Unfortunately Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery at the Venetian was a huge disappointment.
It began with trying to find the small counter located in a most obscure location within the massive property of the Venetian Hotel. I felt so frustrated by the time we finally arrived and made a comment about the location to one of the many employees behind the counter. The young lady looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't have cared less. Remember? This is a Thomas Keller experience and I guess I should have remembered that part. Once I made my selections I was passed over to the cashier, or was it one of the many other people behind the counter (they were literally bumping into one another because there were so many people behind the counter) where I repeated my order to her and cashed out. I had selected the ham and cheese on a baguette that was heated up for me and was good. No complaints. The bread was fresh and because it was heated had a nice crunch to it. I had also ordered several other products for the sake of this review and because having recently returned from a 3 month stay in France wanted to have the opportunity to make a fair comparison. Keep in mind my selections (with the exception of the TKO) are standard faire anywhere in France so in my mind the right selections for the sake of comparison.
The almond croissant was so heavy (weight). As soon as I picked it up I knew it was nowhere close to an almond croissant one would find anywhere in France or any Stateside French bakery. It was FILLED with almond paste and there was no flakiness whatsoever to the pastry. I took a couple of bites and tossed it. I pulled the Financier from the bag and took a couple of bites of it and it too was just a big heavy something or other.
I am not trying to sound like a snob but I have come to realize there are "American" French (sounds good) Bakeries and there are French Bakeries. This is definitely an American style French Bakery. The products are heavy, way too big in size and lack any "French" to them.
So to wrap it up, I thought the employees made me feel like I was lucky to be at a Thomas Keller establishment. The location (or secret hiding place) of this particular "kiosk" or "counter" was ridiculous. And finally it is not a French Bakery but a bakery where you can pick up something that resembles a bakery item you would find in France or most French Bakeries Stateside.
Sorry Thomas...just sayin'...