Review (PDF): Connecticut Magazine, October 2009
Review (PDF): Sante Magazine, May 2009
Review: Hersam Acorn Newspapers, April 3, 2009
Review: Sante Magazine, November 2007
Review: Bernard's and West Lane Inn,
Hersam Acorn Papers, Fall Bridal 2007
Review:  New York Times, Sunday, June 4, 2000

Testimonial: Troy Wedding March 2008
Testimonial: Anniversary Celebration August 2008

Bernard’s Food Decor Service Cost 27 25 26 VE

Review Highlights - “They do everything right” at chef-owner Bernard Bouissou’s “magnifique” French “gem”, the “clear winner in Ridgefield for imagination and taste”; the “excellent food... “superior” wines, “romantic” “country inn setting” and “attentive” service make this favorite perfect for “special occasions”; P.S. the new Sarah’s Wine Bar upstairs has a “bistro feel” and a separate menu. Westchester Restaurants 2009/10 Zagat is a registered trademark of Zagat Survey, LLC, which is unaffiliated with InTheSpotlight.com. 888-272-8782 ©2009

Sarah's Wine Bar
at Bernard's Restaurant (PDF)
Sante Magazine,
May 2009
by Doug Paulding

The owners of any successful enterprise must adapt to market forces. Bernard and Sarah Bouissou bought an existing Ridgefield, Connecticut, restaurant in 2000 and set about merging inspired regional, seasonal French cuisine with top-quality service. Bernard’s Restaurant became a destination dining experience, earning high praise from the New York Times, among other honors. Business grew yearly, and in December 2007—a time of plenty—the upstairs room was booked almost every night for corporate holiday parties or extended family events.
Read entire article....

Bernard’s & Sarah’s Wine Bar in Ridgefield
Acorn Online - Written by Fran Sikorski - Friday, April 03, 2009

Bernard and Sarah Bouissou in the new Sarah's Wine Bar, upstairs at Bernard's in Ridgefield. —Photo by Scott Mullin

Nine years ago, Chef Bernard Bouissou and his wife, Sarah Bouissou, a pastry chef, caterer and event coordinator, took over what had been the Inn at Ridgefield and opened Bernard’s.

A grand staircase and Steinway piano at the entrance to the main dining room set an elegant tone for dining, and beautifully designed gardens (by Andrew Grossman) encourage outdoor dining, cocktail parties and weddings in warmer weather. Bernard’s is rated as one of the finest formal dining restaurants in the country having earned a Michelin Dining Diamond Award, DiRona Distinguished Restaurants Award, “extraordinary” rating by Zagat, and a Best Award from Wine Spectator Magazine.

The wine list features 1500 wines from France, the United States and around the world and 150 half-bottle wine selections; also available are 15 beers, a martini list, dessert wine list and an extensive spirits selection.

Chef Bernard’s signature dinner appetizer is the Hudson Valley foie gras trio: smoked with apple ginger chutney, sautéed with apple cider reduction, torchon with Concord grape gellee ($25) and tuna tartar Napoleon ($15).

Signature entrees are portobello-crusted filet of halibut with wild mushroom risotto and asparagus and balsamic mushroom reduction ($30) and the duck duo ($34): roasted breast and confit leg, with salsify, spinach, braised chestnuts, asparagus and wild mushrooms with red wine sauce.

Bernard's. —Photo by Scott Mullin

Popular items on Sarah’s Wine Bar menu ($9 to $32) are French onion soup; flat bread pizza du jour; orange and rosemary lamb stew with creamy polenta and baby vegetables; french fries with herb salt; cheese fondue du jour.

A glowing fireplace and guitar music by Bob Curiano and Mark Mollica on alternating evenings adds to the relaxed atmosphere. Everyone seems to know each other at Sarah’s Wine Bar.

Desserts ($12) at Bernard’s and Sarah’s Wine Bar, all artistic presentations, are an overwhelming temptation. I enjoyed a lighter version of apple strudel, also like no other, with vanilla bean ice cream.

Other choices are chocolate fondue for two; lime cheesecake with mixed berry compote and lime custard; crème brûlée trio, banana, apricot and vanilla bean; pear almond tart; and pineapple and white polenta upside down cake with blueberry maple compote and vanilla bean ice cream.

