My wife and I used the occasion of our kitchen counters being resealed to eat at Le Bouchon, finally, after a long absence. We had an outstanding meal. We had the prix fixe for $27, which is a very good deal. Here's what we ate:

Sausage with duck fat potatoes: this entree would have made a perfect meal on its own. The sausage was tender and flavorful and reminded me of a boudin blanc, though I didn't ask for details.

Frog legs: sauteed with garlic and lemon and a slightly sweet and funky sauce that had a touch of fish sauce. Excellent!

Rabbit: sauteed with mushrooms, carrots, celery, and a exceptional sauce.

Sweetbreads: An excellent version that was crusted with a honey sauce.

For dessert we had a creme brulee that was very good and an apple tart with caramel sauce.

Cocktails, wine, and service were all excellent. The room was packed and loud. I will return soon to try the whole roasted duck and the steak frites with a garlic sauce that has an intoxicating aroma.

RIP Jean Claude

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

Jean-Claude Poilevey: French Chef

Jean-Claude Poilevey – born in a Burgundian village, long-time resident of the Village of Oak Park – died Saturday morning on the Eisenhower.

Many of us probably had our first taste of French food at places like his now closed La Fontaine on Chicago's north side. We first met Poilevey at Le Bouchon in Bucktown, a type of bistro typical of the French city of Lyon that focuses on hearty food, conviviality, and a gregarious chef who might frequently be seen in the dining room, chatting with guests, full of joie de vivre, enjoying his life and helping his diners enjoy theirs.

In 2013, when Carolyn and I last dined at Le Bouchon (1958 N. Damen), Poilevey explained to us that "'bouchon' means 'cork.'" As corks sit tightly in bottles, so do the Lyonnais squeeze into these usually petite boîtes with, as he described them, "tables on top of tables." And squeeze they did into Poilevey's Le Bouchon (and at his perhaps suggestively named Le Sardine). Walking past Le Bouchon just last Thursday evening, we peered in, happy to see many of tables full of wine and conversation, knowing Poilevey was likely in there somewhere, cooking, serving and being the bon vivant host we'd met years ago.



Of our last dinner at Le Bouchon, I remember in particular the frog legs. We were enthusiastically gobbling them, when his chef-son, Oliver, sidled up whispered to us "I put fish sauce in the frog legs." Oliver (who once delivered for Jimmy John's in Oak Park) was fond of fish sauce and Asian food in general, unlike his father who admitted, "I'm uncomfortable in most Chinese restaurants…except Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula."

Le Bouchon's frog legs carried the unmistakably delicate funk of the fermented fish condiment – and it worked beautifully! Still, when we mentioned his son's admittedly unorthodox approach to this classic preparation, Poilevey père shook his head and his finger before wakling away briskly, declaring "Fish sauce? In frog legs? No, never. Tsk, tsk. Nevvaaahhh."

Poilevey was likely just messing with us, well aware of his son's tinkering with the classics. It's fair to say, though, that for traditional French chefs, there are right and wrong ways to do things. The right way, perhaps needless to say, is the traditional French way. Although few would probably say Poilevey was rigidly doctrinaire, he seemed to adhere to the old ways of preparing a meal – and that was just fine with us. Perhaps his respect for the rules was a result of his time as a cook in the French army. European military structure, after all, shaped the French kitchen's brigade system, from chef de cuisine, through sous-chef, saucier, down many ranks to garçon de cuisine, the kitchen's buck private.



At our Le Bouchon meal of three years ago, we started with tartare, a medium-chop of raw beef, mixed with sauce and herbs, topped with a quail egg, flanked by frisee and toast points, a beautiful example of a bouchon's classically substantial, meat-centric dish, executed with grace and finesse. There was also foie gras, with a simple sprinkle of coarse salt and a sweep of raspberry sauce, followed by a duck breast with carrots, lightly cooked in the French tradition, with just the right amount of tooth. Finally, a saddle of rabbit in a light, clear sauce, dusted with fine herbs. How, I wondered, did Poilevey keep the meat of this lean springtime animal so moist; I was told his "secret," well known to any French chef, "butter, butter, butter."



