Newest addition to the Burnet Road food scene is a good one
Nothing beats a pleasant surprise when it comes to a new restaurant. This one shouldn’t have been, seeing as how I found out about Bonhomie from the Austin Chronicle’s First Plates issue. This relatively recent addition to the Austin scene was one of Midtown selections among some rather lofty company.
We needed a nice place to go for a birthday celebration, and Bonhomie looked worth a shot. French-inspired menu, reasonable prices, and on the north side of town. It was only later that I found out this is the newest venture of Phillip Speer, one of Austin’s most well-known chefs, both for his food and some of his personal struggles. I would have jumped on this more even more quickly if I had known this was his bounce-back project.
The restaurant is in one of those new mixed-use buildings on Burnet, and while it’s easy to be nostalgically Austin-tacious about such things, the space itself is really nice. Not too big, but plenty of good-sized booths and an open kitchen.
We decided to try a bunch of things off the menu, mainly on the smaller side. There were two little girls to think about, so that guided us as well. Right off the bat, Bonhomie hit a home run. The French Dip Croissant was filled with brisket and served with a phở au jus. Yes, that’s right. Literally Vietnam and France on a plate, like a tasty manifestation of scenes from the extended cut of Apocalypse Now. The proof of the genius of this dish is how obvious it seems in retrospect. A rare original.
A couple of safe choices in fries and onion rings were mixed. The former was fine, but the latter was top notch, some of the best in town. The accompanying remoulade wasn’t necessary but still held its own. The Gnocchi a la Parisienne was the most underappreciated dish we ordered, mainly because it came toward the end of the meal and was exceedingly rich. It was the take-home treat.
Bonhomie wants a signature dish, or more precisely, a signature category. They’re placing their bets on Pommes Rosti, essentially the most tricked-out, hopped-up, fancified hash browns of all time. Even the most basic, breakfasty one, was mind blowing. Look at that bacon! It’s pork belly in generous chunks, nice an crisped. The soft scramble combines with the boursin cheese for some supreme richness. Then there’s the potatoes. They are sold plain, and that would be enough right there. No oil/butter/fats were spared in the making of this dish. There’s crunch and soft innards in equal amount.
Other variations include a version with lox, dill, caper, and tomato, and another with mushroom, onion, and spinach. The two most decadent feature foie gras and caviar. These are sure to be an adventure worth pursuing.
The French Onion Soup was unlike any I’ve had. The bread was ample and the broth had sizable chunks of beef. Sure, why not? Dessert was gorgeous, but also under-appreciated. The Apple Tatin had layers upon layers of thin-sliced apple, along with parsnip ice cream. Maybe it was the rum that put me off, but it just didn’t hit right. Regardless, the care and quality with which it was made means I’m anxious to try other options in the future.
The only entrée I didn’t get a picture of might have been the best. The cheeseburger was just that, a cheesy burger, with two patties to give extra places for the gooey-ness to reside. A super soft roll, sautéed onions, and some “dijonnaisse” finished it off. We were told this has been the most popular menu item, and it seems like for very good reason.
Austin has great restaurants to spare, but if Speer wants to feed people great-tasting, adventurous fare in a convenient location, well then we’ll just have to welcome a new addition. Just another sign the the Burnet R0ad Boom isn’t over yet.