Always remarkably consistent, Chef Bernard presents contemporary French cuisine at Bernard’s in a tranquil setting; he combines spirit and sparkle with his new menu upstairs at Sarah’s Wine Bar, where regularly scheduled wine-tastings are community fund-raisers.

Bernard’s & Sarah’s Wine Bar
20 West Lane - Ridgefield, 203-438-8282

Lunch at Bernard’s served 12 to 2:30 Tuesday to Saturday;  dinner, Tuesday to Thursday 6 to 9, Friday and Saturday 6 to 10, and Sunday 5 to 8:30; Sunday brunch, prix fixe (appetizer, entrée and dessert), $35, from 12 to 2:30; closed Monday. Serving hours at Sarah’s Wine Bar (upstairs): open for dinner at 5 Wednesday through Sunday; special wine list, at $25 a bottle; wine tastings/dinners and other special events. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Reservations preferred for Bernard’s; no reservations necessary for Sarah’s Wine Bar; major credit cards; handicap entrance; child friendly; full bar; wine-tasting dinners; contemporary French menu at Bernard’s; bistro-style menu with an American flair at Sarah’s Wine Bar; take-out; off-premises catering; private functions; smart casual dress; entertainment, wine classes starting soon; parking adjacent to the restaurant; valet parking weekends.

Sante Magazine
11/17/2008
By Doug Paulding, wine writer

One thing I have learned in the wine industry: all wine makers and importers are passionate about their products. David Shiverick,of Langdon Shiverick Imports, has good reason for his palpable passion. Sunday night, (11/16/08) David teamed up with Bernard and Sarah Bouissou, of Bernard’s Inn at Ridgefield and Monica Brown of Cellar XV in Ridgefield, to create a food and wine pairing that was simply amazing. The event attracted nearly 60 people most of whom are familiar with the magic Bernard imparts into every dish leaving his kitchen. I have enjoyed his cuisine for many years, usually accompanied by a special bottle of wine for the evening. The wine selections chosen to accompany and highlight each food course was a synergistic treat. 

We were ushered upstairs for the first wine. The Bouissou’s have evolved with the economy and have created Sarah’s Wine Bar up a grand staircase above the main dining room. On a typical night they will be offering lighter, less expensive food options paired with a large and varied wine-by-the-glass selection and will be serving later, catering to the folks that are still on the go at 10 to 11 PM. But Sunday night a Loire valley white 2006 Savennieres, made of 100% chenin blanc was crisp with light citrus and steely mineral notes was given to each guest on arrival. The staff presented flash fried Cod fish fritters and truffled duck egg flan, as well as ratatouille and herb cheese tart and prosciutto wrapped pears. 

After a leisurely welcome to the wine bar where David went table to table introducing himself, he gave a brief presentation of the wine we were enjoying and the region and its history. We were then invited to our tables downstairs in the main dining room, where each course had it’s own wine pairing and an insightful overview by David. Our second course, a warm lobster salad was simply off the charts.  I enjoy the sense of humor Bernard brings to food, with his ability to create dishes of contrasting flavors that meld into a delightful dish. The lobster salad was paired with a 2006 Southern Rhone Collioure Blanc, which was dramatically different from the Loire wine. The oak influence (think Chardonnay) jumped out of the glass but grew mellower with air.

We then switched to red wines with a fruity 2007, Burgaud Beaujolais Vallieres from the southern Burgundy region. The discussion of this wine included the age-ability of this wine. Indeed the Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau phenomenon has changed the way we look at Beaujolais.  It’s seldom that a bottle makes it into the cellar for aging. David insists 10 years or more of cellar time will make  this 100% Gamay grape become more pinot noir-like. The price makes it a bargain, if you are willing to wait. I found it a bit thin with notes of pomegranate. It was paired with a monkfish wrapped in bacon with seasonal pumpkin wedges with a morel sauce. 

The second main course of the evening  was a veal duo, which is another of Bernard’s culinary leanings. He offers several dishes, both entrees and desserts as duos or trios, essentially 2 or 3 preparations, served on one plate. One never tires of this type of presentation.  Bernard served a braised cheek with farrow and a roasted loin stuffed with spinach and Brussels sprouts and a red wine sauce. The wine was a Chateau Perray Jouannet Anjou Rouge, 2005, from the cabernet franc grape. It was dry with a fruity, yet big old world taste to it.  

