Fifteen

When we arrived on a Wednesday evening, we first noticed the lovely outdoor patio. Of course, this being Boston, even though it is now May, the patio required heat lamps. We declined the outside hostess’ offer to sit outside and proceeded into the restaurant. Downstairs, there is a small bar area to your left and tables to your right. The bar looked lively with the remnants of the after-work crowd. We had been to the restaurant a few times before and usually sit downstairs, but this evening, the hostess offered us a table in the upstairs dining room. So, we followed her up the stairs to our table.

Bouchée’s concept is that of an “urban brasserie.” The décor involves a lot of warm, brown tones and mirrors. More importantly for those on dates, the soft lighting is very flattering. The resulting atmosphere is classy but not too formal. The patrons upstairs appeared to be a mix of business people in suits on expense-dinners and young couples on romantic dates. This being Back Bay, there were also more than a few overly made up cougars trying to be sophisticated. Alexie, beware.

Our waiter appeared a few minutes after we were seated to rattle off some specials and inform us of a few items on the menu that were not available. He also took my husband’s drink order, a ginger mojito ($9.25). (Bouchée also has an extensive wine list and fun champagne cocktails.) I am feeling under the weather and decided to stick with healthy water, but I had a slight problem with their room temperature water.

The menu at Bouchée is cleverly presented. It is folded up around your napkin and already part of the place-setting at the table. You unfold this to uncover a large menu offering hors d’oeurves, flatbreads from the restaurant’s wood-burning oven, daily specials, a long list of entrées, a la carte side dishes, raw bar selections, salads, plates for two and desserts. The prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food. Appetizers range from $6 to $16 and entrées, from $13 to $34. We decided to split a tuna niçoise salad ($14) to start. I should note that they tack on a ridiculous $7 “sharing charge” so be forewarned. I ordered the awesome French onion soup (which is really an appetizer) as my entrée ($8) and my husband ordered the steak frites ($24). The last time we were at Bouchée, our steak, which was ordered medium rare, came out on the well-done side. So we were careful this time to explain to the waiter that we wanted the steak pink and juicy on the inside (but not raw!)

After about ten minutes, the tuna niçoise salad was delivered. “Sashimi style” tuna was presented with haricots verts, diced potatoes and olives with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The salad was light, fresh and healthy and made me feel much better about the calorie-laden French onion soup I was about to enjoy.

Our entrées arrived after a short wait. My beloved French onion soup was served piping hot with lots of yummy melted Gruyère cheese on top. It was so delicious that I did not care how much butter was contained within. (I justified this meal by remembering the diligent trips to the gym during the past week.) My husband’s steak was (thankfully) served medium rare. It was a good sized sirloin and not the usual hangar steak, served with what they call “maitre d’hotel butter” and freedom fries. I was unsure what “maitre d’hotel butter” is exactly but after a tasting, it seemed to be something that will go straight to your hips with absolutely no flavor. Truly strange. The frites were thinly sliced potatoes, fried crispy and tossed with sea salt and herbs, most prominently, rosemary. I love fries and these were delicious.

As usual, we were too full to sample dessert but they looked appetizing. I spied a table with the crème brulee, profiteroles and the sorbet tasting and they all looked awesome. Maybe next time.

Bouchée is part of the Back Bay Restaurant Group, which also owns Abe & Louie’s, Charley’s, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, Atlantic Fish Company and Papa Razzi. Because of this, there is a “corporate” vibe to the place. For example, the branding of Bouchée on the plates and wine glasses seems a bit mass produced. On the other hand, considering the aforementioned Newbury Street tourist trap restaurants, the food at this place is definitely a standout and well worth the visit.

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