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It's a tie in the mid-valley hamlet of Yountville. We love Bistro Jeanty for its warmth, classic French fare and exceptional steak frites but we also love the more urban, more urbane, open late (to 1 am) more-brasserie-than-bistro, which is just down the street - Bouchon. The steak frites here are a match for Jeanty's and the raw bar is delicious.
At Jeanty, we occasionally get bored from the never-changing-menu; it doesn't change at lunch, and not at dinner, either. And we dislike the cheap wine glassware that Jeanty presents. These might be fine if the restaurant were serving inexpensive French table wines, but at the prices charged for killer wines, and given their quality, one would prefer better glassware to amplify the tasting experience.
Bouchon is a second label of sorts for chef/owner Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame. We do not go often to his multi-praised, multi-starred restaurant. For starters, one can never get through on the phone to make a reservation. And even if one could, we don't particularly like fussy food, or service with attitude, both at which the French Laundry excels.
But Bouchon is a different story. It is casual, has great energy, is actually very appealing from a design point (you can thank Adam Tihany and a fancy budget… we love the light fixtures from Grand Central Station). There are many pleasing touches at Bouchon — the wine list, the physical presentation of the menu itself and oh, those profiteroles for dessert! Worth a drive from Walnut Creek!
Bistro Jeanty, 6510 Washington St., Yountville. 707-944-0103.
Bouchon, 6534 Washington St., Yountville. 707-944-8037.
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