A varied cheese plate, of soft and harder cheeses of very different expressions, was delivered  with grapes, figs and bread. A very delicious 2006 Pierre Gaillard St. Joseph Rhone was served. It was 100% Syrah with notes of liquorice, pepper, mint and eucalyptus. The conflicting,  yet compatible cheese and fruit tastes along with this big wine created a symphony of  flavors. 

The final course was a mini pumpkin Crème brulee and apple strudel which was served with 2003 Loire Valley Laffourcade Quarts de Chaume dessert wine. It was made of  100% chenin blanc grape. It was unctuous, creamy, citrus with hints of vanilla. David said the vintage had been affected by botrytis, which is a fungus that helps create the brilliant tastes of some of the foremost (Chateau d’Yquem) dessert wines of the world.     

All of the wines can be found at Cellar XV in Ridgefield. When Bernard and Sarah offer a wine and food event again it is not to be missed. Make some excuse of a past, present  or future special event and go. The memory will last a long time.   
    

David Shiverick (Langdon Shiverick imports), Monica Brown (Cellar XV), Sarah and Bernard Bouissou (Bernard’s Inn at Ridgefield)

New York Times, Sunday, June 4, 2000

A Serious Chef and Staff make a Difference
By Patricia Brooks

The long-running Inn at Ridgefield is now Bernard's inn at Ridgefield, with new ownership, new chef, staff and decor. This means a lighter, fresher look and a staff that is alert and attentive. Even more important are the beguiling menu and food befitting the 21st century. We appreciated extra touches like the fresh cut flowers on each table, the lagniappe served before dinner and delicious petit fours as a finale. One pleasant reminder of times past is the live piano music on Friday and Saturday evenings and at Sunday Brunch.

Citing all the dishes that made our various visits memorable is impossible in this limited space. Top honors went to Bernard's heavenly signature foie-gras trio. Duck liver prepared three ways: sautéed, poached with Sauternes gelée and smoked with horseradish aspic, made an exquisite threesome!

Two renderings of soft-shell crab were almost as impressive. As a starter, two small crisply sautéed crabs came with a fondue of leeks and peppers in a tantalizing ginger sauce. Another evening the crabs starred as an entree in a delicate fennel-accented sauce, accompanied by ramp (wild baby leeks) and sea beans (resembling baby asparagus, with a distinctive tangy taste), garnished with tongues of paper-thin crispy potato chips. Soups were in a class by themselves. A menu regular is green lentil with a mosaic of vegetables, bite-size golden croutons and smoked duck (its smokiness added a special dimension). One night's special was green pea, a lovely puree with a tiny foie-gras float. Another time we took pleasure in a creamy asparagus puree with an island of ethereal corn custard.

As starters, both crispy sautéed sweetbreads (served with pea greens, green pea ravioli and a cepes mushroom sauce) and French wild asparagus with Oregon morels and a crisp feuilleté garnish teased and delighted our taste buds. The use of unusual fresh vegetables seems to be the chef Bernard Bouissou's signature.

While there are flashier dishes on the menu, the crispy roasted free-range chicken set new standards for a crisp-skinned, moist and tender bird. It was surrounded by haricots verts, roasted cipolini onions, a portion of zucchini stuffed with vegetables and excellent mashed potatoes in lemon-thyme sauce.

Another superstar was baked baby black seabass. Moist and delicate, filled with tomatoes, cured and marinated Provencal black olives and capers, it was served over house-made green basil linguine with a complex and gratifying tomato-fennel compote and fennel sauce, garnished with fresh basil. Filets of Dover sole, bedecked with New Zealand cockles, celery root, carrots and potatoes, was yet another seafood delicacy. Its fine herbes nages, a creamily luscious sauce, enhanced without upstaging the delicately textured fish.

The chef's fine hand with seafood wavered only once, in the grilled tournedos of salmon , which turned out overcooked and dry. Fortunately, the accompanying haricots verts, creamy polenta in a hazelnut sauce and Belgian endive meuniere, were so savory we hardly minded the disappointment of the salmon.

