Le Bouchon

By WW Editorial Staff

517 NW 14th Ave., 248-2193. Lunch Tuesday-Friday. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. $$ Moderate.

Owners Monique and Claude Musquin hail from the Bordeaux region and run their 8-year-old restaurant more like an extension of their kitchen than a French bistro. On weekend nights you can find Monique greeting and squeezing guests into the narrow 35-seat space, while Claude stirs the bounty of seafood found in the saffron bouillabaisse and bakes ceramic dishes of creamy scallop

coquilles

and three-cheese French onion soup. The small serving staff is schooled in their employers' native country, and cheerfully recommend French wine and beer while carrying the chalkboard of specials (it rarely changes) from table to table. Unfortunately, due to Le Bouchon's full embrace of the bistro concept, tables are only inches away from each other. (JM)

Signature Dish: Duck confit with goat cheese and a buttery potato hash.

Standouts: Everything is made from scratch. Rosemary is pulled from the planter along the front sidewalk.

Regrets: Heartburn—most dishes can easily be described as rich and garlicky.

WWeek 2015

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