Las Vegas’ Bar Boheme Stretches the Definition of What’s Possible
Between cozy diners and fancy hotel restaurants, it’s hard to avoid chicken and waffles on breakfast and brunch menus. But James Trees puts his own unique spin on the ubiquitous dish using partially deboned and beautifully plump frog legs, instead of chicken, balanced atop a savory corn, jalapeno and cheddar waffle with spicy maple syrup infused with chili crisps.
And to show he doesn’t take himself too seriously, the chef modeled the seasoning after Colonel Sanders’ favorite fast-food joint.
“We want them to taste like Kentucky Fried Chicken,” Trees said, referring to the crispy skin on the frog legs. “We found all 11 herbs and spices.”
This example of adventurous but accessible dining perfectly reflects the spirit of Bar Boheme—a restaurant that can’t sit still. Despite opening to rave reviews just over a year ago, Trees is always looking for ways to make every component better—from the menu to the kitchen and an inviting dining room awash in pastels and natural light.
He recently spent $67,000 to replace the chairs, which is unheard of in a restaurant that’s only a year old. And, it’s a sharp contrast to how the big dogs of Vegas who count every penny with stock prices in mind operate.
Trees knows the economic dynamics well. His resume includes Strip restaurants like the Bellagio’ Aqua, now named Michael Mina, and the ahead-of-its-time Bradley Ogden, which shuttered after a highly successful 10-year run at Caesars Palace. He was a line cook for Eric Ripert and scored an enviable role as a culinary producer for Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen television series on the Fox network.
Yet Trees is more comfortable inside a kitchen than behind the scenes of a television show. His first Las Vegas restaurant, Esther’s Kitchen, helped establish the Downtown Arts District as a must-visit dining destination between the Strip’s bright lights and the timeless neon of Fremont Street. As his empire continued to expand with new businesses, Trees set his sights on a location two blocks from Esther’s where he renovated an old tie-dye shop into what became Bar Boheme.
The original concept was an inspired but relatively straightforward French restaurant, built on tradition and technique. As the months went by, Bar Boheme leaned heavily into tasting menus and elevated dining experiences. While successful, it also created unintended perceptions.
“People thought they were going to have to come in and have seven courses or nine courses or eleven courses,” Trees recalled. “Now we’re kind of in version 3.0, which is the best of all worlds.”
Today Bar Boheme encourages customers to choose their own adventure: a la carte dining, a three-course prix fixe meal or a seven-course tasting menu. In addition to the newly introduced brunch, the restaurant recently unveiled a raw bar for fresh seafood and a bakery counter for on-the-go pastries and locally roasted Vesta coffee.
Everything is made in-house or down the street as part of the Esther’s Kitchen standard-setting bread program. Earlier this year Trees sent one of his bakers overseas to study in Paris, invested in specialized equipment and continued to refine recipes. The croissant dough, for example, includes a sourdough starter, creating a deeper, more complex flavor profile.
“I would put that up against any croissant in the city,” Trees said.
Other items balance fresh, seasonal ingredients with playful touches; from a banh mi (Vietnamese for wheat bread) spin on steak tartare to a quiche lorraine baked into one of those croissants. Trees adds beef broth to the french onion soup, giving the recipe a hearty Alsatian flavor. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call it the best in Las Vegas.
The chef is especially proud of his chicken, noting other restaurants often consider it an obligatory afterthought. His team stuffs Southern Californian jidori birds with a Provençal vegetable farce and uses a combination of air drying, poaching and pan roasting for a crisp skin and juicy meat.
Nothing goes to waste. The legs are used for confit; the thighs are turned into a mousse; and both are combined with ratatouille and stuffed into squash blossoms. The dish is finished with saffron squash puree, patty pan squash cooked in chicken fat and a tomato-Provençal jus poured tableside.
“When we paint by the numbers, we can make a pretty picture,” Trees said. “But in order to make a masterpiece, you have to be able to create.”
Beyond Bar Boheme and the farm-fresh Italian of Esther’s Kitchen, Trees’ culinary influence is felt in the classic Italian-American fare at Al Solito Posto; the acclaimed wine program with equally impressive food at Ada’s; and at High Steaks Vegas, a steakhouse with panoramic Strip views from the top of the Rio hotel tower.
As busy as he is, Trees astutely understands the importance of delegation within his concepts. That includes Petite Boheme, a lounge and neighboring companion arm to Bar Boheme, for winding down with martinis and other cocktails. Beverage director Jonah Gibbs runs a tight ship but allows each bartender on staff to create one or two cocktails for the menu.
The common theme: evolution, expression and embracing change.
“We’re making edible art,” Trees said. “If you build something and it’s the same way five years later, you didn’t get it right.”
