Friday, March 28, 2008

Bouchon French Bistro, Asheville

Bouchon in Asheville (www.ashevillegrapeescape.com) is one of those places we love to visit time and time again. A bistro style restaurant with good food, fun atmosphere and reasonable prices. It seems in Hendersonville and Brevard (both towns closer to us), restaurants are either barely above fast food or upscale with a few exceptions, West First being most notable and is fantastic. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE upscale places. But, they are usually reserved for special occasions or even the odd "date night" meal (aka Friday nights). But to go to upscale places continuously takes a big chunk out of our wallet. Bouchon is great blend of French flavor and casual atmosphere. I think their greeting says it all - "Bonjour Y'all". It is located on N. Lexingon Ave in Asheville and is therefore, a great spot to eat and then do a post-dinner "walk around" to work off those freshly acquired calories.

The interior is typical of a busy bistro - energetic, yet warm. On the weekends, you can expect a wait, but they have a bar where you can sit until your table is ready. They also have an outdoor patio/seating area, but we haven't been yet during warmer months, so we're anxious to go back and try that out. Their menu is typically French inspired with various crepes, quiches, and a variety of entrees. In addition to their regular menu, they have a paper insert each day with the specials. They also have an all you can eat mussel special on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for $12.95. We love mussels, but so far have been tempted by other things on the menu.

This particular Friday, Fat Kat and I got there about 6:00 and had to wait for about 15 minutes, which was fine, because I was still sifting through their wines by the glass, finally enlisting the help of the bartender. She pointed me in the right direction and I was off! They serve really good bread from City Bakery and fresh butter in the cutest little pottery butter bell you have ever seen! It's sized perfectly for two people or my purse (ha! JUST KIDDING!). I was so enamored with them, that I was happy to notice they are actually for sale. Only $5 - a deal. Ok, back to the food....I'm so easily distracted....

Fat Kat chose his home run entree from our last visit. A seemingly benign choice of their "ham and cheese sandwich" more elegantly described on the menu as "Le Croque Monsieur Frites". But, let me assure you, this is NO run of the mill ham and cheese - it is made with bakery bread, smothered in bechamel sauce and broiled. You really have to eat it with a knife and fork. OMG! SO good (yes, I got a bite. One.). The "frites" are delicious thin fries with just the right amount of seasoning. At $9.95, it is a bargain. Last time, I got their crepe of the day (variety escapes me right now) which was very good. This time, I got their quiche of the day ($11.95) which was asparagus, leeks, and feta cheese. Since Fat Kat is not a fan of asparagus, I grab it out when I can. This piece of quiche was huge - twice the height of regular quiches - and flavorful. Not too eggy. Even the crust was delicious. It comes with an ample side salad of greens with a simple oil dressing. One thing I keep forgetting is that their salad comes with walnuts. As Fat Kat is not a fan of asparagus, I am not a fan of nuts. Not allergic, just don't like them. So, I methodically pick them out each time. One of these days, I may finally remember and ask that they be left off. We didn't have room for dessert (we had planned to hit up Sugar Momma's for cookies. Mmmm!), but last time, it was my birthday, so I HAD to have something. :) I got the African Queen which is bananas wrapped in filo, with caramel sauce and pistachio ice cream. Again, not being a fan of the nuts, I requested that the pistachio ice cream be left off, which they easily did. Delicious!! They also have chocolate mousse, crepes Suzette, a creme brulee flight (!), a chocolate crepe and other tantalizing desserts. I am committed to working my way through them...

Their menu is posted on the website, but briefly, their entrees run from $9.95 - $14.95, plus three choices slightly higher. They have a nice selection of appetizers that run from $4.95 - $8.95. In addition to the food, they have an ample and interesting selection of beer and wine. So, really, a great dinner out that won't break the bank. My only complaint is that it can be very noisy in there (the only reason I left off a half-fork). Another reason why I'd like to try the patio - probably a lot quieter. But, it's a bistro - casual and high energy - noise sort of goes with the territory. According to their website, it looks like they occasionally do a movie on the patio with what looks like a buffet. Interesting!

They are open for dinner only starting at 5 pm Monday - Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

3 comments:

Hendersonville Epicurean said...

Haven't been, but can see I've gotta go! Your descriptions left me hungry!!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure that it's best to try the outdoor patio in the summer months. We ate inside in June and ended up with a table directly in front of the kitchen. It was so uncomfortably hot that we wanted to eat as fast as we could and leave. By the time we finished our meal, we felt as if we needed a shower. It must have been 85 degrees or more in there. Unfortunately, it was a terrible experience. I would like to try it again at a different time of year.

Sweet Tooth said...

I agree. We have eaten there (inside) during the summer and it has sometimes been nearly stifling for me (although I do tend to run warm! haha). I think part of the problem is that they leave doors open and that bar area open, so the a/c (if any is running, I don't know) just can't possibly keep up. But, we do still love the place and go back frequently. Definitely try it again when it's a little bit cooler. :)