Time To Return To Bar Bouchée: Traditional French Bistro Fare in Madison CT
The Connecticut coastline is a haven for great food, from fresh fish, fried clams, lobster rolls, and oysters shucked to order, to a mix of American, Italian, Asian, and French influences up and down the shore. Located a few towns east of New Haven, Madison is one of my favorite small towns along the shoreline, and I absolutely love small French bistros. When good friends invited us to join them for a mid-week dinner at Bar Bouchée, a spot that’s been on my radar for years, I jumped at the opportunity.
Bar Bouchée opened in 2010 as Bar Bouchon, founded by Jean-Pierre Vuillermet, the chef-owner of New Haven’s legendary Union League Café. The original name reflected the heritage of the small neighborhood restaurants of Lyon, France, known as “bouchons.” As the restaurant’s reputation grew within Connecticut’s culinary community, it caught the attention of none other than Thomas Keller, the uber-Chef of The French Laundry and Per Se, who owned the rights to the word “bouchon.” Vuillermet ultimately decided to rename the restaurant Bar Bouchée.
The restaurant is currently under the careful and thoughtful eyes of Executive Chef Guillaume Traversaz and General Manager/Sommelier Romain Turpault.
Chef Traversaz graduated from ETH Thonon-les-Bains in France before fine-tuning his culinary expertise under Chef Vuillermet, a fellow native of the same village in the French Alps. He subsequently sharpened his skills in Australia and England, returning to New Haven in 2017 to take the helm of the kitchen at the Union League Café. His cooking philosophy centers on local, seasonal ingredients, shaped by the traditions of his French upbringing and training.
Romain Turpault, also French, holds a diploma in Economics plus Culinary Arts/Service Management. He worked in London alongside award-winning chefs before arriving at the Union League Café in 2013 under General Manager Jean-Michel Gammariello. After earning his sommelier diploma in Bordeaux, he remained in France to manage Angelina at the Palace of Versailles, then returned to the Union League Café in 2017 before joining Bar Bouchée a couple of years later.
The kitchen is currently under the tutelage of Chef Erik Erlichson, who brings more than four decades of culinary experience leading French, Mediterranean, and American kitchens and previously owned Chez Vous Bistro in Stamford. Together, the team has kept tradition, vision, and quality at the heart of the restaurant.
On a beautiful summer evening, we made our way to the eastern end of “downtown” Madison, turned down a quiet side street, and spotted a simple wooden sign with mirror-imaged “B”s, a yellow awning shading a small front porch, and an unassuming “Bar Bouchée” sign. A few outdoor tables were still open, so after checking in, we settled outside to enjoy the weather along with what we hoped would be great food.
I’d read a lot about the interior of Bar Bouchée, described on the restaurant’s website as “an intimate, cozy, and lively interior modeled after a classic 19th-century French bistro.” It was that and more. Just inside the entrance sits the restaurant’s centerpiece, a stunning zinc-topped bar shipped over in one piece from France, seating up to ten guests. To the right and continuing to the back, banquettes and tables stretch along the right wall, while the kitchen occupies the left side, just behind the bar.
Back at our patio table, we looked over the regular menu along with the daily chalkboard specials. I’d had my heart set on the duck confit, but a chalkboard item caught my eye, a Duroc pork chop, described as lightly brined, pan-roasted, and served with creamy mashed potatoes and a seasonal garnish of fresh peas and asparagus. To get things started, I also ordered the fried zucchini blossoms, stuffed with Serrano ham, bacon, vegetables, and herbs.
These blossoms were a departure from the simple ricotta-filled versions I’ve enjoyed elsewhere. Chef Erlichson stuffs the locally sourced blossoms (from Barberry Hill Farm, just a few miles away) then dips them in a tempura batter before frying. They arrived over a classic San Marzano tomato sauce simply made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, olive oil, and fresh herbs. The result was slightly denser than the ricotta-filled blossoms, inspired by the rustic countryside of southern France. The tomato sauce was a beautiful addition and brought a wonderful sweetness to the dish.
The Duroc pork chop arrived next, and it was bistro cooking at its finest. After its light citrus brine, the chop was pan-roasted and plated alongside creamy mashed potatoes, topped with a garnish of fresh peas and asparagus, and finished with a light Piquillo pepper beurre Nantais, a classic French butter sauce. My first bite was just pork by itself, and it was outstanding, among the best I’ve had anywhere. It was soft, succulent, and I could not wait to pair it with the pea-and-asparagus combination. That next bite was even better. The earthiness of the peas and asparagus melded beautifully with the pork, and then a touch of the sauce added just the right notes of fruit and spice. It’s a combination I won’t soon forget. The mashed potatoes were very good as well, though I would have liked just a touch less salt.
Overall, my first visit to Bar Bouchée was memorable. The food was true to its roots, thoughtful and beautifully executed, the setting warm and inviting, and the pacing unhurried in the best bistro tradition. Add to that the magnificent zinc bar shipped over from France, the rotating chalkboard specials, and a kitchen steeped in classic French technique, and Bar Bouchée delivered a true bistro experience. I’ll certainly be back.
8 Scotland Ave.
Madison, CT 06443
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