text: Bouchon is a beautiful bistro decked out in handsome dark wood decor and a buzzing atmosphere to match The service is fairly formal but friendly Dinner at Bouchon is a casual affair but rich with a vibrant Vegas feel and some excellent foodnnMy dinner at Bouchon was with my family of five and we indulged in a manner befitting a meal in Sin City We started by ripping into the epic epi bread placed directly on our table along with good butter and a little jar of mustard The bread looked like a wellsprouted branch and the little yeasted knobs that came off of it were delicious with a satisfying crustnnWe ordered an array of appetizers and passed them around like a good Asian family The table favorite was the salmon rillettes which were presented in a sealed mason jar opened at our table The rillettes were superb with plenty of salmon character along with lots of fat and moisture We spread them on crunchy baguettes We also got the small assortment of shellfish which came with a few varieties of oysters along with shrimp and lobster Everything was great the oysters were fresh and briny the shrimp sweet and snappy and the lobster plump and meaty The assortment came with cocktail sauce dijonnaise and a shallot sauce all of which were put to good use For something green we ordered an heirloom tomato salad with pesto This was simple and lovely with bright refreshing flavors and some gorgeous tomatoes The only appetizer I did not especially care for was the escargot I do not mind eating snails but these snails were a little bit boring They were served with little puff pastries and garlic butter but somehow the result was unexcitingnnThe main courses were on the whole less impressive than the appetizers but they were still very solid I ordered the braised beef short ribs special which came with sweet carrots potato confit roasted bone marrow and sauce bordelaise The beef was very good tender and tasty and I loved the softened carrots as well The bone marrow was fantastic smeared on everything adding smooth velvet to each bite The sauce though was kind of overwhelming deep but rather sweet The steak frites was a great simple dish My brother ordered his steak medium and it was a nice even pink with plenty of juice and garlic butter on top The fries were spectacular thin cut and crispy on the outside My other brothers croque madame and moms mussels also came with these fries The croque madame was delicious but very decadent and hard to eat more than a couple bites of This was a fried egg and ham and cheese on toasted brioche and would have been just right but for a smothering dose of mornay sauce The fried egg was a thing of beauty The mussels were the only item that I actively disliked The broth was fine but the mussels themselves tasted like that overwhelming garbagelike smell that mussels can sometimes have My dads roasted chicken was a high point It was moist and juicy served with caramelized figs chanterelle mushrooms pickled ramps and chicken jusnnFor dessert we split the vanilla creme brulee and the bouchon which was three little brownies with coconut sorbet butter pecan and peanut butter chip ice cream The creme brulee was decent though fairly standard with a pleasant crackly sugar crust The bouchon was also straightforward but had a lot more sparkle The brownies were delicious with a little bit of crumble but nice dark chocolate density The accompanying sorbet and ice creams were also greatnnWhen the meal was over we were stuffed with plenty of good food as well as a nice bottle of wine in our systems Overall I would say that I was not blown away by Bouchon but I enjoyed our meal and might go back again The food was not fancy or innovative especially given the price point but almost everything was precisely executed There is a Bouchon where I live and if I am craving a classic bistro meal I will probably check it out