If there is any niche which needed to be filled in the world of Vegas restaurants, it was somewhere to go for a great breakfast.
Bouchon, Thomas Keller's deluxe French bistro, is finally serving breakfast, and plans are afoot to add Sunday brunch. So if you spot a stocky guy on the patio, reading several newspapers, eating a custard-filled sticky bun, playing with his coddled egg, and sipping a vanilla latté, that is probably me.
Since I moved here five years ago, I have occasionally enjoyed 49er flapjacks at the Original Pancake House, breakfast at the Four Season's Verandah Restaurant, and slightly burnt coffee at Starbucks, drunk out of convenience.
But what I've longed for is a beautiful idyll in which to enjoy the leisurely breakfast enjoyed on the Continent: buttery, flaky pastries the French call Viennoiserie; thimbles of bitter, intense coffee; freshly squeezed juices in carafe; and perfect coddled eggs, spooned onto waiting slices of brioche toast. Now, at last, this little dream has come true.
In case you haven't been to Bouchon during the evening (the restaurant is not open for lunch), this vast, Adam Tihany design may be the single most beautiful restaurant space in a city known for beautiful restaurant spaces.
The room is stunning, at lobby level in the Venetian's Venezia Tower, and entering it, what becomes immediately clear is that no expenses were spared. Adam Tihany, who designed Aqua and Seablue, has replicated a classic bistro, 7,000 square feet of space, including appointments like French mosaic tiles, mahogany pillars, a pewter oyster bar, and a gorgeously appointed patio.
Unseen, there is a state-of-the-art bakery which produces baguettes, brioche and epi bread for the evening serving, and now, a host of other items for the morning one. Head baker Chris Herron worked for Andre Rochat at Alize and Le Cirque, as well as in the original Bouchon Bakery in the Napa Valley, and his breads are equal to any in Vegas: crusty, creamy and fragrant. Kathy Huyghe, the bakery manager, lived and worked in France and Belgium. They make a great team.
The pewter-topped oyster bar is where most of the breakfast action is. Behind it, croissants, pains au chocolat, sticky buns, cinnamon buns, scones, muffins, and other pastries are laid out to tempt you. Juices are kept in an iced bin, which later on will be used for oysters and crab legs.
Here's what to do. Take the pencil on your table and fill out the sushi bar-like check list, and the number of each item you want. The pastries come out on family-style metal platters which rest on the table. Coffee drinks are on the back of the menu, either Equator Coffee, a blend made especially for French Laundry, or Illy Espressos, both of which make Starbucks taste like mud.
In addition to the pastries, there are already a few brunch-like choices, such as a crusty quiche du jour, say a Florentine or maybe a Lorraine; a petite baguette with delicate smoked salmon; or my favorite, that exquisitely coddled egg in a tiny glass cup. Fresh fruit comes in a ceramic tureen, generally seasonal berries or melon, finely diced, perhaps too finely, in a tasty nage kissed with lime juice.
For yogurt aficionados, Bouchon whips in around 40 percent fresh cream and a touch of vanilla bean. The menu's yogurt parfait, yogurt swirled with fresh, marinated strawberries and the restaurant's homemade granola, is divine.
And I can't resist any of these pastries. The croissants are easily the best in the city: flaky, buttery and meltingly rich. Valrhona chocolate is used in the center of the pain au chocolat, basically a glorified croissant, and raisin cinnamon buns also are made with the buttery croissant dough.
Brioche dough, which has even more butter, is used for the pecan-encrusted sticky bun, but as good as it is, I find its custard filling to be overkill. Cheese Danishes are made with two types of creamy cheeses, one on top and a different one in the center. Outrageously dense scones are done in two contrasting styles, ham and Swiss, or lemon currant. You'll be skipping lunch.
The chefs are still playing with the idea of brunch, and though nothing is definite, this idea is a natural. Savory crepes, creative eggs and more Continental fare is probably what they'll end up serving, and maybe a sandwich or two from the evening menu, like the delicious French bistro classic, croque Madame, basically a toasted ham and cheese sandwich on egg bread with sauce Mornay.
If you insist on waffles or pancakes, though, any casino coffee shop should be able to help you out.