'Fun in a bottle:' a'Bouzy celebrates French-American culture in style

Chef Shawn Virene founded the French-style restaurant known as a’Bouzy in 2017 after a vision came to him during a birthday trip in a region of France called Champagne.

The inspiration

The concept of a’Bouzy is centered around the sparkling wine and sells over 300 types of champagne from glasses to bottles. Guests are even welcomed to try the brand’s signature pairing of champagne and popcorn when they sit down.

“a’Bouzy comes from my love of champagne,” Virene said. “It’s such a versatile wine. It goes with almost every food there is. It’s not just used to celebrate. Everyone has that stuck in their head that it’s only for celebrations, but it’s really not. It pairs well with almost everything you put on a plate.”

Virene tests that theory by pairing different types of champagne and wine with a menu that showcases speciality dishes ranging from French comfort foods to French-American fusions such as:

• Coq Au Vin: Red wine-braised free range chicken, new potatoes and vegetables
• Trout Almondine: Flour-dusted seared Rainbow Trout, lemon brown butter, rosemary red potato, Haricot Verts and toasted almonds
• Lamb & Lentils: Braised pulled New Zealand lamb, lentils, mirepoiz and mint gremolata
• Beef Bourguignon: Slow-braised beef, red wine, carrots, celery, pearl onion, garlic and mushrooms

The restaurant also offers pairings of caviar, meat and cheese boards that complement various wine and champagne selections.

“I designed the menu to be more shareable,” Virene said. “I noticed that everyone interacts more when plates are put in the middle of the table to share and that is kind of the way our menu has evolved over the years. Everything here is meant to be shared with your friends.”

What’s special about it?

The address at 2300 Westheimer Road where a’Bouzy sits was formerly known for being notoriously difficult to maintain, with restaurants constantly revolving after short periods of operation. However, a’Bouzy claimed the spot in 2017 and just celebrated its nine-year anniversary in August.

Virene said he chalks the success up to paying attention to customers.

“You have to be in your restaurant,” Virene said. “I’m pretty much here all day, every day. We have the same servers, chefs and management that have been here forever."

Another unique aspect about the restaurant, Virene said, is that a portion of the ingredients are harvested, grown or raised locally. For example, a’Bouzy has a small garden behind it where small herbs such as basil and rosemary are grown.

Virene also often catches his own fish out in Port Aransas that is then served at the restaurant.

“Whenever you have a piece of fish that was swimming the night before or that day, it makes a big difference when you actually put it on a plate,” he said. “People have never really experienced a red snapper that was just swimming hours before.”

Virene even combines his love for gardening and grilling into events where residents can learn more about cooking and horticulture. Sometime in early fall he plans to host a “Sip & Succulent Class” where people can learn to grow succulents and sip on champagne during the lesson.

Final takeaways

Virene said his favorite thing about a’Bouzy is seeing the regulars every day.

“You come in here and everyone is just happy to be here,” he said. “It’s not a pretentious restaurant. We have a really good loyal following in our neighborhood and we love to hang out with them.”

Looking forward, Virene said he hopes to see several more years of success for a’Bouzy. The restaurant is expected to showcase its fall menu at the end of September. The business will also welcome back events such as happy hour, 25-cent oysters, caviar at cost and La Strada-style brunches.

“You can’t bottle up a’Bouzy in one sentence,” he said. “It’s fun in a bottle. That’s what we do; we have fun.”

• 2300 Westheimer Road, Houston
• www.abouzy.com