[sickchangeup]

Had dinner here Saturday, and found that this is indeed a "new" Bouley. New menu, new rooms and at least on this night, "new" (as in fantastic) service.

The first thing to greet you is the intoxicating scent of apples in the new foyer. Definitely carries over, if not improves on the experience of the old Bouley. There appear to be 3 main dining rooms, a grand arched room, a funky study/library room (where we dined) and a back room with low ceilings. Gone is the red room, and for my part at least, its gonna be missed. They also have a special events space in the downstairs area.

The menu has no carry overs at this time, although my captain informed me that over time they intend to integrate the old Bouley standby's back into the rotation. They are trying to create a new set of standards for the new space it seems. For now only the phylo shrimp makes an occasional appearance on the lunch menu from what I was told.

On this night we had a choice of 4 apps and 4 mains. Two tasting menus, a $95 4 course + dessert and a $150 6 course + dessert. We chose the $95 menu and I went with the $75 wine pairing.

First course was a choice of:


Raw Scallops with Citrus Segments and Apple Foam


Porcini Flan with Dungeness Crab and Black Truffle Dashi

The two are in stark contrast to each other flavor wise. The scallop was probably the dish that most spoke to me about the 4 star potential of the new Bouley. It's a very delicate dish, beautiful to look at, and the apple foam plays a major role in binding the flavors together. The flan was, at very worst, the best tasting re-interpretation of a miso soup starter we've ever been served. After bacon dashi's at Ko and Per Se, it was nice to be hit in the face with a blast of black truffle when the lid comes off instead of the now seemingly standard porky/smoky dashi.

Second course was a very generous portion of roasted lobster (both claw and tail), served with a lot of ingredients, but primarily flavored with persimmons and pomegranate. It was at this point that we got a bit worried about the amount of food to come, there was a LOT of lobster on the plate, and this was only the 2nd course.

Third course:

Organic Connecticut Farm Egg, Serrano Ham, Steamed Polenta, White Truffle, Parmesan Shavings, Coconut-Garlic Broth

Another trendy NY menu dish: The egg. I say it tongue in cheek, cause we've been served the ol' seafood crudi+citrus, a flavored dashi, and now an egg dish. But in truth, all three bring something new and exciting to the table, in this case a wonderful slicing of fresh white truffle, serrano ham and another Bouley Asian inspired foam/sauce.

The final course was a veal saddle, although my wife substituted the chicken, which they accommodated without issue. Between the timely (and generous) wine pourings, the completely comfortable and non-intrusive service and a $9 charge for a bottomless bottle of Evian that me and my wife must have consumed three times over, I was very very impressed with the front of the house. Not a single hitch all evening, service was on par with the best I've had in the city. Bread was warm, silverware was swapped out, glasses arrived and departed without notice, everything was great.

After the entrees (hard to get excited about entrees I find), we had a coconut intermezzo, followed by dessert:


Amaretto Flan, Caramelized Banana, Amaretto Ice-Cream, White Coffee Mouse

The dessert was good, but not great. In fact, as the meal went on I'd say we progressed from solidly 4 star half way through all the way down to a very sub-standard selection of mignardises. Making up for the mignardises (they just didnt seem well crafted, I feel many were something a home chef would produce) was the fact that we were completely stuffed after the entrees. There is no leaving you short one bite on every dish here, in fact I felt they provided quite a few extra along the way. Leaving stuffed also made up for the lack of amuse to start the meal, which while odd, certainly wasn't missed in the end.

On our way out we were handed a lemon tea cake from Bouley Bakery, topping off a very nice evening.

[oakapple]

This is good news, and I hope they can sustain it.

[ellenost]

Great news about Bouley. I'll look forward to my return visit.

[oakapple]

What's remarkable is that after 3½ weeks, there are hardly any reports on this place. Sickchangeup's post yesterday and three paragraphs by Ruth Reichl are all I can find. When there's a high-profile opening (which this clearly was), it usually doesn't take more than a week for early reviews to come out.

Either Bouley is very skillfully tamping down the early word-of-mouth (while the new space gets its act in gear), or he's managing the rollout as ineptly as he did at Secession.

This post has been edited by oakapple: 08 December 2008 - 08:54 AM

[BryanZ]

I've always relly liked my meals at Bouley, though my experience with the restaurant only began when it reopened as Bouley Bakery several years ago. With that said, much of the magic, and I'm almost apprehensive to admit this, came from the room. The food has always been very good, often excellent, but somewhat old fashioned. While the pictures look good, they don't necessarily make me feel like I HAVE to go there. You see pictures of the food at Corton and feel you must experience them. You hear about the soulful dishes coming out at Tom Tuesday Dinner and feel that a visit is in order, even with all the hype. If I didn't have something of a vested interest in the restaurant I'm not even sure I would feel compelled to visit.

[sickchangeup]

Well, it's not for lack of diners, the place was packed (granted Saturday night). As soon as anyone got up, someone else sat down, and when we left there were quite a few people in the reception area waiting their turn.

