bouchon bistro - the venetian

excellent value. thomas keller's entry into sin city…assuming you can find theplaceon the 10thfloor in the venetian this spot is well worth the hunt. "bouchon" refers to the lyon based café style that has existed for hundreds of years. the vegas entry is modeled after the california location in yountville, ca. in case you haven't heard….keller is arguably the greatest chef in america (it's him or charlie trotter)…his french laundry restaurant is legendary (as is the cookbook).


i wasn't sure what to expect given the hike we had endeared and upon arriving i was taken aback at the loud, lively, boisterous environment…i had expected snooty, laid back, traditional stuffy wannabe french atmosphere full of high rollers looking down their noses at the masses. this joint was alive and fun! having been in paris this past spring…it brought back great memories of the bistro scene i found so invigorating.


seated at the bar while we waited for our table i enjoyed a glass of cali sparkling ($13, roederer estate, nv). the wait wasn't an issue and before long we were seated and the experience began. i say "experience" because this meal was spot on in every aspect (wine service aside) though the room was surprisingly small and while decorated in a classic french style (quite appeasing to the senses) the acoustics, maybe by design, were awful.


for appetizers we enjoyed mixed greens with red wine vinaigrette, warm goat cheese & herbs de provence & the best escargot i have ever tasted ($15). each snail had an individualpuff pastry dollop on top for dunking in the creamy butter and garlic sauce underneath. i am ruined for life after this classic rendition. every time i order escargot here i'll be haunted by rubbery texture and over use of garlic. the salad, while lovely, was nothing out of this world but the cheese was tangy and fresh. a steal for $9.75 and real red wine vinaigrette really is a blessing.


the entrées proved to be very precise in their execution and represented excellent value given vegas markups. the roasted chicken with green lentils, pearl onions, bacon lardoons and sauce chasseur ($27.50) was cooked to perfection. i couldn't resist the boudin blanc with potato purée & sautéed prunes….absolute nirvana. the potatoes had to be helium injected to be that light and flavorful. for $24.50 i couldn't have been happier. for dessert…pot de crème($8.50)…so full of creamy fattiness i could feel my ass expanding as i ate it. the only problem with this menu for me….wayyyyy too much looks good. i could have eaten here every night, had something completely different and wanted to come back for more. i encourage you to surf their online menu…but you will salivate so be careful pavlov!

the down side of bouchon for me…yes....the wine service sucked. once again i was disappointed by the lack of attention to detail in this realm. what's worse…they actually have an antique-like cart for displaying and storing wine bottles, glasses, and decanters…which is great if they actually offer the service.


it was somewhat shocking to me that i'd order sea smoke pinot noir (botella) for $136 and not even have the sommelier offer to decant. but it wasn't just our table…no one in the room had their wine decanted. i asked him if it would be a problem but he happily agreed and even stored our bottle and decanter on the fancy wine cart…but why'd i have to ask in the first place? and why or why did the glassware have be those ridiculous en vogue wine bowls that kill any chance of fully appreciating a fine pinot? the wine's temperature was perfect so i guess 1 out of 3 isn't a total write-off…but it's the small details that separate really good experiences from the outstanding.

the menu at bouchon is highly seasonal so be assured that some of the items i enjoyed may not be featured as described. in sum, bouchon is perfectly executed french fare at prices anyone can afford. this is your must-have dining experience in vegas given the prices and brilliance of their kitchen. enjoy!

walking towards bouchons bistro was a journey in itself, located inside the venetian; the weaving hallways lead you deeper into the lobby where your eyes will bounce from each mesmerizing detail, starting with murals painted on the ceiling to the gigantic persian style rugs.the atmosphere in the venetian is the epitome of royal luxe, which is quite easily the same way to describe how our brunch went at bouchons.

the sign as inconspicuous as it lays outside the doorway, brings so much deception on how grand the space actually is. the natural light coming in embodies the whole room as the sun gives life to the rich blue carpeted floors with the contrast of the crisp white linen dressed tables.
service was impeccable, he was quick to go through the menu pointing out all the popular dishes and most recommended. food also came out quite quickly as well.

oeufs benedict - ($21.00) - two poached eggs served with smoked pork loin on an english muffin with hollandaise sauce on top with a side of mixed greens. loved this bite, pork loin had a very distinct smokey flavor that played equally well with the creamy hollandaise. egg yolk porn was unreal on this one.

croque madame - ($18.95) - toasted ham and cheese on a slice of brioche with a fried egg and mornay sauce, served with french fries. yup, you read correctly - french fries. yas! a fancy brunchplacethat serves fries on the side like any classy ass establishment should. no shame in my game. okay, hyped enough. the fries were bomb, the sandwich was pretty basic but the added mornay sauce was the element that kicked this sandwich up a notch.

