Thomas Keller's newest Bouchon just opened in Beverly Hills. It's the third restaurant under this name serving Keller’s classic French country fare.
Bar Bouchon, a wine bar also serving small plates, is set to open in mid-December. It will have indoor and outdoor terrace seating for as many as 46 guests. Menu selections will include salads, charcuterie, cheeses, tartines, sandwiches, caviar, and desserts.
The venue has two levels: Bar Bouchon is located on the first floor with seating for 11 at the bar and 35 on the terrace. Upstairs, Bouchon seats 195 guests, indoors and on the terrace. The entire space is available for buyout. The restaurant also has a private dining room for 16. Keller once again tapped designer Adam D. Tihany to create the interiors. A French pewter bar, mosaic floors, antique light fixtures, and a mural by French artist Paulin Paris round out the look.
Menu offerings include roast chicken, leg of lamb, quiche Lorraine, and trout amandine. A raw bar serves oysters on the half shell, presented as part of the restaurant’s signature "Grand Plateau"—two tiers of oysters, cold poached Maine lobster, sweet gulf white shrimp, tiny Bouchot mussels, littleneck clams, and Dungeness crab. The Vin de Carafe wine program brings California wines specially made for the restaurant one barrel at a time.
Chef de Cuisine Rory Herrmann split his time between the Bouchons in Yountville and Las Vegas for a year to prepare for the Beverly Hills opening; Herrmann was previously the private dining chef at Keller’s New York restaurant Per Se. Greg Rowen is the general manager, Scott Wheatfill is the pastry chef, and Alex Weil is the head sommelier. A team of 23 kitchen and management staff rounds out the group.
