What happens when a Wall Street veteran meets a Parisian chef in the Virgin Islands? In this case, they fall in love, get married and open a restaurant in Richmond.

Bouchon, a French bistro that has been in the works for months in the Shockoe Slip site formerly occupied by Pomegranate, quietly opened to the public last week.  

“We’ve been doing a soft opening to get everything perfect,” says Wendy Kalif, co-owner of the restaurant with her husband, Francis Devilliers, the head chef. Feedback has been good so far, she says.

She describes the Provençal cuisine as “classic southern French cooking, light on cream and sausage — more Mediterranean-style.”

Seafood is a specialty of Devilliers, who previously owned Lavandou restaurant in Washington, D.C. Bouchon serves escargot, tuna tartare and exclusively French wine.

Kalif adds that they use as much organic and local produce as they can, and they cater to people with special diets, offering wheat-free, gluten-free and vegetarian dishes.

“We looked for a very long time to find the right location,” Kalif says. The couple traveled in the Caribbean and Venezuala and looked on both coasts in the United States before settling in Richmond.

“People are lovely here,” she says. “It’s a great place to live. We’re very pleased.”

Bouchon (1209 E. Cary St., 225-9116) is open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Saturday. Vouchers are available for free parking on 12th Street across from the Omni hotel.