and asked him to pour the Pinot first. The bottles were placed on the top layer of a stand directly behind us. The middle and bottom layer of the stand was filled with wine glasses. We all started talking and enjoying each other company so we forgot to look at the wine list.
Appetizers;
Laitue - Bibb lettuce salad with fresh garden herbs.
Escargot with puff pastries.
Confit de Canard - Duck with lentils (Appetizer Special)
Entrees;
Gigot d’Agneau - Roasted leg of lamb with polenta and pearl onions in a thyme jus.
Moules au Safran et à la Moutarde - Maine bouchot mussels steamed in white wine, Pâté de Campagne avec Roquefort et aux Noix mustard & saffron, served with french fries
Fresh Halibut Dinner Special (don't remember exactly how it was prepared)
Desserts;
Tarte au Citron- Lemon Tart
Bouchon French dougnuts with vanilla ice cream.
Bouchons - 3 small individual chocolate cakes with chocolate/rasberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Based on my sister's suggestion, I had the Laitue. I've never had bibb lettuce, but it was quite similar to butter leaf lettuce. It had a very well-balanced oil-vinegar dressing with blue chesse and fresh black pepper. It was very good and a generous portion I shared with my wife.
My wife received a generous portion of a soft and tender duck with the best lentils I have ever tasted.
My brother-in-law enjoyed his well prepared escargot.
While we were having appetizers, the sommelier never stopped by our table. I told the waiter to please invite him over so we could offer him some of the wine we brought, but he never did. I did notice the sommelier grabbing glasses from the stand behind and taking bottles of wine to tables all over the restaraunt. The guy never stopped moving. Too bad for him, more for us. Corkage fees were $25 a bottle.
Mike and I both had the lamb which was perfectly cooked. I've had lamb at other places that don't prepare it properly and it tastes gamey. My sister's mussels were well done and man were there was a ton of them. They also give you a ton of french fries. She took some of both home.
My wife's halibut was also excellent.
My wife's lemon tart was a very large thin slice that was very good.
My sister loved her doughnuts, but both ladies were jealous and taking plenty of bites of my dessert.
The bouchons had the crispy baked outside with the soft tender cake inside. A healthy amount of sauce for everyone one with just a little bit of ice cream.
We all really enjoyed our meal here, it was outstanding. The service was very professional and friendly. This was a better value than the
Mesa Grill we ate at Friday night. The atmosphere was refined and relaxed. We drove into the garage and used the valet parking on the third floor. Take the elevator marked for the Venezia Tower. You can get to Bouchon without ever going into the casino. While we were there, it didn't even seem like we were near a casino. We would eat here anytime and highly recommend it.