A Little Bit Of Lyon Just Off St. Helena Highway

Chef Thomas Keller's Napa Valley homage to the Lyon bistros for which it is named is more casual and accessible than his famed nearby restaurant, The French Laundry. Inside this red-brick Yountville restaurant just off the St. Helena Highway you'll find classic brasserie fare like Steak Frites, Roast Chicken, Mussels with French Fries, Croque Madame and Boudin Blanc. Keller's precise yet modern takes on these dishes have garnered Bouchon a Michelin star and made it a destination of its own. Its success has led the chef to open a Bouchon in Las Vegas, and plan a third, the last one scheduled to open in Beverly Hills later this year. This is Thomas Keller, so the dishes are beautifully presented and while moderately priced, are not exactly cheap. Of course, any meal at Bouchon would be incomplete without sampling something (read: the famous Macarons) from the Bouchon Bakery.