New Concept, High Spirits: Bar Bouchon

Today, I found myself in Beverly Hills before the lunch rush and decided it was high time to pay a visit to Thomas Keller's recently opened Bouchon Beverly Hills.

Thinking I'd try my luck for a lunch reservation or at the very least scope it out for a later date, I arrived to find an unexpected and even more enticing option for the solo patron: the Bar Bouchon wine bar.

Intimate, no reservations taken, a newly crafted small plates menu, and chic outdoor tables alongside a perfect European-inspired garden -- my heart quickened as I eyed up all the empty spaces.

After a quick tour of the stunning and grand bistro upstairs, I decided to grab a seat at the more casual wine bar for lunch.

Bar Bouchon is appointed with all the elements that characterize Bouchon Bistro (and the bistros of Lyon, France, for that matter): the pewter bar, classic bistro mirrors, chalkboard menus, gladiolas, vibrant floor tiles, as well as a window into the kitchen à la Bouchon Bakery.



The bar hosts a modest 8 chairs, plus 6 more at a side counter bar and probably 8 tables outside. The delectable creations by the pastry chef sit atop the end of the bar in glass cake plates near the kitchen. An abbreviated raw bar display of succulent pink shrimp and oysters on an ice bed rests below a variety of vegetables perfectly preserved in glass mason jars.


Dizzy with the thrill for this kind of food and its culture, I felt I had found a new home in LA.

Ryan, Bar Bouchon's manager, and Jesse who was manning the bar gave me the lowdown on Thomas Keller's new concept. Bouchon Bar is the more relaxed cousin (no bow-ties), but same high-quality food as Bouchon, and features a tapas-style menu of smaller plates. They've added a "Jardin" section of vegetable appetizers -- fennel, beets, cauliflower, etc -- and include some of Bouchon's greatest hits: olivade, salmon rillettes, macaroni gratin with truffles, tartines, salads, seafood raw bar, cheeses, charcuterie and special Plats du Jour. I opted for two items on the Plats du Jour menu: a chicken curry tartine and a bowl of cauliflower soup. Both were divine.



The bar is stocked with artisanal and carefully curated spirits. You won't find Grey Goose, Belvedere or any of the well-known premium brands. Instead their vodka choices are Russian Standard and Charbay from California. Beers on tap include White Apron, made for French Laundry by Russian River Brewing Company and Blue Apron, made for Per Se by Brooklyn Brewery. Bar Bouchon also introduces the Vin de Carafe label -- a partnership between Keller's team and various producers and winemakers in the Napa valley -- at a very nice price point. I had the white Vin de Carafe with lunch, which was a very lively and yummy Chardonnay.


Keller opened Bar Bouchon three weeks ago and is testing the concept here in Los Angeles with hopes of expanding the brand and opening in more locations. I, for one, consider us extremely lucky!

Ad Hoc Inspiration

Whenever I would head over to the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC, I'd first stop at Union Square Café to check out their menu for the latest seasonal ingredients and preparations. Armed with inspiration, I'd then tackle the farmers' produce stands.

Now that I live in LA, my strategy must come from a different source. Lucky for me, Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Restaurant in Yountville, CA, recently started sending out their daily menu to email subscribers. Ad Hoc serves a daily single prix fixe menu of four courses featuring standout seasonal ingredients -- sometimes from the French Laundry garden itself.

Ad hoc's family-style approach makes for more straightforward (yet still sublime) dishes from Keller's arsenal. Great ideas abound -- but how you go about executing them is up to you.

MENU: Easter Dinner 2007

This year's Easter spread was pretty by-the-book, as I followed recipes from chefs Suzanne Goin and Thomas Keller. The seasonal show-stopper was a fava bean hummus, which is by far my favorite fava bean recipe to date. Concentrating the fava beans in a puree and spiking it with complimentary flavors really makes the high-maintenance legume worthwhile -- as opposed to it going undetectable in a dish.

I improvised on a salad of asparagus, grated hard-boiled eggs and mache inspired by the bistro classic Asparagus Vinaigrette with Eggs Mimosa in Keller's Bouchon cookbook.

Here's the menu with select recipes to follow.

