La Grande Boucherie Brings Authentic French Cuisine to Chicago
Bonjour, mes amis!
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of experiecing Chicago’s newest and hottest restaurant, La Grande Boucherie. This traditional French steakhouse and brasserie has opened its doors in the Belle Époque building in River North, my old neighborhood in downtown Chicago. And all I can say is WOW, what an experience!
Firstly, you should know that I used to be absolutely obsessed with French culture in high school and college… This was way back when I actually took French classes, could speak a little French, ate Brie cheese with almost EVERY meal, and only listened to French artists like Yelle, Indila, Keen’V and Lorie (to name a few). So even though I’ve never been to France yet and still dream of retiring in Monaco, I have an immense appreciation for this new French addition to my city.
The Ambiance
In its new space, La Grande Boucherie has become the largest restaurant in Chicago, with a total of 10,120 square feet and two levels. While the restaurant has a couple locations in New York already, its Chicago location is the first to open outside of NYC. The space is honestly SO grand and gorgeous upon walking through those gold doors! At the entrace there’s a coat check and a piano on the lower level. The first floor also boasts an 82 foot long pewter bar and a 100 year old glass mural.
For the opening party, my boyfriend and I were seated on the second floor in a booth near the middle. This was an exceptional location because you could see over the balcony onto the first floor, the second floor bar, and the jazz band that they had playing that night. While I’m not sure they have a jazz band every night, it certainly helped set the scene for the opening!
Read my blog, “Ralph Lauren Restaurant in Chicago: High Fashion Meets World-Class Dining.”
French Gastronomy at its Finest
For the opening party, each table was brought different selections from the menu rather than ordering something specific. To start, my boyfriend and I were brought a basket of bread and the soupe à l’oignon. This traditional French onion soup is served with croutons and Gruyère cheese, and oh mon DIEU, was this an excellent bowl of mouthwatering flavor!
Be warned that this is quite a hearty bowl of soup that is so filling. I could only eat half of it because I wanted to save room for the rest of our meal! But this is also a great option if you’re hoping to fill up without ordering a ton from the menu (it’s a pricy menu but worth it for special occasions!)
pièces du boucher (Butcher parts!)
For our main course, we were served the côte de porc aux morilles (grilled pork chop with a morel cream sauce) from the butcher menu. For sides, this came with pommes purée (mashed potatoes) and bouquetière de légumes (mixed vegetables). The pork chop was very tender and the sauce was almost a little sweet. The potatoes were actually amazing; and I hardly ever eat let alone like mashed potatoes. The vegetables were great too, but nothing spectacular.
Read my blog, “Bazaar Meat Chicago by Jose Andres is Inventive & Daring.”
Gorgeous must-have Desserts
To end our experience, we were served the mont-blanc dessert (or at least I think that’s what this one was!) This dessert boasts a vanilla tart shell, pear confit brunoise, vanilla Chantilly with blackcurrant insert, and chestnut crème légère. IT WAS SPECTACULAR. Like biting into a fluffy cloud of heaven!
An Extensive Menu for Every palate
While we only sampled a few of the items, we saw plates at other tables consisting of caviar, oysters, a seafood tower, different kinds of fancy salads, and of course escargots (snails)! The most impressive thing we saw from their Les Grands Formats part of the menu was the confit de cochon de lait; this is a whole confit suckling pig served with red cabbage and roasted apples. It took two waiters to carry this baby on an enormous silver platter! This option feeds 8 people and is the priciest meal on the menu at a whopping $600.
Typically French food overall boasts a lot of different cuts of meats and dairy (in the forms of butter, creams, and fromage of course!) But La Grande Boucherie does an excellent job of providing options for vegans as well.
You’ll also find 6 different menus to choose from, including brunch, lunch, late lunch, dinner, desserts, and drinks.
Book Your reservation
Overall, my experience at La Grande Boucherie was très très magnifique! It’s the perfect option for a romantic date night especially with the dim lighting and soothing jazz French music playing in the background. Book your reservation now to dine in this one-of-kind brasserie that will whisk you away for a night to France!
Bon appétit!
