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BOUCHEE: CARMEL DINING TO OVERWHELM YOU (Owner David Fink, left above, and chef Walter Manzke do wonderful things with food and wine at Bouchee, the great new Carmel restaurant). By George Medovoy, Editor CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA --There are some restaurants - not many - where the creative energies are so obvious, they simply overwhelm you. Bouchee, David and Kathleen Fink's new, 49-seat entry on the Carmel scene, is a case in point. There is no doubt about it - when in Carmel, Bouchee is your first choice. The restaurant and wine bar on Mission Street, two doors south of Ocean Avenue in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea, is the sort of place you dream about, where every bite of food is a tasting adventure…and you can sit for hours soaking up the infectious spirit of the surroundings. David Fink makes the rounds of the tables to assure that guests are happy. He is well known in these parts, most recently as general manager of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, where he designed and implemented new five-star hospitality standards for Pebble Beach Resorts. "We opened a restaurant that we wanted to be very comfortable and affordable," Fink says, "with delicious food and a very wonderful wine program." Kathleen explains the reasoning behind the name. "The literal translation of Bouchée is 'mouthful. We think of it as 'delicious mouthfuls,' to be served in a setting of simple elegance. "I wanted to capture an old-world feeling. The interior design reflects that European influence, with hammered copper accents, handmade wrought iron work, a wood-burning fireplace and Inca travertine flooring, all combined with colors of amber, tortoise and bronze." Bouchee's magic starts in the kitchen, with chef Walter Manzke's classic French training. Manzke worked in some of the most renowned kitchens in America and Europe, including Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo, with Alain Ducasse; Pinot Bistro in Los Angeles with Octavio Becerra; Claude Poissonniez at Rancho Valencia Resort and La Valencia Hotel; with Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Spain; and with Jean Claude Fabre at Restaurant Leonce in France. He was Joachim Splichal's sous chef at hundreds of spectacular dinners throughout the world, including five visits to the Carmel Highlands Masters of Food & Wine event. "I'm just doing what I always do," he told me. "I like to create, and I like energy in the kitchen…It's a very physical job. I always compare it almost to sports. I used to be very much into sports, and I nearly became a professional athlete…racing motorcycles, football, and soccer. "You get the same kind of adrenalin in the kitchen. It's very physical… It's a kind of thing where you get burned…and you put it out of your mind and you go harder." Manzke depends on the incredible natural bounty of Monterey County to accomplish his work. During my recent visit, I sampled the "Olive Oil-Poached Monterey King Salmon," a heavenly dish made with braised baby artichokes, artichoke puree, roasted almonds, sauvignon blanc sauce - and local salmon. It's a simple recipe based on local ingredients, reflecting Manzke's routine visits to local markets and personal relationships with local farmers, much as when he cooked at Louis XV in Monaco. "The quality and freshness here is amazing," he says. "I've gotten asparagus that I've never tasted since I was in France. It's due to great farms. I know a lot of the farmers, some of whom bring their products to the restaurant. "I go to a couple of markets in Monterey, to Moss Landing for prawns, salmon and calamari. Abalone comes live every day." With the exception of small garnishes meant to make each bite a little different, the accompaniment to the salmon was basically a puree of artichokes flavored with a confit of orange, as well as almonds, lemon juice, basil, lemon verbena (from farm in Carmel Valley), and fried tempura. The Salad of Organic Field Greens, seasoned with a champagne vinaigrette, came with Blossom Farms black mission figs (from a grower Manzke knows on the other side of the hill in Hollister), green beans, Roquefort cheese, and caramelized walnuts to die for. The Big Eye Tuna Tartare was like a virtual reinvention of the taste of tuna, made with avocado, tomato, yuzu and soy sauce gelee. "We just couldn't categorize these beautiful foods into the customary slots of appetizer, first course, second course and so on," says Manzke. "In our three main categories, Garden, Ocean and Farm, we offer small plates and large plates, so the diner may create a meal that is appropriate both to their taste and their appetite." My meal was followed by Artisan and Farm House Cheeses and Home-Made Walnut Raisin Bread and, for dessert, an Almond Panna Cotta with a perfumed white peach soup, raspberries and peach sorbet. For those who might prefer the smallish wine bar (nine seats), there is a lot of fun with full meals and weekend tapas with incredible sardines and ham. BOUCHEE
