Bouchee

Closed? Interesting… I went once with my family a while back (5 years ago or so) and the service was horrible. Food ok and the waitress was giving us a hard time about Eiswein. We just wanted some good wine to drink and she was not helpful nor friendly.

I happened to stop by this restaurant the other day while my fiancée and I were looking for our wedding reception location. I understand that the ownership of this restaurant has changed hands late April2009. Has anyone eaten here since the new owner/​chef has taken over? If so, how was it?
I also understand that the name of the establishment has changed its name as well, to «Andre’s Bouchee», after it’s new owner, Andre LeMaire. Out of curiosity, does anyone know Andre’s culinary pedigree?
Since I have yet to eat here, I’m giving this establishment above average rating because I don’t want affect the restaurant’s overall rating.

Went there a couple of years ago for my birthday when a particular talk show host raved about this restaurant. To this day this restaurant gave me the worst dining experience I’ve had so far. We walked in and the place was pretty empty but the waiter chose to sit us next to another couple when there were so many other empty tables. The tables are so close that you can’t help but hear the conversation next to you. I noticed another table of four in the back of the room. Turned out they were actually two seperate tables of two couples. I looked strange because the two people that looked like they were sitting next to each other had to turn their chairs away from each other to get some privacy. Other than that the restaurant is empty. Then the waiter came out. He came across as snobby and It seemed like he just kept talking down to us. I was uncomfortable and on top of that felt like the people next us kept listening to our conversation. There was absolutely no ambiance or sense of intimacy. I was so annoyed that I don’t even remember if the food was good. Don’t know how long we were there but no one else walked in to the restaurant.
My husband and I knew within the first few minutes that we should have just left. What a waist of time and money.

So we went for a special occasion on a weeknight. We were one of only three tables, and both other tables were finished and gone before we had finished our first course. This resulted in the majority of the staff staring longingly at us, wishing us home. We did have a nice table in a nook by the window (hell, nobody else was in the place!), but the lights were much too bright to create a very romantic atmosphere– a real bummer, as we were celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday.
Our waiter was very sweet, but literally recommended all but one entrée as «the best». I took that to mean that he considered all the food to be fabulous with the exception of the ravioli (the one thing not mentioned). I guess the ravioli must be the worst food every created!
We each picked three courses…
He had the tartare, the onion soup and the hangar steak.
I had the pork pâté, celery root soup and coq au vin (our waiter assured me that the coq au vin was THE best thing they had).
He had no complaints… he also is the human equivalent of a vacuum when it comes to anything that resembles food. In my opinion, everything was mediocre at best. The soup was the best part (very nice table side presentation) but the pâté was incredibly dry… and the coq au vin was truly the worst I’ve ever had. For such a high end French restaurant, I was pretty darn disappointed to see that it in no way resembled a traditional version of this dish. Honestly, it tasted like crap. I ate three bites, and paid $ 26 for the privilege… We opted out on dessert.
I’ve heard complaints about Bouchee’s portion size in the past being incredibly small. It seems they have taken this to heart, as the portions were certainly hearty at our meal. I just wish it would have tasted good enough to want to eat it!
The most redeemable part of the evening was a very dear sommelier who was well educated and very friendly. Bottom line though, this place is really overpriced for what you get (over $ 200 for the two of us). If this same food had been served in a mom & pop bistro, I would have probably mustered up the strength to eat at least 6 or 7 bites… maybe.

One of the nicest restaurant in Carmel !
The food is excellent and the service is extraordinary. It’s a bit expensive-​but for what you get-​It worth every dollar.
I truly enjoyed myself there and definitely go back again on my next visit there.

DH & I had the prix fixe 3 course dinner with wine pairing and enjoyed it all. Service was friendly, professional, and attentive.
I started with the butternut squash soup & was amazed that the sauvignon blanc paired so well, mainly because of the dice of sweet apple in the soup. Each spoonful gave a different flavor depending on what your spoon picked up — nothing, jambon bits, or apple dice. DH had the rabbit pâté & appreciated the chardonnay that paired nicely as well is the unusual accompaniment of pickled chanterelle mushrooms.
We both had the sablefish (black cod) main dish with potato leek soup. The fish was perfectly poached & very delicate. The Burgundy was a nice wine match.
We had the cheese course to end with me having a French goat cheese & DH a French cow’s milk cheese. Both were excellent. This was the weakest wine pairing. Mine with a Burgundy, which a sweeter wine would have been better & DHs with a Bordeaux that was an okay match.
As others have notes, an 18% service charge is added to all bills, like in Europe, and you aren’t obligated to leave anything more. I had no issue with this as it was clearly stated on the menu & I consider 18% to be about where I usually tip for a nice meal.
Overall we enjoyed the meal, the wine, the service and the atmosphere and would recommend it if you want a nice meal in Carmel.