pricey but worth it, i’d splurge for this again in a heartbeat.the amount of poise and elegance of the space and the presentation of the dishes blew me away. our server also packed up the leftover fries to go, thank you, you amazing man.

in vegas? come here and you won’t regret it. ah approved, ah recommends.

how disappointing. thisplacehas so much hype about it and the food we were talked in to buy by the waiter was so boring. the service is excellent and we had salmon for entree which wasn't bad. the main was flavourless chicken. there were four of us dining and all equally disappointed. the creme brûlée for dessert was delicious. don't order the boring chicken if you go here. very expensive also

breakfast in vegas can be a little tricky. for one thing, you really have to want it. after late nights of shows, gambling, and drinking, you might want to forgo the first meal of the day to get some extra hours of sleep. then if you really make up your mind to experience a vegas breakfast, you have to decide where to go. for me, i want something i can't get at home. something special. a breakfast that will be talked about long after i've returned home. i was hoping that bouchon bistro would be thatplaceon this trip.

recently, s and i had a nice weekend getaway in las vegas with a few friends – vegas is our favoriteplacefor a mini-vacation, actually… it’s close enough to drive there, but it’s just far enough away that i can really take a break from the stresses of life, haha. we’ve had several “fine-dining” meals in las vegas, including fleur and lawry’s prime rib. on this recent trip, we made reservations at bouchon bistro, one of thomas keller’s restaurants. i’ve been wanting to try it for a long time and was really looking forward to the meal!

located on the 10th floor of the venezia tower of the venetian hotel, the restaurant is almost purposely hidden away in a quiet area but provides a great dining experience. i wasn't sure what to expect originally.. to be honest i had 'french laundry' on my mind before arriving which is thomas keller's infamous restaurant that's on my list of must visits..
thisplaceis very relaxed, the wait staff are extremely efficient and helpful and honest about the food if you ask of their opinion. the atmosphere is fantastic (see photos) and the pricing is extremely reasonable. portions a very decent... i ordered a side expecting that i would need it since we were dining 'french' but it was not necessary. we started with a small seafood platter, there was nothing really small about it, the ingredients were fresh, large and 'unshrunken'. when i say 'unshrunken' i mean that the clams, oysters, mussels were plump and not starved. the shrimp and lobster were also large and of premium quality. i've done some other reviews of seafood in vegas and excused their quality by saying that we're in the desert but clearly that is not an excuse here. our mains were on par and as expected but the dessert was extremely memorable. i believe it was called the 'opera cake' and as it arrived, it looked overly simple and questioned whether we should have ordered something else. with my first bite i knew we didn't. it had layers of chocolate, mocha, cream.. it wasn't overly sweet nor overly rich and there was a crunchy texture between the layers that made it impossible to stop eating. it was perfectly balanced. i only wished we had more time in town to visit thisplacemore than once. we'll definitely be back on our next trip.

had a great experience. my girlfriend and i where in vegas to celebrate many things... decided to stop in here with a rez at 9pm. sat at the bar and had a drink or two while our table was prepared, i was surprised they had, as a kentucky boy, a bottle of willet rye single barrel. we moved to our table and where promptly greeted with the whole scene feeling relaxed and professional. cheese plate and crab legs where served which where fantastic... the sommelier came by to answer a few questions and was exact in his knowledge of the two bottles i needed described. i think he was delighted to have someone ask his opinion in the touristy and sometimes under informed las vegas crowd because he brought over a glass of italian red for me to sample along with the bordeaux i had ordered. management was superb with the very minor hitches we had. i needed a steak in my life and i ordered the special strip, which was juicy and had a ton of flavor. my girlfriend equally loved her meal as well. i was offered a tour of the kitchen as the very personable staff and i talked about how i ran my own restaurant in lexington ky during the dinner. as it is known, things happen in vegas at an incredible pace but they where ultra accommodating in nearly every way. also, that fast paced vegas scene has left me with no names to remember haha. thanks to our one armed server who ever you where, the tip was reflected in your ability to endure :) the fellow who showed me around theplace( aaron?)...it was a clean and professional kitchen staff with some of the best looking equipment and tools i have ever seen! even at the end of the night when most cooks and chefs would be hating on someone coming through at clean up, they where very friendly and courteous. mr. keller should be proud .. it ain't easy to make it in this biz and i will recommend thisplaceand dine here anytime im in town again. cheers , from the bluegrass!

