Bouchée

Address: 159 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Phone: (617) 450-4343

Web Page: http://www.backbayrestaurantgroup.com/bouchee/1.htm

Type of restaurant: French

Entree price range: $13 to $36

Handicapped accessible: Yes

Review date: November 18, 2006

Review: Bouchée is a new restaurant on Newbury Street in Boston, which opened in September 2006 as part of the Back Bay Restaurant Group. It serves authentic French brasserie cuisine in a fun, upbeat atmosphere. We dined with three other couples and enjoyed the wonderful setting. Our round table was located upstairs in a bay window overlooking Newbury Street. Bouchée also has heat lamps warming outdoor patio tables, perfect for "people watching" on Newbury Street. Had it not been such a chilly night, I would have loved to sit outside.

We began by ordering wine–of course! Ken ordered a bottle of the 2002 Joseph Drouhin, Gevrey Chambertin ($69/bottle). The wine had a forward fruity bouquet with a touch of earth. On the palate, the wine was medium bodied, well balanced, had good acidity, and was nicely flavored. The finish was modest. This selection was a nice food wine. (Very Good)

Bouchée’s wine list is mostly French, as you would expect at a French brasserie. I tried a glass of the Joseph Drouhin "Vaudon", Chablis, 1er Cru, Burgundy ($10/per glass). I enjoyed it very much. The wine had a steely bouquet. On the palate, the wine was not overpowering, but was round, flavorful, and quite delightful with a touch of white grape juice flavor. (Very Good)

For an appetizer we tried the fresh tomato, garlic, basil, and Parmesan flat bread ($10). It was delicious. I also had a green salad with Dijon vinaigrette ($7). For my entrée I chose the Saturday plat du jour, which was Beef à la Bourguignonne with buttered egg noodles. It was tasty and filling with lots of beef and onion. Ken enjoyed the glazed Pork Porterhouse with sweet potato au gratin, also served with homemade warm applesauce ($25). We both tried Ken’s sweet potato au gratin. Wow–it was fantastic!

With dinner, Ken ordered a bottle of the 2003 Jaboulet "Thalabert," Croze-Hermitage, ($65/bottle). This wine had a rich purple color. The bouquet was pretty earthy and forward. On the palate, the wine had nice fruit flavors. It was rich and full-bodied. The finish was dry and acidic. (Very Good +)

For dessert my choice was the Lemon Tarte. The filling was tangy and lemony and the portion was just the right size after a big meal. Ken had the Crème Brûlée and really enjoyed it as well.

We would recommend Bouchée for wine and food lovers alike. Bouchée is handicap accessible and has an elevator. The minimum entrée price was $13 for a Hamburger with pommes frites and the maximum entrée price was $36 for Roast Lamb Chops with crispy fingerlings and ratatouille.

Bouchée is a Destination for Wine Lovers!

Cheers – Theresa and Ken