Such food, of course, explains why Poilevey's bouchon was usually packed, sometimes more than others. After a 2001 "Check, Please" segment featured then-Senator Barack Obama chatting about dinners with Michelle at Le Bouchon, Poilevey smiled as he remembered "Lines…out the door …round the corner…for days."

About the man who would be President, Poilevey recalled "Obama was a handsome, charming young man, but he was no great gastronome: he liked his steaks well-done."

We'll remember Poilevey's good-natured tableside manner, his Gallic humor, but most of all immensely satisfying food, prepared in the old ways, that though it may come in and out of style, remains for many of us a touchstone of what it means to eat well.

I'm really sad to hear this. When we lived in Chicago, this was a regular spot for us, along with Kiki's. Outside of my own cooking, Le Bouchon - its food, and its feel - was my son's earliest experience of French cuisine and culture. We were as happy to sit at the bar as at a table, crowded or not. Remembering now, in fact, an anniversary with my wife where we just sat at the bar, ate, and spoke with Chef Poilevey about various and sundry things, all in French and about things French.

Tiniest kitchen producing such wonderful memories. It felt like heaven to us all. My son's first steak frites - less than 5 years old.

Just want to thank the Chef for his generous spirit and for some special memories held in our heart. Rest in peace, Chef.

Edit - I just realized I missed your post, Tem, and David, your mentioning the Eisenhower. I'd thought the Chef passed due to natural causes. Doesn't matter as he's gone from us, but this news cuts even deeper. This is just so horribly sad. Peace to him and healing to his family. Thanks for posting and letting us know.

Nice remembrance, David. Living just up the street, I've eaten at Bouchon more times than I can count, dating to its very earliest days. As a Cafe du Midi fan, I was initially skeptical of this French interloper in Bucktown, but Midi closed and my first visit to Bouchon erased any reservations. I've spent so many memorable nights there, either at the shoulder-to-shoulder tables or at the equally packed bar. A particularly indelible experience was a night I went there with my dad, stepmom, Chef Jean Joho and his wife. Jean Claude was floored and excited to see Joho and gave us his very best, including a few off-menu favorites he whipped up on the spot. But he was just as charming and generous whether or not there was a fellow chef in the house.

The longevity and ongoing success of his restaurant speak to both his skill and passion, and may Bouchon carry on his spirit. With fish sauce, of course.

La Sardine, 111 N. Carpenter St., will open its doors from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday to welcome mourners who wish to pay tribute to the renowned chef and restaurateur who was an inspiration to Chicago's French culinary community.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

I’ll miss you a lot Jean-Claude. I always enjoyed your “joie de vivre”, that mischievous smile, and your humorous, sometimes in a ferocious way, view of the world and of men. Of course I loved and shared your deep attachment to what I call the real French cuisine and to the people who practice it the right way. This so recognizable voice of yours and its figures of speech will remain in my memory. I am so happy that I will be able to keep a joyous image of you and your “bonne humeur” when you sat down at our table a few weeks ago at Le Bouchon where I celebrated my birthday. We remembered people and places of our pasts both in France and in Chicago. I will always have fond memories of le Bouchon where, for several years since 1994, my old regular group of French business visitors to Chicago always phoned me from Paris and insisted that I call you to reserve the same table and to make sure that you would have Lapin aux tagliatelles, mousse au chocolat, and that delicious Morgon from your friend Marcel Lapierre. But my most memorable lunches where your classic cuisine, with its lovely Lyonnaise touches, was in all its glory, took place in the 70’s at the so charming La Fontaine, on Clark. There, along with 3 other French colleagues, we enjoyed your personalized hospitality and delicious specialties such as savory mousses, rack of lamb, coq au vin, and trout soufflé . The French restaurant community has lost one of its most prominent figures and it makes me very sad.

Lovely lingering Le Bouchon Saturday lunch with Ellen, my niece, in from NY, and her friend.