Bouchee adds an 18% service charge to the bill regardless of party size. The server explains that s/​he doesn’t get all of that 18% thus if we’re so inclined, we’re free to add additional tip.
The server also explained that the 18% is spread around to all the employees to promote greater teamwork — AND GET THIS — even the owner gets a cut!
I’m sorry, but if the owner were so visionary, wouldn’t s/​he offer the staff a profit share, rather than disincentivizing the servers.
As for the food, it was okay. Rabbit pâté was, well, rabbit pâté. Mussels were, well, mussels. The beef bourgogne (euphemism for beef stew) was tasty but even I have trouble messing that one up at home. The halibut was considerably overcooked.
All in all, the food was mostly uninspired, the atmosphere was a «pass», the service was adequate, but I left the place with a bad taste in my mouth after being put in an uncomfortable position.
I suggest trying other places before you settle on Bouchee.

My husband and I were here on a Sunday evening.
Our server was excellent. We met another two couples who also dined there that night, and they said the other waiter was also very good. (We believe the bad staffers mentioned by others here were either no longer there, or off that night as the descriptions don’t match these guys at all.) The environment was very nice. The food was very good, if a bit inconsistent w/​seasoning. Bread and salad seemed to lack it, whereas steak frites (both the steak and the fries) were well seasoned, if even a bit over seasoned. The wait time between courses was a bit too long, yet the restaurant was not full. These are all minor, trivial things. Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed our experience… until the check came.
An 18% service fee is included on ALL checks regardless of the size of the party. Apparently this is noted on the menu, but we missed it. We will not return as long as this is in place. Yes, it’s negotiable, but who wants to haggle with a manager at the end of a nice meal? BTW, it’s our understand that the tip the servers receive from this is determined by the owners/​management. I understand the need to tip out to a sommelier or others, but I’ve never seen it done is this fashion in the U.S.

My husband, a talented in chef in San Jose, once frequented Bouchee and was very excited to treat me with a meal here.
Simply put, we will never, ever go back. We will call all of our friends and let them know never to return. We will stop strangers on the street to save them from this experience. I have not been this furious since a chef served me cream sauce as «alfredo» when I was seven. I would have sent this experience back as fast as I did that dish…
1. The service was THE WORST I have ever experienced. From the first moment, I could tell we were in trouble. On an empty Monday night, the hostess tried to seat us in the highly-​visible and mind you, unromantic tables squished mid-​room. This was with reservations specifying the nature of this date… us being newlyweds and all.
After being seated, we never saw the same server twice in a row. From the ludely leering man who had to re-​confirm our order (wrong each time) twice, to the anti-​eye contact «Awkward Guy» who failed to produce our food after 2 requests and over 45-​minutes of waiting, the wait staff as Bouchee was lucky we stayed at all. Three tables of 2 or 3 people arrived after us, and received their meals long before we were even able to flag someone down to inquire about our missing food.
Only the sommelier was mentionable. Actually, she was fantastic. Unfortunately, we were accidentally served a wine which was twice as expensive as we expected… though still very nice. A lovely surprise when we got the bill.
3. Oh, the bill… OUCH. Who in their right mind adds on an included gratuity for a party of two? After that service… it was all I could do from keeping my lovely, calm husband from tearing up the check. Also, $ 6 for a shot of espresso… give me a break.
4. I must say, the food we did eat was rather delicious. Abalone well cooked and tender with fingerling potato purée. An okay pot of mussels — funky broth, small pieces of meat, several that had to be spit out — and a very nice braised short rib and salad nicoise as our entrees. Our dessert was very rich — pot de chocolat with bananas — but not anything special. For $ 8 dollars my husband could have pulled together something far superior. In the future, I’ll keep that in mind.
Overall, never… ever…EVER again. What was once a lovely restaurant under the guidance of far more talented chef has now turned into an uptight, poorly-​run excuse for a «fine dining» French restaurant.
Don’t bother.
Oh, and how could I forget… HALF of the menu wasn’t there. No oysters or clams. Funny, us being on the coast and all, you would think a restaurant geared toward the locals (as put by our server) would serve — I don’t know– LOCAL food? Ya…

