A lot of small, ethnic restaurants are popping up around town. When I read about one nearby, in Venice, with French attributes, I decided to try it.
Bar Coucou is a small, crowded space with a nice bar that takes up most of the space. We had a couple very delicious drinks, I had the "Hippie in Paris," which was gin and ginger, a bit spicy and a nice start to cleanse the palate. Then I walked around a looked at what people were eating. The oysters looked good, as did the Wagyu beef burger.
We started with the appetizer of Spanish ball baignets. I don’t know what made them Spanish, and they were nothing like French baignets, but they were delicious with a zucchini base and came with a good dip.
My friend had the hot dog, which was unique, and he liked it although with so much stuff on it, it was hard to eat. I had the mussels in a wonderful coconut sauce and found that worth going back for. We also had cauliflowers in a spicy sauce which was also unique and delicious.
There is an adequate wine list not overpriced, and corkage is $35, or half for half bottles. A bit steep for this level of restaurant.
So, all in all it was very good. The only criticism I could find was the lack of a transgender bathroom. So, few restaurants follow this law!
Merv Hecht, like many Harvard Law School graduates, went into the wine business after law. In 1988, he began writing restaurant reviews and books. His latest book "The Instant Wine Connoisseur, 3d edition" is available on Amazon. He currently works for several companies that source and distribute food and wine products internationally.
Bar Coucou
Please send your comments to: mervynhecht@yahoo.com