Le Bouchon remains one of my favorite places in Chicagoland, warm professional service, delicious on the plate, fairly priced with the best Salade Lyonnaise this side of Lyon. I could happily make a satisfying meal from LB's fantastic baguette, butter with a swipe of Dijon plus Salade Lyonnaise.






Le Bouchon, Count me a Fan!

Houston house guests who love Le Bouchon as much as us, Monday half price wine, easy to guess where we went for dinner. Salade Lyonnaise as delicious as ever, service, setting, on the plate, a lovely night out.

Though we did not order I saw a number of Cote de Boeuf, a gorgeous 32-oz bone in ribeye for two, being served. MP was $80 with fries, caramelized onions and bordelaise. A fantastic deal and an insane looking cut of beef.

Le Bouchon, Count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:Houston house guests who love Le Bouchon as much as us, Monday half price wine, easy to guess where we went for dinner. Salade Lyonnaise as delicious as ever, service, setting, on the plate, a lovely night out.

Though we did not order I saw a number of Cote de Boeuf, a gorgeous 32-oz bone in ribeye for two, being served. MP was $80 with fries, caramelized onions and bordelaise. A fantastic deal and an insane looking cut of beef.

Le Bouchon, Count me a Fan!

How were the steak knives?

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:How were the steak knives?

Response moved to Serrated Steak Knives in Restaurants in Shopping and Cooking so as not to derail thread.

We dined here last week with our 6-year-old. It had been a long time. So long that the last time we were here Gene Siskel, his wife, and two daughters were also dining.

I regret the absence. Everything we had was wonderful. My daughter and I shared the escargot. She is my snail-eating partner and we found these perfect. Just the right balance of garlic and herbs. The bouillabaisse was stellar, my daughter loved her side of French mac & cheese (a very generous portion,) and my husband’s steak was cooked exactly as ordered.

The room was full, the atmosphere was lively and fun. My only small quibble was that our server was not particularly engaged. She seemed to be running through her standard practiced routine.

It’s not a convenient location for us anymore, but we’ll definitely be back more often.

This past Monday night we had dinner at Le Bouchon. This was my first time there, although I've eaten several times at sister restaurant La Sardine.

The food had some terrific hits and a few misses. Furthermore, the weekly special deals (half-price wine on Mondays, three-course prix fixe on Tuesdays on a slightly modified menu, etc) make it a good value. Overall, despite a few issues noted below, it was an excellent dinner, and I'd be happy to return there (or La Sardine) again in the future.

So, what did we eat, and how was it?

Gougères - French Cheese Puffs. These were amazing, and huge (the size of tennis balls), but unfortunately I failed to photograph them.

Beignets de Brandade - Fried Salt Cod Beignets, Special Sauce, Fennel and Radish Slaw. These were excellent.

Moules à la Provençale - Basil, Tomatoes, Fennel, Shallots, Lillet. These were good albeit quite small. The broth was superb.

Butter poached lobster over salsify mousse. This was outstanding.

Sauteed whitefish with crisped skin, polenta, crawfish (daily special). This was also outstanding.

Bouillabaisse - Monkfish, Lobster, Mussels, Clams, Octopus, Saffron Broth, Croutons. This was just okay. Way too much monkfish, not enough of anything else, and the broth was nothing special.

Truite Des Fjords en Croûte - Ocean Trout Wrapped in Puff Pastry, English Pea Mousse, Romanesco, Sauce Sorrel “Troisgros”. I didn't try this.

Lemon cake with pureed blueberries and champagne sorbet (daily special). This was just okay, rather dry.

