In the land far far away called the Republic of California, in the heart of its Wine Country, there is a small town called Yountville that has been a magnet for the best chefs America and, indeed the World, has to offer. As a matter of fact, Yountville boasts more Michelin stars per capita than any other place on Earth. We have made my pilgrimage there to see the doings of the chef that made a true impression on me: Thomas Keller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Keller). His famous French Laundry restaurant is in the unassuming building on the edge of the center of this small town. What draws your attention to it though is his own vegetable garden right across the street, smack in the middle of Yountville.
While the restaurant is unassuming on the outside, when you enter you are transported to Manhattan in the middle of January. Right off the bat, the hostesses are dressed in the black Mao suits. The dark wood panelling and the atmosphere in general reminded me more of a legal office in the middle of NYC than a restaurant in the sunny and easy-going California’s Wine Country. True, the food is exceptional, but the ambiance truly bizarre considering the surroundings. Thank God, Thomas Keller has decided to open a more friendly place just down the street called Bouchon Bistro. The interior looks indeed like a Parisian bistro, yet one feels very much in California.
We started with the smoked octopus salad in the marinated stone fruit, with jingle bell peppers and arugula, sprinkled with preserved meyer lemon vinaigrette. What can I say – excellent, and executed to the absolute perfection.
For the second course, we tried the chicken and the fish. My companion is not a big fan of raw fish (with the exception of sushi ;). Yet, she was truly impressed with the seared big eye tuna covered with the pole bean ragout, and served on the baby artichokes & mizuna leaves with parsley vinaigrette. I chose a simple chicken, because the familiarity breeds contempt, and I really wanted to be blown away by a seemingly simple dish. I was not disappointed. The roasted chicken with sweet corn, served on ventrèche (kind of a French pancetta) with beech mushrooms and peppercress, with an amazingly good chicken jus (and I mean truly excellent) was great. What can I say – the guy is THE master J
We have decided to skip the dessert, but enjoyed by far the best latte in California.
To sum up, Yountville is a really nice and charming place, where one can enjoy a truly wonderful culinary and, indeed, olfactory experiences. It is just a short drive north of Sonoma, and very much worth visiting not only for the Thomas Keller’s restaurants, but also for many others, including the Wine Train with a fine restaurant of its own.
http://www.bouchonbistro.com/
