Bar Bouchon

3 reasons to come to Bar Bouchon:
(1) excellent service -- sit-down restaurant level service at a bar
(2) nice outdoor courtyard ambiance
(3) awesome Bouchon bread (you might have to request it, but they sure do have it!)

This may not be fair, but I feel like the food at Bar Bouchon, although totally fine in and of itself, doesn't live up to the quality you'd expect from a Thomas Keller establishment.

The same attention to detail goes into the preparation, but it seems like the quality and freshness of the ingredients just aren't up to par with what you'd find in Napa. The dungeoness crab salad was disappointing, as it tasted like a pile of defrosted claw meat rather than a real fresh crab, and even the quintessential salmon rillette was kind of off in its texture.

Service, however, is great and exactly what you'd expect.

I realize that Bar Bouchon is a super casual bar, not a restaurant, but even so, it's a shame that it's a little inconsistent with the awesomeness of its namesake.

This review is for June 8th 2013:

We went here for a late lunch one Saturday afternoon.  The patio was packed, but we did not have to wait for a table.

The food and service here are both very good.  Here is what we got:

Chips with creme fraiche dip:  AMAZING.  The dip was so good, I would like to snorkel in it.

Pretzel with blackberry mustard: the pretzel was good (anything with a bread element is delicious at this place), but the mustard was a bit too gimmicky.  I would prefer a straightforward hot mustard to accompany this pretzel.  The blackberry did not really do anything for the mustard in my opinion.

Pork Roti (not eaten by myself):  was told it was good, and again the bread was delicious.

Pastrami (not eaten by myself): good flavor but priced about two dollars too high.

Grilled Cheese with bowl of tomato soup: This was served on a wood platter.  Great presentation.  The soup was very rich and creamy.  The grilled cheese was decent.  The cheese itself was not anything special, but the brioche bread was heavenly.

Mussels (not eaten by myself): Two didn't open, but most were open and good to go.  The briney broth was described to me as "epic butter goodness".  This dish also came with some crusty bread to soak up that liquid gold.

The wine selection was predominately french.  Limited selection, but well curated.  The price for wine by the glass was very reasonable for a place like this.  The grenache blanc was a bit pallid.  Go for the Viognier.  It was flavorful and bright.

Parking: There are plenty of parking structures right next to the place.  Don't get antsy and pull in to the first one you see (which costs about 12 bucks).  As you get closer to the restaurant you will see ample and affordable options.

I was really pleased with my lunch here.  I will be back.