After reading the review on zagat I expected to leave with a better impression. The night started off well… even without a reservation the hostess was able to squeeze the two of us in very quickly on a busy Sunday evening. After being seated, it took a long time before the waiter even introduced himself to us and barely said two words and was not attentive at all during the entire night. The food was also just so so… I’ve had better French food. The mussels in the appetizer dish were so tiny that you can barely taste them. Both of our main entrees came out at room temperature and the pork shoulder had no flavor. Although the night did end well with a nice gesture from the chef… a complimentary dessert. Overall, the food was below average and you can definitely get a better bang for your buck at many other French restaurants.

Love this restaurant! I would be a regular at this restaurant if I lived near by.
It is charming and romantic. The wines were all amazing and all French.
The service was friendly and warm. The food was great.
Simple, seasonal, executed wonderfully and with care.

IMHO food here was very mediocre. Noise was especially loud where i felt the need to lean over the table to the other side every time i needed to speak. The food came out very slowly as well. Good thing about this restaurant… the waiter recommended us a very good wine. He was very attentive and knew the menu fairly well.
Duck confit salad was ho hum… they did give us a fairly large piece of duck though which was nice. I felt the duck confit was quite salty on its own… but once you combined the mandarin oranges or beets it cut the saltiness out.
escargot…i didnt like the herb purée that went along with the dish. Other than that, the snails were very tender, overall an okay dish.
Mussels in beer broth… wasnt as tasty as i thought. I felt they shouldve stuck with white wine instead as the sauce/​broth was fairly bitter. I didnt think the dish was seasoned enough. they do give you alot of mussels though which was nice… but the broth undid that aspect for me. Usually i like to dip the table side bread into the broth… i didnt even bother this time. The Pommes frites that came with this dish was excellent… the best i’ve had so far (better than mcd’s)…way better than bouchon’s. The broth was so bad that i wouldnt dip those fries into it and ruin the fries… ha!
Lamb sirloin flavor was very good… which were accompanied with white beans and small morel mushrooms. The only problem with the dish though was that they over seared the crust on the meat. The meat was cooked perfectly on the inside mind you, to a perfect medium rare. But the burnt crust on the outside ruined the whole thing. Only one piece of the meat was cooked evenly on the outside without without the burnt carcinogens.
the dishes weren’t overpriced… but the dishes were unspectacular for the price. I dont think i would come back again unfortunately.

Best place to dine in Carmel by the Sea, I think it’s better than the highly rated Casanova down the street. Lovely, quaint, refined, romantic atmosphere and flavorful and well-​presented dishes. I left there with a really good taste in my mouth. Excellent service, but menu is on the pricey side –but what do you expect from gourmet french food? I’d come back here in a heartbeat next time I visit Ocean Ave.

I went here with my boyfriend for dinner on a recent trip to the Monterey/​Carmel region. I’ll admit the food was pretty good but nothing to write home about.
The reason for the two stars? The food was WAY overpriced for good food but nothing that was particularly spectacular. For that prices and less, I’ve walked away having had some AMAZING food. Also, during our dinner, there were flies on the wall! It was pretty bad because we spent half the meal waving our hands around trying to get rid of the flies while we talked. Really annoying.
All in all, I would’ve expected more from Bouchee and left rather unsatisfied.

An impressive find. After reading the unfavorable reviews, our expectations were low. Instead we received attentive service (on a quiet Sunday in December) and outstanding food. The dining room is decorated with elegant simplicity — white table cloths and imaginative tableware. The restaurant seats approximately 25 people at tables and a few more at the wine tasting bar. Adjoining the restaurant is the wine shop. (Note if you plan to order a high-​end wine, buy it first and pay the $ 25 corkage fee.) The waiter is helpful in making wine selections.
Food– Delicious ingredients, carefully selected and prepared. We had a wild-​mushroom and spinach salad with lardons — wonderful. Then, «steak and frites», flat-​iron steak, American Kobe beef, cooked to a perfect medium-​rare and crispy frites. The portions were adequate, preventing over-​indulging. Desserts were reasonably priced at $ 7.00. We chose a dessert with blini, bananas, pecans and vanilla icecream. Wonderful.
It was a delightful dining experience.
We were surprised to learn that Auberge Carmel, Luca Cantina and Bouchee are sister restaurants. Comparing Luca and Bouchee, Bouchee is quieter, the food is better seasoned (less is more), the wine is served at the appropriate temperature, and the food presentation and combination is more creative. The service is equally friendly.