+ THE MENU
Fava Bean Purée with Oil-Cured Olives, Feta, and Garlic Toasts, SUZANNE GOIN

Curried English Pea Soup with Creme Fraiche, SUZANNE GOIN
Asparagus and Eggs Mimosa with Mache Salad in a Walnut Vinaigrette, inspired by THOMAS KELLER
Pierogis, AUNT PAT'S RECIPE
Cauliflower Gratin, THOMAS KELLER
Sautéed Baby Artichokes with Tarragon (in a white wine, veggie stock reduction), overheard on NPR's "Good Food"
Glazed Ham with Apricot Mustard Sauce, EVERYDAY FOOD


+ RECIPE
Fava Bean Purée with Oil-Cured Olives, Feta, and Garlic Toasts
from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, by Suzanne Goin

1 Baguette
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2-1/2 pounds fava beans in the pod (or 2-1/2 cups shucked)
1 small sprig rosemary
1 chile de arbol, crumbled
1/2 lemon, for juicing
1/2 cup pitted oil-cured black olives sliced in half
1/4 cup sliced flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 pound feta
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat overn to 375 degrees F.

Cut baguette on the diagonal into twelve 1/4-inch-thick slices. (You may have leftover bread.) Brush both sides of each slice generously with olive oil (about 1/4 cup in all). Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the over 10 to 12 minutes, until golden crispy, but still tender in the center. While the toasts are warm, rub them with one of the garlic cloves.

Mince the remaining garlic clove.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, remove the beans from their pods.
Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes in the boiling water. Drain the beans in a colander, cool them in the ice water, and them slip them out of their pale green shells with your fingers.

Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil, the rosemary sprig, and the chile. Let them sizzle in the oil a minute or two, then stir in the minced garlic. Let them sizzle in the oil a minute or two, then stir in the minced garlic. Let it sizzle for a minute and stir in the fava beans, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Simmer the beans 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're tender (the exact time will depend on the starchiness of the favas). Strain the beans, reserving the oil. Discard the rosemary and chile.

Transfer the beans into a food processor and purée them. With the motor running, pour in half the reserved oil to taste. Squeeze in some lemon juice, and taste for seasoning. (The amount of oil you will need depends on the starchiness of the beans.)

In a small bowl, toss the olives and parsley with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Crumble in the feta, tossing gently to combine.

Spoon the warm fava bean purée onto a platter. Place the grilled toasts off to one side, and scatter the feta-olive salad over the purée.

A Summer Selection of Oysters and Mussels

I rue the day we enter into the non-"r" months when rumor has it that molluscs should be off the menu. It's late August and I find myself at Thomas Keller's bistro Bouchon for lunch in Yountville, CA. The plateau des fruits de mer looks too tantalizing to pass up. My dining companion, Jose, orders the plateau while I opt for a pot of mussels. Our intention is to share.

The plateau presents a glorious display including fresh creamy curly oysters. My mussels arrive in an ovular Staub mussel pot, drowning in a sea of white wine, mustard and saffron. We are living on the edge, but I have full faith in the chef and his purveyors.

The seafood is delicious and meaty indeed. No meager summertime molluscs here!

I notice the oyster display on the zinc bar reveals the sources: Marin Bay in California, Snow Creek in Washington State, Petit Manan and Bagaduce from Maine, and St. Anne from Nova Scotia. We learn Maine is also the home of the "bouchot mussels."

The truth is, good quality oysters and mussels can be had in August. If the chef is as discerning of the sources as they are at Bouchon, then you're in the clear -- no "r" withstanding.

Easter Spring Fever

This year, the idea of making a variety of green-colored dishes for our Easter table was downright thrilling to me.

After two farmers market visits, five grocery store stops, a 40-minute crosstown trek to a European specialty food shop and three flower shops, I was finally armed with the elements needed to realize my master Easter dinner plan.

Through careful consultation, I crafted a menu from my fave cookbooks. Thomas Keller came out on top with 3 dishes compared to Mario's 2 and Daniel Boulud's 1.

Big lesson learned: Fava Beans, though exquisitely seaonsal, are definitely NOT WORTH IT as an ingredient in a dish prepared under a major time crunch. (Sous-chef hubby Brett Cody Rogers will attest to this.)

THE MENU
Asparagus with a Citrus Gremolata, MARIO BATALI
Artichoke and Fava Bean Stew, MARIO BATALI
Potato Gratin, DANIEL BOULUD
Peas and Morels with Onion Confit, THOMAS KELLER
Cauliflower a la Grecque, THOMAS KELLER
Bibb Lettuce Salad with Herbs, THOMAS KELLER
Ham, spiral-cut from Whole Foods
Kielbasa, homemade from J&T European Food in Santa Monica, CA