Being a food enthusiast and culinary hobbyist, I was more than a little excited to be going to brunch with my wife at Thomas Keller's Bouchon. \n\nPerhaps a little too much so. \n\nI've never had the privilege to dine at the world famous French Laundry in Napa, but when you're pimping your \"other restaurant\" with the name and reputation you established at the first, I think it's completely understandable for people to expect something special from the \"other restaurant\". \n\nWhile everything we had was very good and impeccably prepared. Nothing was what I would call special. Especially not for the price tag that comes attached. \n\nMaybe my expectations were a little high, but I expected something more... well, \"Wow!\", and what we got was something that many hobbyists could have executed with equal success.\n\nI had a white sausage made from veal and chicken with a beurre noisette, which was served with eggs, and for this I was charged $25. \n\nThe sausage was extremely delicate but also very mild; to the point where you were looking for some flavor. This is fine if the sausage is to be accompanied by a sauce or something else, but this was given just a smidgeon of beurre noisette, which was also extraordinarily mild to the point of being also barely perceptible. \n\nAnd the eggs were, well eggs.\n\nThe breads were excellent, the service was excellent, D'Artagnan also excellent, but it was not anything more (nor less) than I would have been able to get at any other nice hotel restaurant serving breakfast/brunch. \n\nIn fact there is a semi-high restaurant not too far from me in Newport Beach that doesn't have the benefit of a James Beard Award winner as their owner, and for that same price, I can get unlimited mimosas, and brunch items like salmon, or even venison, that put to shame Bouchon's sausage, and their brunch is also usually accompanied by a jazz combo or piano. \n\nSo I was mildly disappointed with my first taste of a Thomas Keller menu.
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