WINE PHILOSOPHY A restaurant with its own wine shop offers a unique situation, Bradford believes, allowing diners to enhance a great dining experience with an extraordinary selection of wines at reasonable prices. The synergy of Bouchée as a restaurant, wine bar and wine merchant permits a pricing policy that could be one the most progressive in the industry, an approach that reminded me of a timely recommendation made by The Wine Spectator. Wines that sell for under $20 at Bouchée Wine Merchants are priced $5 above retail in Bouchée restaurant. Wines under $50 are priced $10 above retail, and wines over $50 are sold $15 above retail. "This policy will present some great opportunities for the diner," says Fink. "And we believe that the lower mark-ups will result in a greater number of wine sales for both the restaurant and the wine shop." Bradford can tell the policy is paying off just by looking around the restaurant. "If you look around the restaurant," he notes, "there isn't a table without wine, and in wine-oriented restaurants, that's not that common. "People are going to get a better bottle than they would normally get because they're going to get it at the same price, or they'll say, 'Gosh, I'm only paying this for that wine that I usually pay this much more for, why don't we start with a glass of champagne…why don't we have a half bottle of something?'" Having a retail shop also allows Bouchée to carry wines that might prove too esoteric for a conventional restaurant, making for an adventurous wines-by-the-glass program, tasting flights and prix fixe-paired wine dinner menus. With over 500 eclectic selections, there is something for everyone. And Fink makes sure that "we always take care of our backyard here in Monterey County." "Monterey is a very special place to grow wine," he says. "We have incredible wine makers here. Monterey has more premium grapes than Napa and Sonoma combined." Sommelier Bradford tries to incorporate a variety of flavors and styles, with wines from over 14 countries, including France and Italy, of course, but others from lesser-known regions like Uruguay, Hungary, and Lebanon. Champagnes served are largely French, but with some domestics. "There are 17 wines on our by-the glass list, priced from $4 to $14 a glass," says Bradford. "In addition to our printed by-the-glass list, I will select wines on a daily basis to be featured as well. We want people to enjoy our list, and use it as a way to either have a glass of one of their favorites or sample something new and interesting without having to buy the bottle. "Bouchée's tasting flights are an alternative to bottles, in which a customer gets three glasses of different wines. There is a theme to the flights, which change often. We may offer wines of a similar type -- say a red Burgundy and Pinot Noirs from Oregon and New Zealand. "A variation on this is to have three wines from the same region but from different producers. For our prix fixe menu, we select wines paired especially for the food. The idea is for the customer to have fun enjoying a variety of wines instead of just one varietal with dinner." Bouchee features a large selection of wines from California, including hard-to-find Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets. In addition there is a large selection of wines from Burgundy. Varietal selections also include such wines as Albariño, Gruner Veltliner, and Pinot Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc selections come from Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Bordeaux, two different Loire regions, and New Zealand. "It's a fun, exciting, and diverse list," adds Bradford. "Our lower-priced wines are under $15. Of course, if a customer wants something very special, all they need to do is look at our selection of Domaine De La Romanée-Conti." Twenty wines are also available in half-bottles. Dessert wines cover traditional Sauterne or for tastes a bit more adventurous, Vendage Tardive from Alsace or Tokaji from Hungary. And there are Ports, too, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1980, and 1985 from all the top producers -- Fonseca, Taylor, Dow, Croft, Cockburn, Grahams, and Tawny Port, both vintage and non-vintage. Fink understands that "travelers and diners are returning to a simpler, more direct approach." "Even with the recent economic downturn," he says, "we see that people still want first of all an outstanding and memorable experience, but one worth the price. "Our vision is to bring the highest level of luxury and service to our guests with extraordinary accommodations, contemporary amenities and exemplary service. In a competitive field at a difficult time, our objective is simple: to provide a priceless experience for our guests." Bouchée 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. Bouchée Wine Merchants hours are from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. For more information, call (831) 626-7882 or visit www.boucheecarmel.com. (Click below for more travel stories!)
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