Las Vegas chefs honor Bocuse with limited-time menus

Two Las Vegas chefs with strong connections to the late Paul Bocuse will pay tribute to the legendary chef with special limited-time menus showcasing some of his best-known dishes.

Bocuse was a pioneer of the movement that came to be known as nouvelle cuisine. His flagship restaurant L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, also known simply as Paul Bocuse, is just outside Lyon, France. It was awarded three Michelin stars in 1965, and has held that top culinary honor ever since. Bocuse died last month at age 91.

Hubert Keller, who worked at L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges in 1977, will offer a four-course menu Thursday through Saturday at Fleur, his Mandalay Bay restaurant. After starting with an amuse bouche of smoked salmon gougères, guests can choose from two to three options each for the appetizer, fish, meat and dessert courses.

Menu highlights include a truffle soup originally served to French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing on the evening Bocuse received France’s highest legion of honor decoration, the chef’s visually stunning sole filet with thin, crispy potatoes, and the classic Rossini beef tenderloin with Perigord truffles and seared foie gras. Other options include Maine lobster salad, branzino in puff pastry, squab with braised cabbage and chicken stew, with vegetarian options available on request. The price of the meal is $85, with a $15 supplement for the Rossini and an optional $65 wine pairing.

If you can’t make it this weekend, or if you want a second taste of Bocuse’s cuisine, Thomas Keller will feature a tribute menu at Bouchon in The Venetian from March 1-4. The American-born Keller is chairman of the U.S. team in the biennial Bocuse d’Or international culinary competition, and in 2017 fulfilled a personal promise to chef Bocuse that the team would one day win the competition.

The Bouchon offering is a three-course menu consisting of the truffle soup, Rossini and a tarte tatin dessert. It will be $95.

“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” Thomas Keller said in a release announcing the tribute. “There are few individuals who have borne the weight of our profession, and the modernization of restaurants around the world, as Chef Paul Bocuse has. We will do our very best to honor his legacy for generations to come.”

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.