This oasis of Gallic charm is no mirage

The one place on the Strip where I long to eat every time I come to Vegas is Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in the Venetian.

It’s been open a while, since early last year, but right now the kitchen is smoking, turning out perfect French bistro food. It’s a much grander version of Keller’s bistro in Yountville, Calif., more like one of those 19th century Paris brasseries, all gleaming brass and yards of oysters on ice.

Look around, and every table looks ecstatic to have found this quiet haven from the hurly-burly outside. You don’t even have to walk through the sea of slot machines to get to it. And hey, isn’t that actual daylight? Tall French windows look onto a fountain and garden beyond. But most of all, everyone is here to eat.

I watch as a solitary diner devours his plateau des fruits de mer piece by delectable piece, smiling contentedly. I know what he’s experiencing. Keller’s version is pristinely fresh, a hedonist’s bouquet of shrimp, oysters, mussels, clams, crab, what have you, served on a wire rack with good bread and sweet butter.

Everything on the menu shows the same attention to detail -- the opulent terrine of foie gras served in a French canning jar, the salads so perfectly dressed and balanced they seem like something new and extraordinary and the slim French omelets.

There’s a delicate boudin blanc, the classic sausage of chicken, pork and cream, and sometimes even blood sausage sauteed with apples, steak frites, you name it. But my favorite has to be the casserole of steamed bouchot mussels -- the small black ones -- in a broth fragrant with saffron. The cheeses are room temperature and perfectly ripe, and the wines are sensibly priced, especially those sold by the carafe. Desserts, particularly the profiteroles and tarte au citron, are pretty dreamy.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if this bistro were, say, 270 miles closer?