bouchon: A High Dining Experience

Sarah Hamidi / Each day Nexus

A large-end Californian cafe working with French culinary techniques, bouchon Santa Barbara is positioned in the historic Art District on Victoria Avenue in downtown Santa Barbara. Opened in 1998, the cafe prides by itself on excellent, area elements from the Santa Barbara Farmers’ Sector and community Santa Barbara-built wine. 

They aspect a good menu with seasonal items. For this season’s merchandise, the first courses incorporate Cauliflower Purée, Warm Pecan & Goat Cheese Tart, ‘Salade Lyonnaise’, Seared Pork Stomach and a Trio of Sea Scallops. For the seasonal mains, they give a Lobster “Pot Pie” and a Cabernet-Braised Short Rib. And finally, for the seasonal dessert, they serve a delicious ‘Sticky Toffee’ Pecan-Date Cake. The restaurant’s signature things contain the Maple-Glazed Duck Breast & Confit of Thigh served with a maple glaze and a succotash of butternut squash, corn, leeks and fava beans. Yet another signature product at the restaurant is the Char-Grilled Rack of Lamb served with herb risotto, sauteed mushrooms and kale with a porcini jus.

The service at bouchon is 1 of the highlights of the restaurant. My close friends and I were being welcomed with open up arms by a host and we took one particular of the out of doors tables. Our waiter was also amazingly nice and pleasant. For our 1st classes, my good friends and I purchased the Trio of Sea Scallops and the Dungeness Crab Cakes. We questioned our waiter if this will be plenty of food for the six of us and they recommended that we order a further appetizer. At the advice of our waiter, we purchased a 3rd appetizer termed Forest Mushroom Ragout.

Our waiter also recommended a terrific wine pairing with our foods, the Margerum ‘M5’, a nearby pinot noir wine from Santa Barbara. My friend ordered the wine since she required a glass of wine with her foodstuff and explained to me she truly savored the pinot noir and that the wine choice complemented the food items very properly. For our principal dishes, we then decided to go with the signature duck breast and confit and yet another seasonal item, the Lobster “Pot Pie.”

Sarah Hamidi / Everyday Nexus

The Trio of Sea Scallops consisted of scallops served in 3 different ways. The to start with scallop is a carpaccio, which is a thinly sliced raw scallop, served with cucumbers, orange and citrus segments with chopped red onions topped with watercress. The second scallop is a seared scallop served with sauteed fava beans and mushrooms. The 3rd and ultimate scallop is also a seared scallop served on a mattress of paella-flavored risotto with chorizo and asparagus.

The Dungeness Crab Cakes ended up served on a mattress of shaved fennel topped with a delectable citrus vinaigrette and frisée salad. The Forest Mushroom Ragout, consisting of sauteed mushrooms served with two small slices of grilled cheese, sat on a mattress of pureed spinach. So easy, but so great.

Our initially courses produced us thrilled for our primary courses. The signature pan-seared duck breast was juicy and tender. The sweetness of the succotash compliments the savoriness of the duck flawlessly with the maple glaze, furnishing a hint of sweetness and including smokiness to the dish.

I then experienced their Lobster Pot Pie and was dissatisfied that I skipped the parts of lobster in the pot pie due to the fact my close friends had been able to get the items and I just didn’t get to that dish quickly sufficient. I was nevertheless in a position to taste the mushroom velouté, and the facet salad of arugula presented a wonderful freshness in my mouth, contrasting the piping incredibly hot pot pie. Introducing the Madeira creme immediately after reducing open up the puff pastry on best of the pot pie created the velouté significantly a lot more flavorful and creamier.

Just after mouth watering foods from the very first classes and mains, I made a decision I preferred to test a dessert to get the total experience. Two of my other friends and I grabbed a creme brulee, a common French dessert of cooked custard topped with caramelized sugar. “Creme brulee” translated into English signifies “burnt cream.”

Sarah Hamidi / Daily Nexus

Our creme brulee was also topped with fresh new raspberries and blueberries, reminding me of my childhood and how my father would make it at dwelling. The custard was cooked properly and I acquired that crack when you place your spoon in the caramelized sugar. The fruits include a hint of acidity and freshness with the cooked custard and sugar. It was a correctly well balanced chunk.

In general, our expertise at bouchon was remarkable and this is without a doubt just one of Santa Barbara’s ideal dining establishments. This is the best restaurant to deliver your date, relatives or close friends to indulge a bit and get pleasure from a exceptional dining experience. All of the foods I requested ended up delectable in their personal way. For the price tag that you are paying out, it is surely a worthwhile encounter.

A version of this posting appeared on website page 14 of the April 14, 2022 edition of the Day-to-day Nexus.