French chain establishes first U.S. location in Dr. Phillips

A France-based chain restaurant has established its first U.S. location in Dr. Phillips. 

La Boucherie — located at 7625 Turkey Lake, Orlando — is a French steakhouse that serves up some familiar, classic French cuisine. The restaurant has been open since November, but owners held a ribbon-cutting celebration in February. From foie gras and escargot to Pot-Au-Feu and even roasted bone marrow, La Boucherie’s menu can make any French expat feel right at home. 

“It started off in France a while back as a butcher shop,” said Phillip Hicks, director of operations of La Boucherie in Dr. Phillips. “The owner started (cooking when) his customers came in and asked him to cook some of the meat for them, so he decided to go ahead and cook some of the meat for them, and everyone loved it so much he decided to open up a restaurant. It just blew up from there.” 

La Boucherie offers a casual take on French cuisine. Typically, when someone thinks of a French restaurant, they might think of it as being an upscale or expensive place. La Boucherie goes against the grain from what people stereotypically think of when it comes to a French restaurant, Hicks said. 

“In France, it’s a casual steak- house, which we have the same setup here,” Hicks said. “Typically ... when people think about a French restaurant, they think high-end, fancy, expensive, something to only go to once in a while on a special occasion. Our concept here is to have people come in more frequently because we have much more affordable prices.” 

In addition to French cuisine, La Boucherie also offers a full liquor bar as well as a selection of salads, burgers and other signature entree items. Lunch and happy-hour specials are offered daily, and brunch is available on Sundays. 

“We have a very nice variety of salads,” Hicks said. “We also serve seafood — not a lot, but we have one (seafood dish) on our menu that lives on our menu — the salmon filet. We have seasonal catch, as well, that changes every so often.” 

In the few months La Boucherie has been open, it has attracted many local French citizens craving a taste of home. Many of the dishes offered at the restaurant — like foie gras and escargot — are not easy to find and typically are not served at other restaurants, Hicks said. 

“We have a lot of French staples that you can’t find anywhere else, and we have a lot of the French community in the area coming to this restaurant because they can’t find these dishes anywhere else,” Hicks said.