I was slightly disappointed that the sautéed foie gras on the website menu was not available, only a foie gras torchon. (Remember when either was illegal way back when? )

The room:

I'll add, there were a few negatives, ones we had not encountered at La Sardine. The room was EXTREMELY LOUD, making conversation difficult. The seating is very cramped, with tables thisclose to each other (one of those places where you can't believe there's any way possible to squeeze into the banquette seats along the wall). And if you're seated anywhere near the entrance, you'll quickly discover that when anyone enters or leaves, cold wind can blow into the dining room. (They have two doors and a heavy curtain but they're so close to each other in the cramped vestibule that it forces both doors to open at the same time, hence the wind.) However, the food was very good. What made the meal even better was that our server, Heather, did an outstanding job, dealing with a few hiccups (ours rather than theirs) with a great attitude and grace, and that went a long way towards making it an excellent dinner. I'd be happy to return to Le Bouchon as well as La Sardine. The issues we encountered can be avoided by choosing an earlier or later seating. We arrived at 7:00 when the noise was deafening, but it started settling down after 8:30. And in winter, earlier or later there might be a choice of tables that are not near the entrance. Again, very good food and outstanding service made this an excellent dinner.

nsxtasy wrote:The issues we encountered can be avoided by choosing an earlier or later seating. And in winter, earlier or later there might be a choice of tables that are not near the entrance.

Thank you for the heads up. I've wanted to try Le Bouchon soon, but I will wait for late seating (which I usually prefer to do anyway) to have a table far from the door and a quieter experience.

I was debating about whether to post about dinner last night and then read the last post from the Ram one up and it pushed me over the edge. First of all, what a great place and standard-bearer (and yes I was inspired by the recent L’Express article; not the same but good enough) — each visit reminds me how lucky we are to have it close by. Like a warm blanket, or something like that.

Food and service were terrific, as always. Salad Lyonnaise, onion soup, steak frites, and poulet roti (or is it breasted? ) all perfect. I do wish they offered a hanger as well, but it’s a small quibble. And a nice ginger bread pudding that was delicious (especially the crispy bits not to sopped up in sauce) but could have used a dollop of cream - whipped, anglaise, sour, etc... I’m sure they would have brought some but we wolfed it down so fast there was nothing left to top. We channeled our inner Jim Harrison with a Tempier Bandol. All in all a very nice meal.

Now to the atmospherics which specifically respond to some of the above - we ended up here late on a Saturday (9:20ish) after a movie (Knives Out - good!) and it was bumping - totally full and fun and loud. We were seated at a table in the back, quite close to the bus station and the bar and the kitchen. We loved it, but it was loud, and the bar folks were having a great time. Again, this was a late night post-movie date jam for us, so we weren’t looking for an intimate experience. About halfway through our dinner the place cleared out except for the bar - it must have been pretty quiet up front, but it was still a bit of a party in the back. Anyway, take it for what it’s worth - one data point on a Saturday night - but if you’re looking for quiet on a weekend after blue plate special hours this probably won’t be it.

I still love this place after all these years.

Ahmad Shareef wrote:Anyway, take it for what it’s worth - one data point on a Saturday night - but if you’re looking for quiet on a weekend after blue plate special hours this probably won’t be it.

Okay, millenial.

Expectations on a Monday night are very different from a Saturday night. Saturday night, unless you're very early or very late, most places are hopping. Monday night, you don't expect that at most places. Hence the caveats above when a place is out of the norm.

I appreciated Mike G. including a shout out in Fooditor for Maggie Hennessy's touching article on Jean-Claude and Susanne Poilevey's sons continuing on with their families restaurants. So awesome to see the support from some great Chicago chefs in what has to be a challenging time in their lives.

https://www.plateonline.com/chefs/chef-spotlight/chicago%E2%80%99s-iconic-le-bouchon-unexpected-loss-prompts-younger-generation-shine?allowguest=true

Lovely half-price wine Monday lunch at Le Bouchon. An always favorite, we were with friends from Houston. Star of a wonderful lunch, and early contender for best dish of 2023, Venison Tartare Royal. Dusting is shaved frozen foie gras. Simply terrific.

click to enlarge


Le Bouchon, count me a Fan!

Lyonnaise Salad from Le Bouchon. Never disappoints, always perfect. Monday is half price wine for an added bonus.

click to enlarge



Le Bouchon, count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:Lyonnaise Salad from Le Bouchon. Never disappoints, always perfect. Monday is half price wine for an added bonus.