Desserts, like almost everything at this stellar inn, were excellent, from a paper-thin crisp-layered strawberry Napoleon, with luscious big ripe berries, to a silken chocolate espresso mousse with coffee sauce and three crisp tuiles. Also excellent were a thin crust apple tart, served with anise ice cream and anise honey, and baroque layered chocolate-peanut butter opera in crème anglaise. Best of all was fondant au chocolate, with its intense, superior chocolate and soft runny interior.

Dinner for two, three courses a piece, cost $80, before tax, tip and drinks, which was not outrageous considering the quality of the food and the dining experience. A well-chosen, extensive wine list, mostly French and west Coast American, begins at $22.

March 2008

Troy Wedding
By Elizabeth Troy

Dear Bernard and Sarah,
I have waited a day too long to write to you, but it was mostly because my phone was ringing off the hook with friends calling to tell me what a wonderful wedding we had on Saturday. A constant theme in all the calls, as well as in notes and emails, was the outstanding food they enjoyed at Bernard’s. You and I knew it would be the highlight of the night, but they were all amazed and delighted and, to a one, said it was by far the best wedding dinner they had ever had. So, to you and your entire staff, thank you for resenting us with such a treat.

Additionally, we were so very pleased with every aspect of the reception. The cocktail hour upstairs, with the beautiful chamber music performed by your lovely daughter and her two friends, set the tone for the special evening ahead. Over and over again, I heard people say that they had never had such wonderful hors d’oeuvres anytime, anywhere. Apparently there was no shortage, either, as all my friends said they could not resist the frequent offerings despite their vows of moderation. Thank you for passing the champagne on trays and for diligently attending to the drink orders. Clearly, our guests were very well cared for.Your downstairs set-up – tables, lighting, fireplace candles, mantel arrangements, wedding cake table, Monkey Room bar, dance floor – was all beautiful. We could not have been happier with the venue. It was perfect for our wedding concept.Special thanks must be given to your excellent staff. Their service was, to our eyes, flawless. Even as I have been writing this letter, a friend has phoned and commented on the pleasantness and politeness of the wait-staff. I hope you will convey to them our thanks for the high quality of their performance.Sarah, you are a superb wedding-manager. I enjoyed working with you. Normally I find party-planning daunting, but you made it easy and fun. I also appreciate that in a week that was personally difficult for you and Bernard, you were able to accommodate us with perfection.Today’s mail brought notes with comments like, “What a fabulous party…The food was the best I have ever had…I cannot wait to go back.” “It was truly one of the loveliest weddings we have ever participated in…The day was perfect as was the ceremony and the reception...” “What a perfect wedding! Perfect couple, perfect venues…” The word perfect keeps coming up. Thanks to you both the reception was perfect.

On a humorous note: One of my favorite friends, who loves his vodka and also whips through the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle in a flash, found that it took seven hours for him to complete the puzzle the day after the wedding His wife, my good Nancy, asked if he might have had a bit too much vodka at the reception. He said, “Well, it just kept coming…” He, too, thought the reception was perfect. I was concerned that the photographer, a friend of Robin’s, might not have taken enough pictures. However, she has put together a sneak peak slideshow prior to delivering a 1000-photo CD, and it is excellent. There are so many superlatives in this letter, I am almost embarrassed to send it. But, all the superlatives are sincere. Everyone at Bernard’s did an outstanding job. Both of you are amazing. We had a perfect evening, thanks to you.

We look forward to returning to Bernard’s soon. Until then, many thanks for an outstanding reception. It will long be remembered, by many people, and cherished by a happy bride and groom and their parents.

Most sincerely,
Elizabeth N. Troy

Anniversary Celebration

Dear Sarah,

I want to thank you and Bernard for making my parents’ anniversary celebration such a success. The food, atmosphere and your staff are the epitomy of class and beyond wonderful. Cecily’s arrangements were beautiful. Absolutely every aspect of the event exceeded my expectations and you could not have been more accommodating or easy. Your maitre d – in particular – ran the event so smoothly that I even felt like a guest more than a host. Every guest from 9 months to 90 years felt warmly welcomed. Your efforts and beautiful restaurant truly made for a day my family and I will continue to treasure for years to come.

With warmest regards,
Jaqueline Ford