not quite what i hoped for. in vegas for a few days and wanted some good food. bouchon was generally highly rated so we decided to give it a try. it is located on the 10th floor of the venetian. initially it was difficult to find but that is probably because we didn't pay attention. regardless, the interior is a slightly upscale bistro vibe- nothing extremely fancy. i started my dinner with a raspberry cocktail (grand cru) which was quite good. i wanted to try the sofrito clams appetizer but the others i was dining with were not interested so i settled for the onion soup. what a disappointment that was- very salty and run of the mill onion soup. i was excited to try the flatiron steak frites as my entree. the steak was pretty darn good but the fries were nothing more than fries i could get at any random fast food place. i mean really? no truffle oil or anything special to dress them up? that was a disappointment to me as i love good fries. dessert was creme brûlée and it was pretty good. the other diners with me agreed that the onion soup was worth forgetting and the creme brûlée was good. worth noting, one of the other diners had the salmon entree and really enjoyed it- cleaning her plate. our waiter was friendly and attentive. i was glad i tried bouchon but i certainly would not rush back and at this point i wouldn't really recommend it as aplaceone must try. maybe their brunch is better. dinner entrees average around $30.

maybe i don't come to vegas enough (something i intend to change in the future), but thomas keller's bouchon was one of the hardest restaurants to find during our whole trip! located in the recesses of the venetian, we had to hunt thisplacedown. we decided to visit only one buffet this trip and that was the wicked spoon. we opted for the sake of our stomachs to choose quality over quantity. to be honest, we needed every arrow to guide us towards our destination. and hurray, we found it! good thing too because we were hungry!   there is a daily specials menu featuring some amazing things for our easter brunch, the lobster and crab benedict sounds pretty good, doesn't it? i'm not a fan of omelet but i could make an exception for one filled with prosciutto!    no reservations are allowed for brunch or lunch, only for dinner. friends have warned me about the waits, one has waited up to an hour! thankfully, we arrived early and the wait was "only" 20 minutes. they did have little mini muf

a surfeit of pleasure. i love this place. french food at its best, in a lovely surrounding. i ordered a meal of small plates and the only thing that disappointed me the entire time was my appetite. i would have loved to sample more. i had their house pate, perfectly fresh malpeque oysters and their roasted bone marrow. everything was delicious and the roasted bone marrow (foodies' delight) was the richest thing i have ever eaten. i finished with their floating islands and a glass of port. would definately go back and would recommend thisplaceto anyone. the staff was excellent, especially my server.

took me forever to find thisplacebut that's what makes the adventure to bouchon all the more enchanting. uh. excellent french cuisine in las vegas? really? yes really! i found out about thisplaceafter watching anthony bourdain eating here on tv... he said the fries were excellent so i figured i'd order the steak frites to verify. yep. done deal. it is that good. the steak was "ok" because i really am starting to appreciate alberta beef. what triggered my fancy the most is the baked bone marrow and the escargot. so soft and tender and juicy for all these appies. the server that served me reminded me of someone from god of gamblers (movie). he was really nice and accommodating and for once i didn't feel deserted by ordering normal tap water. the top-up's were frequent. there's a really jovial and lively atmosphere at the restaurant so it didn't feel quite as romantic but aplaceto celebrate life at its true essence.

perfect. ever had a perfect meal, starting with bread and ending with dessert? we did at bouchon, hitting five different entrees and were blown away by all of them. salmon, gnocchi, veal chateaubriand, lamb and the classic steak frites (oh brother!). excellent wine service. love theplacefor breakfast, love it even more for dinner.

amazing meal at bouchon. salmon rilletes was incredible, so much so i filled up on it. so i had the mussels and frites for dinner and it was perfect. the frites were cooked perfectly, they literally melt in your mouth. thisplacelived up to the hype.

wonderful, fantastic, amazing!. thisplaceis fantastic. we got lost trying to find it, but the hostess seated us anyway (on a friday night!). we had pate, mussels, chicken, beverages and dessert for $100 and it was worth every penny. i can't wait to go back.

nothing to rave about, but not bad. had the leg of lamb special and the wife ordered salmon back in august for our anniversary. service was excellent and theplacewas empty when we showed up (early dinner to catch phantom later). both meals were good, very hearty, and filling. we've had them before at different restaurants in different cities, and this time they were about average. dessert was nice, a warm chocolate cake filled with syrup coupled with ice cream. coffee was good too, sharp but effective. as locals we probably won't eat here again and won't recommend it to anyone looking for something amazing, but it's a decentplaceto sample if you like french food. bring your checkbook.