Le Bouchon, count me a Fan!

Looks delightful and frankly, who isn't a fan? Such a lovely place.

=R=

When I went to Le Bouchon in "the before times", I thought the food was very good, but the seating was quite cramped. I don't know whether they still have the same layout...?

I was a big fan of sister restaurant La Sardine before it closed. I recently went to sister restaurant Obelix and it was quite good.

nsxtasy wrote:When I went to Le Bouchon in "the before times", I thought the food was very good, but the seating was quite cramped. I don't know whether they still have the same layout...?

Very much so and I think it's part of the charm. More than any other place in Chicago, it -- especially that aspect of it -- reminds me of some of my favorite places in Paris. That the food happens to be wonderful is a nice bonus!

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Very much so and I think it's part of the charm.

Not so much for those of us (even the vaccinated) who have caught covid from dining at a cramped restaurant (not this one).

nsxtasy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Very much so and I think it's part of the charm.

Not so much for those of us (even the vaccinated) who have caught covid from dining at a cramped restaurant (not this one).

Right or wrong, I guess I just think of covid as being over.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Right or wrong, I guess I just think of covid as being over.

I caught it three months ago. And it wasn't fun.

nsxtasy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Right or wrong, I guess I just think of covid as being over.

I caught it three months ago. And it wasn't fun.

Sorry to hear but I am curious - was this your first time having Covid?

Ram4 wrote:Sorry to hear but I am curious - was this your first time having Covid?

Yes. It was six months after my fourth vaccination (the bivalent booster) and after being very careful with masking in public other than a few restaurant meals, most of which were in restaurants that were spacious or not fully occupied.

I had tried to get a second bivalent booster two days before the meal, but was turned down because at that time (since reversed), the CDC had not approved second bivalent boosters.

If I were concerned about getting covid, I could see where eating in a tight space like Le Bouchon might be worrisome. But I'd immediately tell myself (not you or anyone else!) that the feeling was irrational because it's a highly communicable, airborne disease and I don't think there's much difference between being 1 foot, 2 feet or 5 feet away from someone who has it, especially if we're eating with masks off. If I were concerned about getting it again, I'd probably just stay home.

In any case, as a larger person (aka fat f#ck), Le Bouchon definitely feels tight to me but that's always been worth the inconvenience.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I don't think there's much difference between being 1 foot, 2 feet or 5 feet away from someone who has it, especially if we're eating with masks off.

The differences - particularly between diners at different tables, where there is no knowledge about the vaccination status and covid risk of others - are more likely to be between 2-3 feet vs 6-10 feet, in which case I absolutely DO think there's a huge difference. We will just have to agree to disagree on that.

ronnie_suburban wrote:If I were concerned about getting it again, I'd probably just stay home.

I would stay home if I knew in advance that there would be tight seating in a given restaurant. I don't particularly enjoy tight seating even aside from the covid risk. Either way, Le Bouchon is extreme in that regard, the tightest seating of any restaurant I can recall.

ronnie_suburban wrote:reminds me of some of my favorite places in Paris. That the food happens to be wonderful is a nice bonus!

As Ronnie says, cozy is part of the charm of Le Bouchon, makes for an interactive experience if one is at all sociable.

Lunch Monday the table next to us had some type of affiliation with Le Bouchon and were gifted a few "try this" items. High quality vanilla ice cream topped with a quenelle of nice caviar. They were kind enough to share, delicious.

In the past Le Bouchon was tight as Dom DeLuise's corset. Tables are spaced slightly farther apart now and the bathrooms have been redesigned so us ++ size fellows actually fit. I used to have to straddle the toilet to be able to shut the lavatory door. The bathroom (Westernmost) at the kitchen pass is ~almost~ spacious.

Food, service, ambiance all tip-top, I always enjoy Le Bouchon and leave with a smile on my face. Not something I can say about many places.,

Le Bouchon, count me a Fan!