The sign below BH Wood-Fired Grill’s roofline still reads “Bounty Hunter,” an unfortunate name that conjures chase scenes in B movies. Since it’s embedded in the façade, removing it would require the City of Walnut Creek to get involved. For the time being it will stay put, despite the rebranded and refurbished interior. Reincarnated by the Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group, BH exudes the look and feel of a former gentlemen’s-only dining club that recently went co-ed.
Inside, a series of light fixtures designed to hang at an off-kilter angle and a horned stag’s head removed in the makeover share an odd visual correspondence. Designer sconces, not stuffed animal trophies, are part of this era’s status symbols. The deletion of a beer-can chicken entrée from the previous menu also lessens the amount of alpha-male testosterone in the dining room.
Va de Vi Bistro is BH’s next door neighbor. A shared parking lot sits behind both restaurants. To arrive at the pedestrian alleyway dividing them, diners pass by a giant tree lit with fairy lights. All of the al fresco tables belong to Va de Vi, which validates its vibe as a romantic European cafe.
Chef Jason Halverson, also a Hi Neighbor partner, pared down and refined the new BH menu. As the name suggests, Bounty Hunter served American food the old-fashioned way. Heavy, inelegant dishes plated without that much attention paid to the details. Halverson didn’t depart from that category of hearty fare, but found a way to renew it.
The chef’s thoughtful approach is immediately made apparent with a grilled artichoke appetizer ($18). He serves them in a bowl, perched on a plate, flanked by a grilled lemon and two dipping sauces, saffron aioli and romesco. In comparison, the old version looked haphazard, with artichoke halves and a small cup of ranch dressing strewn across a flat white plate.
These small visual fixes make the artichokes both appealing and approachable. Even the French fries ($12) have been upgraded. Crunchy and golden, we kept our order on the table long after finishing the main courses. BH also proudly serves a delicacy made for carnivores, beef carpaccio ($22). Fanned out to form a circle of pink meat, the carpaccio slices are adorned with salty ingredients—chives, capers and parmesan. The companion crackers are long rectangles of griddled focaccia; spongy and fun to eat, like waffles.
The dinner menu still includes substantial sandwiches—prime rib French dip ($26), a burger ($24), blackened grouper ($23) and a veggie burger ($23). But we passed them over for a couple of stellar entrees. The beurre blanc sauce surrounding a carnation-pink square of trout ($38) should be taught in a master class of French cooking. When people go on and on about “elevated” dishes, the taste of that beurre blanc is what they refer to. The fish is complemented by a side smattering of roasted potatoes and crisp spring peas, efficiently sliced into bite-sized pieces.
BH’s gigantic bone-in pork chop ($44) is also rather marvelous—cooked perfectly, past pink in the middle and mighty tender. The caraway-mustard jus, along with grilled apple and roasted kale and onions, add, perhaps unintentionally, a Southeast Asian flavor when combined into a single bite. With eyes closed, the apple could easily be mistaken for pineapple. It sweetened up on the grill. No real sides joined the chop on its plate but, being resourceful, I paired it with those golden fries. I didn’t leave a morsel on the plate.
The beer, wine and cocktail menu is far more comprehensive than the list of desserts. The BH dining room lends itself more to adult conversation than it does to a family night out. It’s an ideal setting for a business meeting after work or for date-night couples sharing an $87 bottle of merlot from the Napa Valley vineyards.
Not fitting into either of those categories, we agreed upon a lemony bundt cake to close out the night. It provided a light ending, both in texture and flavor. Such a weighty meal could easily withstand a more decadent range of sweet choices—profiteroles, a seven-layer chocolate cake or an ice cream sundae like the ones Kokkari makes.
BH Wood-Fired Grill, open Mon-Thu 4-9pm and Fri-Sun 11:30am to 9pm, 1521 Mount Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek. 925.433.9314. bhwoodfiredgrill.com.
