Maintenant, j'aime Bouchon

We traveled to Shockoe Slip for the InLight Richmond exhibition. We arrived early so we could eat dinner. There were lots of choices, but we decided upon Bouchon because they had big windows. If we dallied at dinner we could still catch glimpses of the opening parade. We entered and were informed that all of the tables were reserved (we should have guessed), but space was available at the bar. So, we sat at the bar, and this turned out to be much more favorable. The small bar at Bouchon offered the regular menu plus a bar menu consisting of simple, less expensive fare. Wow! The best of all worlds. As we sat at the bar, John, who had been our waiter the last time recognized us and welcomed us back. Now, I love Bouchon.

We started with cocktails: Leap Year which was gin and Grand Marnier based and Amandahattan - bourbon, lillet, and cherry.

Both were not sweet and a nice aperitif. Olivier, our bartender, knew his stuff. Near the end of the sipping we ordered an onion and black olive tart to share.

Perfect. The onions were sweet and the black olives were pungnet and warm. An excellent match. And the crust - fluffy with a bit of chewiness.

We ordered a Bordeaux from Saint-Estephe -

And then the steak frites.

We really enjoyed the steak - tender and cooked just right. And the frites were terrific, especially with the wine sauce.

Our evening had started off with a bang.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the InLight installations. A few pics from a few of our favorites: