And the hits just keep on comin’!

The North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NC), which states as part of its mission to provide “leadership in the development of sound planning policies and practices in North Carolina,” has announced that Lexington Avenue right here in downtown Asheville has been named one of four 2012 Great Places in North Carolina: Great Main Street.

Naturally, we think Lexington Avenue is a downtown must-see—the uniqueness of our shop & restaurants gives Lexington dash & sophistication not found elsewhere, even in Asheville!

You can visit Lexington Avenue virtually by liking the street on Facebook. Or, put on your walking shoes & stroll along our street before your next visit to Bouchon or Creperie Bouchon. It’s a treat!

Stop Googling your ex and take a look at THIS

A blogger named Biggers has posted about the collaboration between AIR (Asheville Independent Restaurant Association) and BRSI (Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute) to “green” AIR restaurants here in the western NC mountains.

It’s a fascinating, informative article and includes a terrific video—click on over to learn more about one of “America’s Greenest Dining Destinations!”

Just in time for what looks to be a gorgeous spring, our Crȇperie has opened!

Yes! You can head over to the Lexington courtyard right this minute and enjoy a delicious crȇpe!

Not only that—if you’re feeling Don Draper-ish, have a cocktail! A full bar came with the remodel along with a new paint job & a remodeled menu.

Open 11 am to 11 pm, Monday through Saturday.
Open 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

A rainy Sunday was brightened up considerably by this terrific article in the Asheville Citizen-Times about our friend, neighbor and force of nature, Franzi Charen of Hip Replacements.

We are so lucky to have a woman of her energy, vision and commitment in our community!

Read the ACT article by clicking here

At Bouchon, the most important stamp of approval we acknowledge comes from our customers—without you, we are nothing!

But we must admit, it’s pretty rewarding to be recognized by community organizations!

We are so delighted to announce that Bouchon was recently living-wage certified by Just Economics of Western North Carolina.

To find out more about Just Economics, click here

Our pal, John Warner has done it again—here’s some new footage of Bouchon, with peek at Creperie Bouchon, too!

Click here

It’s video day! See what’s doing with our animals by clicking here

Well, not exactly a million dollars. . . but these four Asheville chefs came together for a great cause!

At WNCAP’s “Raise Your Hand” auction last fall, the item which went for the most $ was a multi-course dinner donated by a team of Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR) chefs: Joe Scully of The Corner Kitchen. Anthony Cerrato of Fiore, Eric Sheffer of Vinnie’s and our own Michel.

The dinner was held recently at a private home, where all agreed it was the perfect prelude to a terrific 2012!

Find out more about WNCAP by clicking here

Bouchon was mentioned on “The Stephanie Miller” show this morning! (Monday, January 16)
Host Stephanie Miller read an email announcing the new hospitality training program spearheaded by Michel. (OK, Vonciel sent her the email.)

Our thanks to Sexy Liberal Steph and Mooks Jim & Chris for spreading the word about this terrific new initiative!

Mark Rosenstein, founder of The Market Place and a founding father of Asheville-as-Foodtopia is directing the program.

For more about the new jobs program, called GO Kitchen-Ready, click here
and here

Follow @RadioGuyChris and @SMShow on Twitter!

Recently, we began including comment cards with the doloreuse. (French for “bad news”, or as you may know it, “the check.”) In addition to the opportunity to sound off about Bouchon, you can provide us with your email if you wish, so we can send you updates on specials & events.

We have been delighted with the response & the comments—some of which are posted below.

A great, big, giant merci beaucoups! to all who have taken the time to share their Bouchon experiences. Positive or negative, your feedback is so important to the continuing success of Bouchon!
Thanks a million!

Here’s a sample of what we’ve been reading (and loving):

“The food was exquisite!’
“We ate here two times in two days. . bonne vin, bonne bouffe!”
“It was possible to believe we were dining a la rive gauche.”
“We have found a new favorite in Asheville. Can’t wait to share Bouchon with all of our family and friends!”
“Good food, well-prepared & well served. What more is there?”
“Absolute bliss!”
Our server gave us the best experience we have ever had in Asheville!"
“Every dish was superb! Our server was prompt but never hovering.”
“We had to come back for our second night in a row-couldn’t imagine anything surpassing your service & food!”

Lexington Avenue is Asheville’s smokin’ hot top shopping street! We’ve got it all- cool tees at MIA (Made in Asheville), exquisite antiques at Chatsworth’s, vintage funk at Hip Replacements, forward fashion for females at Virtue, Minx & What to Wear, beautiful blooms at Shady Grove, fab footwear at Topps for Shoes & all your paper needs at Write On!
You’ll have fun! We’ve got your nutritional needs covered— take a break for lunch at Crêperie Bouchon!
Complete your successful shopping day with a relaxing dinner at Bouchon! While deciding, order those Bouchon Gift Certificates! Put ’em on your dinner check & voila!

Bouchon Gift Certificates are appropriate for any occasion—birthdays and other milestones, Valentine’s Day, Congratulations on Your Successful Teeth-Cleaning Day, etc.
Our gift certificates are conveniently sized for you to tuck into a thoughtful card, place in a shiny new wallet or fake out your recipient by hiding one in a giant box!

Available in these denominations: $25, $50, $75 & $100. Captivate a co-worker, tickle a teacher, please a parent—a Bouchon Gift Certificate is sure to score with anyone!

Never been to our restaurant? Quelle dommage!

Click here for a quick video—see what you’ve been missing!

And come on! We’re open for dinner seven days a week in beautiful downtown Asheville.

Fabulous photography by John Warner.

Find his awesome website by clicking here !

Welcome to our website! Thank you for visiting!

Tweet much? Follow us on Twitter @bouchonaville.

Our Twitter stream is below.

What does that mean, and what does it have to do with our French restaurant in Asheville?

Well, it means that we like to do business with those who do business with us. And in a city with a plenteous number of restaurants, Bouchon is very appreciative of our large local following.

So when it comes to what Vonciel’s grandfather called “trading,” Bouchon trades with as many local purveyors as possible.

Our menu lists some of our neighboring suppliers: Crain Family Farm, Fork Mountain Farm, Sunburst Trout Farm & East Fork Farm. In addition, we buy our fresh, fresh, fresh seafood from Bluewater Seafood Co. located in Hendersonville. All these companies are family-owned and operated and are no more than one county away.

It’s our good fortune to be located where there are so many families devoted to providing so many good things to eat! The “Down on the Farm” page (see menu at left) depicts a day we spent with Margaret and Tom at East Fork Farm.

On your next visit to Bouchon, congratulate yourself for supporting the local economy!

In addition to an astounding number of locally-owned restaurants, Asheville is chock-full of amazing artists, musicians, and unique small businesses.

Check out the Asheville Grown page on Facebook, or take a look at the Asheville Grown blog found here for more information.

. . . we used 8000 gallons of wine just for cooking in 2010???

. . . all disposables at Bouchon & Creperie Bouchon are compostable/biodegradable?

. . . we compost almost all raw vegetable material?

. . . that for every hour we are open, our employees have worked for four hours to prepare?

. . . we clean, prepare and serve an average of 400 pounds of mussels each week? (Our “best” week, we did 600 pounds!)

Click here to watch a short video of Michel talking about the farm-to-table movement in Asheville, how he came to live here and Bouchon.

Bonjour Y’all!

Allow me to offer you a slice of France… right here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“Bouchon” is the French word for cork. Where I’m originally from, near Lyon, France, it’s the colloquial term for the little neighborhood bistro. I have fond memories of visiting the local bouchon with my friends while growing up in the Rhone Valley of France….memories so comforting and so delicious, they’re worth sharing.

This is what I’ve set out to do at Bouchon… provide a truly authentic French bistro experience. You’ll savor the food, delight in the wine, and leave a whole lot happier as a result.

- Michel
Chef/Owner

Asheville Independent Restaurant Association
Founding Member

Asheville Chamber of Commerce
Past Board Member

Winner of “Best Small Business” in 2008

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