Bouchee: An Important Addition
to Carmel Food Scene

One thing you can say about Carmel-by-theSea, this charming coastal "village" on California’s Pacific Coast, is that its character has remained for the most part changeless over the years.

But in the realm of food, at least, things have changed significantly with the addition of Bouchee Restaurant and Wine Bar and Bouchee Wine Merchants on Mission Street between Ocean and Seventh.

The 49-seat restaurant was opened by David and Kathleen Fink and offers a menu of California contemporary cuisine with Mediterranean influences masterfully crafted into great variety.

The atmosphere is welcoming, with hammered copper accents, a wood-burning fireplace, and colors of amber, tortoise and bronze.

As Kathleen Fink notes, "The literal translation of Bouchee is ‘mouthful.’ We think of it as ‘delicious mouthfuls,’ to be served in a setting of simple elegance."

The other half of the brains behind Bouchee, David Fink, developed the cellar collection of Carmel’s famed Highland’s Inn, which won the prestigious Wine Spectator "Grand Award" in 1991.

It bears noting that the combination of the restaurant and wine shop offers a unique opportunity to enhance your dining experience with an extraordinary selection of wines at reasonable prices, including some esoteric labels not ordinarily found on a restaurant wine list.

Bouchee’s wine list also has 17 wines on the by-the-glass list, priced from $4 to $14 a glass.In addition to wines from California, the restaurant offers a selection from Burgundy, Italy, Germany and Austria, as well as South Africa, Hungary and Lebanon.

Bouchee’s executive chef, Walter Manzke, aspires to produce a menu "absolutely… compatible with wine."

"It’s an important aspect of my menu planning," he says. "First, I determine what is seasonal and fresh, then I formulate my recipes and menus for wines to be paired with each dish."

The menu is rich in both fish and meat dishes. Some examples: Yellowfin Tuna prepared with golden gazpacho, wild fennel and organic toolbox tomatoes ($14); Monterey Bay Red Abalone with hand-cut fettuccine, brown butter and lemon and capers ($20); Black Angus Prime Beef Short Ribs with braised hearts of romaine, brown butter mashed potatoes and red wine sauce ($25); Liberty Farms Sonoma Duck with black rice, port wine-glazed mission figs and preserved lemon ($25).

After the main course, there is a wonderful assortment of Artisan Cheeses presented tableside ($13), along with dessert charmers like Lemon Cake with braised berries and bellweather farms mascarpone fondant ($6); Oven-Baked Fig Clafoutis with vanilla bean ice cream and lavender honey ($6); House-made Ice Creams and Sorbets ($5), and marvelous chocolates, like Chocolate-Banana Bread Pudding with hot Valrhona chocolate, caramelized bananas and malted milk chocolate ice cream ($7).

Bouchee also offers a chef’s tasting menu every day, where seasonal offerings of the Central Coast are explored.

Bouchee Restaurant and Wine Bar opens daily at 4 p.m. Dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. nightly. Reservations are recommended. Call (831) 626-7880. Bouchee Wine Merchants is open from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Visit www.boucheecarmel.com.