Le Bouchon Turks and Caicos | Eating With Ziggy

Posts Tagged With: Le Bouchon Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos – Le Bouchon du Village

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Ziggy

I have to confess, last trip wasnt exactly dud free. In fact, we had quite a few of them, mostly with new spots I wanted to check out (the things I do for you people, and for what?!?). Le Bouchon du Village in the little picturesque village of “Regent” was most certainty not one of them. Not exactly a shocker since I choose not to write about duds for various reasons.

In fact this was most likely our favorite meal at Le Bouchon, mainly because we got all our favorite Le Bouchon classics and even added a new one. As usual my pictures at Le Bouchon look a little stale, mainly because a) Its a little dark in there, b) we are way to eager to eat the food when it arrives, and c) I suck at photography.

The classics at Le Bouchon according to moi:

The Escargot pictured above – This is how escargot should taste like everywhere.

The Soups – Both the Conch Chowder and the black bean soup are quite good even at extreme heat

Steak au Poivre – The only restaurant in Provo where steak is a must. Perfectly executed, melt in your mouth buttery goodness, each time we have it, without fail

The Tuna – Our newest classic. Fresh, expertly prepared Yellowfin. Lightly seared to beautiful redness you can only get with fish this fresh, and lightly coated with ginger tomato reduction to take this to the next level. It came with avocado, other veggies and Jasmine rice which was the perfect compliment. Great dish

We also had a lovely Snapper, pan seared with light cream. Mrs Ziggy particularly enjoyed this one. And for dessert, their rich chocolate tart is always a hit and Profiteroles this time ended one of the most brilliant meals of the trip. Pictures below followed by the previous post

03/13/13 Post…

Time for a Timeline…

Oct 1975 – Curious Ziggy discovers Snails are edible

Dec 2006 – Ziggy discovers Turks and Caicos

July 2009 – Ziggy eats at Caicos Café headed by Frenchman Pierrik Marziou

Oct 12th, 2010 9:34 pm – Ziggy goes on a hunger strike when discovering two Italians take over Caicos Café, Pierrik retires

Oct 12th, 2010 10:15 pm – Hunger strike is over but Ziggy vows not to eat at the new Caicos Café in protest

Dec 2010 – Ziggy eats at the new Caicos Café, gets Ratatouille moment, drops pen

Dec 2012 – Pierrik comes out of retirement, opens Le Bouchon at the village

Dec 2012 – Present – The Golden Years

So there you have it. Pierrik and his gang are back is what I’m trying to say. And back with a vengeance…

A Parisian like Bistro on a sidewalk at Regent Village is Le Bouchon. A family affair, with Pierrik, Julian (son), Justine (daughter) and any other children that start with a J. Mom is there as well hustling and bustling. A changing chalkboard menu with plenty to choose from adds to the excitement and the homey atmosphere. In fact I did the same thing back home starting this week an today on the menu is cereal with 1%!

During lunch one day we enjoyed a nice Niçoise salad, and a top eat of the trip nominee burger with egg. You need to ask for the egg. With the perfectly cooked sunny side up egg, the result is a messy, juicy goodness oozing with deliciousness. Good to have this lunch option.

Some of the lunch options are available for dinner as well. Like the fun Charcuterie board (I love Charcuterie boards – you never know what you getting) with a nice assortment of salami, ham and duck terrine. Escargot was absolutely delicious! The perfect garlic, butter, herbs balance which very often restaurants cant quite get it right. I still have garlic breath after that Escargot we had in Brooklyn last week and after eating half a head of garlic at lunch today!

Mussels were a big hit that evening as well. The shrimp a la plancha however was a bit puzzling since it was one large shrimp over risotto. More of a tapa dish really than main. Although the wife and my oldest who ordered it enjoyed it

I went for the steak au poivre which along with the chilean sea bass is a staple on the board I believe. Plate cleaner. Covered with light peppercorn sauce that even made the fries taste great. Cooked medium rare as expected after ordering medium (French undercook) and plenty of flavor. A month before this meal we ate at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Las Vegas where I had a NY strip with peppercorn sauce. That NY Strip was twice the price and half the flavor of the steak at Le Bouchon.

For dessert the winner was the chocolate mousse which I actually didn’t get to try. That’s how good it was. Tarte tatin (pronounced according to Justin, “Ta”) was good, creme brûlée just ok. Dinner overall – Le Magnifique

Le Bouchon is new but you wouldn’t know it while eating there. This is one of the only dining options on the island that does not need to rely on tourists alone due to the kind of local following established over the years. So needless to say I’m not the only one raving about this “addition”. Bienvenue Pierrik and family!

Recommended dishes: Burger with egg, Escargot, Charcuterie board, Mussels, steak au poivre, chocolate mousse

Categories: Turks and Caicos | Tags: food, Le Bouchon, Le Bouchon Providenciales, Le Bouchon Turks and Caicos, Providenciales Dining, restaurants, Travel, Turks and Caicos dining, Turks and caicos food, Turks and Caicos Restaurants | 1 Comment

7 More Provo Bites

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Ziggy

A sample of some of Provos top dishes as featured in the summer issue of Where When How. For past Provo Bites, click here. We’ll be there in a week for another culinary adventure.

Wahoo Carpaccio at Caicos Cafe – If there’s anything as exciting as the left side of Caicos Cafe’s menu it is in my humble opinion the right side of the menu. All that excitement causing the specials on the board to look lonely and out of place, like the lone sock in your sock drawer missing its partner (Why do people keep the single socks. Hard to say goodbye or are they waiting for a miraculous appearance of some sort). At any rate, all sorts of food magic can also be found on that special board, and if there’s fresh Wahoo in the house there’s a good chance “Mad Max” will add it in this Carpaccio form. Expertly prepared, sprinkled with capers and pink peppercorns, perfectly cut, silky smooth, melt in your mouth buttery “When Harry Met Sally” seafoodgasm goodness, worthy of a run on sentence. Get this!

Conch Chowder at Le Bouchon. Yes, these guys make a killer Steak Frites. Yes, their escargot will make you slap your mama. Yes, the place is always full of beautiful people, and NO that’s not the main reason we keep going back there Mrs Ziggy, aka the most beautiful woman I know. And yes, even the simple stuff like the smoky, perfectly spiced, uncreamy Chowder is a winner at Le Bouchon Du Village. If there’s one dish that showcases Pierrick’s and Julian attention to detail, this may be the one.

Peruvian Conch Ceviche at Seaside. Here’s a fun tidbit for your next cocktail party. Most people don’t realize the role Peru had on our ability to function as society. Transportation networks, roped bridges, The Pisco Sour, all invented in ancient Peru. But the biggest contribution that most dont know about is the Ceviche, the grandfather of TCI’s national dish, Conch Salad. Young master chef Francois mixes in various peppers including Scotch Bonnet to give it the proper pleasant heat with just enough acid from the lime. And in true Peruvian style, he throws in plenty of fresh veggies including corn to make it the island Conch Salad to beat. The equally outstanding tuna Sashimi made this choice a tough one.

Romaine Lettuce at Lupo – We all have our routines right before heading to Turks and Caicos. Mine is having my fortune told. “You will choose wisely” was a common theme, and I have to tell you readers, those fortune cookies are correct more often than not. So I went against my comfort zone more often and ordered things that I normally never do, like this play on Caesar Salad. Quite possibly the best Caesar you will ever eat. Smoky Romaine, sharp Parm and crispy Pancetta bits round this piece of deliciousness. Nicely done Lupo!

Kerala Chicken Masala at Garam Masala – Garam is becoming a regular for us due to its splendid kebabs and colorful curries such as the Dal Makhani, Chicken Tikka Masala and this South Indian delight from the Kerala region. Bright, complex, flavor packed dish we couldn’t get enough of. In a strange way it reminded me of white Alba truffles as in a similar matter I was still enjoying this hours later via a series of pleasant little burbs. Much to the chagrin of the NJ couple I met on the Beach a the time. I suppose I could say its payback for the smells of Central NJ, but I’m too much of a professional to say or write something like that

Fettuccine with Guanciale and Black Truffles at Via Veneto – The fatty, deliciously salty Guanciale (pork cheeks) plays an important part here. But its all about that truffle essence that tells the brain “now this is gonna be yummy (foodie technical term)”. Just like when you put your shoes on and it feels sort of wet inside and you suddenly remember that your toddler was playing hide and seek again in the closet the night before and got a wee bit excited, your brain tells you its time to remove those shoes from your feet. Via Veneto is quickly becoming another Italian force to be reckoned with.

Sautéed Whole Snapper at Bugaloos (top)- A Snapper a day keeps the doctor away… and brings the creditors closer. Take your creditors to Bugaloos so they could understand. Freshly caught Red Snapper doesn’t require too much handling. Some coconut milk, onions, pepper, garlic, and simple seasoning is the best compliment for the mouthwatering perfectly flaky piece of fish. The inner barbarian Ziggy came out to attack this one with full force. While the inner feminine Ziggy required an emergency cookie stop 20 minutes later.