All stories about "Bouchon"

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YOUNTVILLE—Once again, Bouchon will be the place to be on Bastille Day up in Kellerville. Come Monday, July 14th, Bouchon will put on a six-hour party (3pm-9pm) that will be open to the public. The expected live music, wine, dancing, and French bistro fare will be front and center throughout the evening, and because The Great Keller is always a man for the people, the first half of the celebration will even feature child-friendly activities like face-painting, drawing and sous vide for kids apple-bobbing. It's a three-day weekend in the making. [EaterWire]

LOWER HAIGHT—Starting at 6pm tonight, Toronado will begin pouring some special beers that are rare, new and Belgian: "There are going to be some very interesting beers. It's doubtful you'll see some of these elsewhere. One was selected at the brewery by David [Keene]. They start pouring at 6 p.m. No admission, of course, just pay for your beer." Full list of special beers here. [What's On Tap]

It's the first weekend of May, and with both the Oxbow farm stands and Napa Farmers Market open, many will be heading up to Wine Country, but travelers should be advised that Bouchon is still closed. Originally, Thomas Keller's Yountville bistro was supposed to reopen on May Day yesterday, but as of today, the return has since been pushed back to next Wednesday, May 7th due to a variety of reasons. The main component of the remodel is the kitchen expansion, and peering in, our Yountville correspondent describes an "impressive walk-in refrig and freezer" located between the bakery and restaurant's outdoor area. Did you expect anything less than impressive from Keller?
· EaterWire: Bouchon on Hiatus [~ESF~]
· Keller Dispatch: Portable Toilets and Al Fresco Dining Come Together at Bouchon [~ESF~]
· Keller Dispatch: Behind the Bouchon Expansion [~ESF~]

YOUNTVILLE—Up in Kellertown, Bouchon begins its ten-day sabbatical today, which means that diners who once balked at the portable bathrooms need not worry anymore (though we liked the look, personally). The cause of the hiatus is the Bouchon kitchen expansion, and the restaurant is expected to reopen for dinner service next Thursday, May 1st. In the meantime, reservations are still being accepted online. [EaterWire]

BAY AREA—Speaking of His Highness Keller, Restaurant Magazine has released its annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Once again, El Bulli took top honors, and The French Laundry (#5) managed a spot in the top five, followed closely by its NYC offshoot, Per Se (#6). The only other American entry west of Chicago? Put your hands together for Chez Panisse, at #37. [Bloomberg]

Remember back a few weeks ago, when our Napa correspondent shed light on "some highly dubious port-o-potty placement" at Bouchon? If you'll recall, several commenters went on record to say that despite the seemingly-questionable, remodel-induced toilet situation at Thomas Keller's bistro (more on the renovations here), the temporary toilets there are nothing short of Keller quality. Exact quote: "the French Laundry of porto-potties!" Now we have word that not everyone thinks "an outhouse" to be an appropriate toilet for a restaurant of Bouchon's caliber, and well, some people are just getting plain pissy with His Highness:

Pictured above is the current scene in Yountville at Thomas Keller's Bouchon, which remains open (albeit with a limited menu) during its kitchen renovation. On the right, you have the trucks and construction crews dominating the parking lot, but what we really want to point out is the photo on the left that sees some highly dubious port-o-potty placement in the bakery's outdoor area. Now, far be it for us to criticize the Church of Latter Day Keller, but this is a scene that would raise eyebrows at any restaurant, let alone a Thomas Keller one. We have to believe that maybe His Highness should have opted to transplant the bathrooms to an area that, you know, isn't the outdoor dining area. The setting: a fresh, crisp Napa morning, complete with gourmet Bouchon goods, fresh gourmet coffee and the fine stench of stagnant gourmet urine wafting through the spring air.
· Keller Dispatch: Behind the Bouchon Expansion [~ESF~]
· KellerWire: Details on the Burger Project and MORE! [~ESF~]

Now, we're of the mindset that at this point, Thomas Keller, in his relentless quest to achieve god status, can (and might) charge whatever he damn well pleases, particularly at the French Laundry. But the Yountville locals aren't taking too kindly to the rising prices at the under-renovation Bouchon, the accessible bistro where main plates once fell in the $15-25 range. From our trusty Napa correspondent: "Now I know how they are paying for the remodel. $40 for an entree at Bouchon in Yountville. This is not Manhattan, SF or the French Laundry!"
· Keller Dispatch: Behind the Bouchon Expansion [~ESF~]

A brand-new Whole Foods opened yesterday with much ado in Napa, marking the 25th branch of the market in the state, and the first one up in Napa. Earlier in the week, we put out a call for eyewitness accounts, and commenter Napavore was kind enough to brave the chaos and report back from the opening extravaganza. His words follow:

The morning started at 8:45 am with fanfare from the high school marching band, released doves soaring poetically in loops and then off to the distance, gourmet foods on little trays, chefs in white ... and crowds of people.

The grand opening of Whole Foods was both big news for Napa and at the same time anti-climactic. While their store, the foods, and the produce are beautiful and clean, it's basically a normal gorgeous Whole Foods, which also means not cheap, especially compared to Trader Joe's next door. Some nice additions were the culinary center (which offers cooking classes and knife skills and other demos), a wine bar (pictured above), cheese bar and walk-up window for coffees and pastries.

Thomas Keller once walked through this very door.

Hot off the Thomas Keller beat in Yountville, here we have the latest developments from the renovation project underway at Bouchon. As mentioned earlier around these parts, Keller has been long rumored to have a plan to remodel the area between Bouchon and the Bouchon Bakery; the space that was once the outdoor seating area for the bakery is now the scene of the Bouchon kitchen's expansion. Quoth our man on the scene, "I believe they are adding walk-in refrig and freezer and redoing the bathrooms. This will give them more workspace in the kitchen." Bouchon is still open but will reportedly close for a week sometime in the next month or so to complete the expansion. More photos follow: