Bouchon is Thomas Keller's casual bistro counterpart to the French Laundry, an attempt at the kind of place he wished existed for the staff of the more famous restaurant to eat at after service. The roast chicken for two, the steak frites, and the French onion soup are the standards, and they are done with much the same precision that the formal kitchen demands.
Reservations are easier than the French Laundry — by an enormous margin — but still worth booking. The Bouchon Bakery next door does some of the best croissants and macarons in California; the queue starts forming before opening, and the take-away coffee is the morning move for everyone in town who is not catching breakfast at Ad Hoc.