I think the food at Bouchee was very good, it was all the other stuff that kept me from giving them a higher rating. We had a reservation for 7:00 on a Monday night. When we arrived, we were greeted by a very stodgy man. There were a few seats available by the window, as there were only three other couples eating at the time we arrived. He stuck us in a small table for two in the middle of the room.
Waitress was friendly, but did not seem to know much about the menu or the wine list. I do think their menu changed often, so I will let that slide. I inquired about the butter poached lobster with truffles and her explanation just confused me more. I went ahead and got it and it was amazing!
As for the wine list, it kind of sucks that you can purchase the same wines at the store, which is part of restaurant for half the price. I know this is normal pricing, but to look at a bottle of wine while waiting to be seated and then seeing the same bottle on the list for twice the price, was a bit hard. We also started with a glass of champagne and it was luke warm. At $ 23 a glass, I expect more.
Would I recommend this place, I think I would? After being in town for three days, it was the best food we had! Cute place, great food, good wine list, service is a bit off.

I went with a group of friends to this restaurant for dessert. We were excited and friends had told us about this place.
The hostess ruined everything for us. The restaurant was EMPTY, and she told us there was no where to sit and if we could come back the next day.
It just made me annoyed because I have never gotten service like that in my life. I even wrote a letter to the owner and never got a reply back.
Basically, I’m sure the food is good but they need to up the service.

There’s no question that if you’re looking for some refined cuisine in Carmel, Bouchee should be on your list. My wife and I have dined here a couple of times now and it’s somewhere to which we’re always happy to return. Although they’ve gone through a change of chefs in the last year or so, the quality of the food and the sophistication of their technique has not suffered.
Set just off the main Ocean Avenue drag of Carmel is this smallish nouvelle cuisine restaurant. As noted, it’s the sister restaurant to both L’Auberge, their even more pricey and formal peer, and Cantinetta Luca, their more moderately priced Italian cousin.
Prices are on the high side, but not insane. Overall, we’d say it’s reasonably priced for the quality of what you get. Show up in prime time and they’ll be packed, but come on the early side and avoid some of the hustle and bustle if that’s your inclination.
The décor is a warm and tasteful enough, but it’s a tad on the «trying too hard» side of «let’s make a romantic and sophisticated restaurant» — kind of like a good reproduction of a classy and romantic restaurant than one that just… is. It doesn’t really detract from the overall experience though — the service is great and the menu options are all intriguing and, from everything we’ve tried so far, very well executed and absolutely delicious.
To avoid over-​eating and to try the most different dishes, my wife and I shared a variety of plates, from perfectly fresh seared scallops in a delicate and complementary sauce to a small bowl of melt-​in-​your mouth tortellini with wild forest mushrooms to a lovely pork loin.
We didn’t have room for dessert this last time, but that was also great the first time we were there, in 2006. Expect, with a couple of glasses of wine, to pay about $ 60 — $ 80 per person, plus tip.

I went here to celebrate an anniversary and the food, service and wine were all superb!
Ordered the Cote de Boeuf for two (Bone in Rib Chop) carved table side… best piece of meat I’ve ever had!
I recommend going in Fall or early Winter and requesting one of the tables by the fireplace.
Very romantic and intimate — I highly recommend!
(Do yourself and other patrons a favor and get a sitter and have a great date night with your significant other)

11.22.06
8:00PM
This restaurant is located right next to arguably, the best restaurant in Carmel, Anton and Michel. I couldn’t help but pray «…this place better be good…» as I clinched my girlfriend’s hand and walked into Bouchee for her birthday dinner. The place doesn’t have the ‘old-​world’ grandeur as its famous neighbor but it’s clean with warm European lighting and décor. I made a reservation 2 weeks in advance and informed the Anchor/​Host that it would be her birthday.
Am I glad I did…
We ordered 5 dishes total (Kampachi sashimi, fois gras, spare ribs, and 2 others… can’t remmmeber… this was 2 months ago). What I do remmeber is the SERVICE… impeccable. Plates were changed out after every course and my glasses were never empty. The waiter was knowledgeable and well spoken… on top of that, the manager brought out a birthday treat for the lady.
One of the best restaurant experiences of my life… I think my servers name was Bryan… THANK YOU