Bouchon: Judging Thomas Keller by Bread and Vinaigrette–and Savoring the Perfection
Posted on January 15, 2010
For the holidays (actually, after the holidays), I managed to spend exactly one day in Las Vegas, which didn’t include a stay-over–daylight only. That meant, if I wanted to sample the food at one of the many celebrity chefs’ restaurants on the strip, I had to do lunch, and not all of them serve lunch.
I was at the Venetian, so I had my choice of Mario Batali (tried his places twice), Wolfgang Puck (tried his food in Los Angeles), and Emeril Lagasee (whose food I’d never sampled). I was about to do lunch (as they say in El Lay) at Delmonico (whose menu did not turn me on) when I spied a sign for Bouchon, a French Bistro by famed French Laundry chef Thomas Keller.
Unfortunately, Bouchon didn’t serve lunch, but this being a Saturday, it did offer weekend brunch. I’m not much of a brunch fan, so when I got there, I opted for the raw bar, which of course wouldn’t give me much in the way of original dishes with which to sample Keller’s cuisine. I ordered a half-dozen oysters, a salad and, as it turned out, two delicious glasses of wine.
The oysters were fine, but didn’t show off any Keller technique except in the selection, but the servers also brought me a French sourdough baguette fresh from the bakery. It arrived hot with a jar of soft butter and ketchup (ketchup in a French bistro–sacre bleu!). I must say, it fulfilled Jacques Pepin’s definition of the perfect meal–great bread and great butter. C’est magnifique!
The wines also were absolutely terrific, and I wanted to congratulate whoever made up the wine list, but that of course wasn’t really possible. For the record, the wines were a Sauvignon Blanc Maimbray Sancerre 2007 and a Pinot Gris Lucien Albrecht Alsace Edelzwicker 2007. The Sancerre was absolutely dry, light and perfect, and the Pinot Gris just a tad fruity but also light and dry.
However, it was when the salad arrived that I finally enjoyed some Keller magic. The vinaigrette turned out to be the most sublime dressing I’ve ever tasted. Now, it may be hard to judge a restaurant’s or a chef’s excellence by its or his salad dressing, but combined with the divine baguette, I must say that Bouchon and Keller do it right. I can’t wait to get back for a full meal.
In fact, as I sat there in the bistro surrounded by the idle rich, I imagined life as it could be enjoyed–spending days in the sports books of the strip wagering on the ponies and the sporting matches of the day, and then lunching and dining at spots like Bouchon.
Ah, truly that would be heaven. Now, whoever thought the tawdry (Las Vegas) could yield such perfect pleasures?
» Filed Under Food News Tags: Tags:Bouchon, French Laundry, Las Vegas, Thomas Keller
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