by Xani
As the biggest winter snowstorm in years approaches the Baltimore region, I'm thinking back to a warm night a couple weeks ago. I was visiting my dear friend Jenny in Los Angeles, and our trip culminated in a most fantastic meal. We scored a reservation for the new Bouchon in Beverly Hills! And we could not have been more excited.
From the moment we walked into the restaurant, we knew it was going to be an amazing experience (my first Thomas Keller restaurant)! The place is absolutely gorgeous, huge, and super-classy without feeling stuffy. We sat in the main dining room, but spied some cozy little tables on the balcony (next time!)
Then, onto the food. First, a tiny bowl containing warm pistachios and this gorgeous bread arrived, with some soft, salty butter. I've been cutting carbs recently but couldn't resist a small piece of this crusty, warm, heavenly bread. I honestly can't remember a restaurant bread as good as this EVER. TK really knows his baked goods.
Then, the main dishes. We had decided what to order WEEKS before we sat down to this meal. The roast chicken (Keller is legendary for his chicken) and the steak frites- yeah, we were holding out for those fries (also legendary)!!
I'm sorry to say we left without dessert, but did linger over some coffee to take in the surroundings. Bouchon is truly a gorgeous restaurant serving fantastic cuisine. It just makes me that much more sure that a visit to Per Se or The French Laundry, should I ever get to go, would be truly an experience of a lifetime!
Thanks to Jenny for arranging our whole weekend and spending over 20 minutes on hold to get our reservation-- totally worth it!
And to all of you in the area hunkering down for this storm: stay safe, stay warm, and stay put (if possible)!
Happy eating (and happy birthday to ME, tomorrow!)
Xani
HAPPY BIRTHDAY XAN!! I love you and I am so glad we have this "awesome blog" as you once deemed it to chronicle so many of our dining experiences together. Love you mucho, see you soon for Snowpocolypse Birthday!!
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