The Chefs Behind Thomas Keller's New Bouchon Bistro In Beverly Hills

Once you work in a Thomas Keller kitchen, the expectation for perfection will never cease. Just ask Rory Herrmann, the chef de cuisine of the new Bouchon Bistro, which opens in Beverly Hills tomorrow.

Herrmann is overseeing the new menu and kitchen team, and when the ground-floor wine bar debuts in mid-December, he'll help create dishes for that small-plates menu–a first ever for any Bouchon.

You'll still find expertly crafted favorites from the Yountville original and Vegas outpost–French-bistro classics like ice-cold fruits de mer, perfect roast chicken, house pâté and steak frites–but Herrmann will debut new items as well. His team put their stamp on the new salade Niçoise, made with bigeye tuna confit, and ile flottante, a meringue dessert.

Even after using the best ingredients at Per Se and the other Bouchons, there's something that really excites Herrmann about being in L.A.: the chance to work closely with local farmers.

"A lot of our daily specials will be farm-to-table-driven, and they're bringing fresh, hand-cut greens, Medjool dates and potatoes just out of the ground right to the back door," he says. "It's a dream come true."

Bouchon Bistro, 225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-271-9910 or bouchonbisro.com