Bar Bouchon Is Now, Officially, Bar Bouchée (With Video)

The old Bar Bouchon sign came down Tuesday evening, to be replaced with the new Bar Bouchée sign. The new sign was ordered earlier this year when the owners of the popular Madison bistro decided to accede to the wishes of renowned chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller, who not only owns The French Laundry and Per Se restaurants, but who also owns the rights to the word “bouchon.” 

Bouchon means cork or bottle stopper in French. Bouchée means a mouthful.

Bouchon? Bouchée?

While Darren Frith, from the AdPro Sign Co. in Killingworth, worked outside to replace the sign, Chef David Borselle, Jr. and bartender Fernando Guarda, working inside, said they’ll take bouchée any day. Guarda bantered with the other employees and patrons about the fate of the old sign. Borselle said “mouthful” is a good fit for the restaurant.

“The new name has had a good impact on us,” said Borselle, who works the kitchen with cooks Vincent Venice and Joel Gargano. “We are very fortunate, it’s only been good. Now we’re the mouthful bar instead of the cork bar.”

Borselle said the emphasis will remain on classic bistro food, with just enough new items to keep the regulars—some of whom stop in three or four times a week—excited and engaged.

Regular menu items include duck cassoulet, a foie gras burger, classic escargot, and monkfish bouillabaisse. Specials might include a fondue, oysters, or dishes like crab and citrus salad with avocado and mache, or truffled mushroom and spring garlic omelet, two featured offerings Tuesday evening.

Owner Jean Pierre Vuillermet, who also is the chef and owner of the highly acclaimed Union League Café in New Haven, said Bar Bouchée captures the spirit that has been created at the neighborhood bistro on Scotland Avenue, close to the center of the downtown. He said the name reflects the “friendliness and passion” of the Bar Bouchée experience.

"In the end, no matter the name, it will always be a true bouchon--a small, Lyon-inspired, neighborhood bistro serving simple French food. It's the ambiance, food and our great customers that are the heart and soul of our place. A change in the name does not change any of that,” he said when the name change was announced earlier this year.