What I wrote essentially agrees with her, it's a fantastic bargain for all that food, the smaller dishes were a great deal more fascinating and there is some tweaking to be done still. She didn't mention the service though.

To add onto Bryan's comments, if the room is important, I'd specifically request main dining room seating. The library/study was fun for us, we chose it - but if you are attracted to the grand rooms, you will not want to be sat in the back.

This post has been edited by sickchangeup: 08 December 2008 - 09:05 AM

[oakapple]

Equally interesting, there is no online menu. Here again, this could be a brilliant strategy to keep expectations low. Or it could be just an oversight. It's hard to tell.

[mjc]

oakapple, on Dec 8 2008, 02:14 PM, said:

Equally interesting, there is no online menu. Here again, this could be a brilliant strategy to keep expectations low. Or it could be just an oversight. It's hard to tell.

This is probably more of an oversight, as they are very very bad about updating their website.

I am often in the neighborhood and every time I've passed by the kitchen during service--the new one has glass doors and windows--I've seen Chef Bouley in there working.

[ulterior epicure]

It's been nearly a month. Surely someone's gone in for a visit?

[oakapple]

ulterior epicure, on Jan 8 2009, 12:33 PM, said:

It's been nearly a month.  Surely someone's gone in for a visit?

The silence is really remarkable, for a restaurant of that repute. The only reports I know of are a capsule review by Ruth Reichl and a more substantial one at the Pink Pig.

I dropped in for a drink one night and had a glance at the menu. It seemed like a work-in-progress, and for a meal of that expense I'd rather wait until the restaurant is more settled. or until I read a few more reviews. Bouley's website still has no menu posted.

[ellenost]

ulterior epicure, on Jan 8 2009, 03:33 PM, said:

It's been nearly a month.  Surely someone's gone in for a visit?

I have a reservation for the beginning of February, so I'll report back. Definitely looking forward to my return visit. I'll look forward to other postings.

[BryanZ]

This was mentioned before, but it's just a bit expensive in these times for the usual array of trusted food bloggers and board posters to visit. It's kind of like why there hasn't been much from the Oak Room or, to a lesser extent, Veritas. People went ga-ga over Corton, rightfully, and then spend the rest of their money eating at cheaper spots.

[oakapple]

BryanZ, on Jan 8 2009, 01:55 PM, said:

This was mentioned before, but it's just a bit expensive in these times for the usual array of trusted food bloggers and board posters to visit.  It's kind of like why there hasn't been much from the Oak Room or, to a lesser extent, Veritas.  People went ga-ga over Corton, rightfully, and then spend the rest of their money eating at cheaper spots.

That's true, but I expected more of the pro critics to report by now. There have been at least 3 pro reviews of the Oak Room. Veritas is a bit different, as a chef change within the same space nearly always gets less attention.

[ellenost]

ellenost, on Jan 8 2009, 04:47 PM, said:

ulterior epicure, on Jan 8 2009, 03:33 PM, said:

It's been nearly a month.  Surely som  eone's gone in for a visit?

I have a reservation for the beginning of February, so I'll report back. Definitely looking forward to my return visit. I'll look forward to other postings.

I'm very pleased to report that the new Bouley is wonderful! I've always been a big fan of Bouley, but wanted to wait a while after their move to revisit. I had the Chef's tasting menu (8 courses -- with choices). Dinner took almost 4 hours that was perfectly paced. The decor is beautiful. We dined in the "library" that felt very private. Service was very attentive. I'm looking forward to many return visits.

[sickchangeup]

What was your impression of the back room? Mine was very.... well, I wouldn't want to be sat there...

[ellenost]

sickchangeup, on Feb 8 2009, 09:33 PM, said:

What was your impression of the back room?  Mine was very.... well, I wouldn't want to be sat there...

I agree. I peeked, in only for a minute, but I would prefer the library or the front room. I couldn't really tell what the decor is in the back room, other than it seemed dark.

[Sneakeater]

That's funny. I was seated in the front room, and kind of wished I was in the back room instead.

[ulterior epicure]

ellenost, on Feb 8 2009, 08:31 PM, said:

ellenost, on Jan 8 2009, 04:47 PM, said:

ulterior epicure, on Jan 8 2009, 03:33 PM, said:

It's been nearly a month.  Surely som  eone's gone in for a visit?

I have a reservation for the beginning of February, so I'll report back. Definitely looking forward to my return visit. I'll look forward to other postings.

I'm very pleased to report that the new Bouley is wonderful! I've always been a big fan of Bouley, but wanted to wait a while after their move to revisit. I had the Chef's tasting menu (8 courses -- with choices). Dinner took almost 4 hours that was perfectly paced. The decor is beautiful. We dined in the "library" that felt very private. Service was very attentive. I'm looking forward to many return visits.

ellenost, thank you for the update. Is the "library" intimate because of its size, ambience, lighting?

[ellenost]

ulterior epicure, on Feb 9 2009, 01:50 PM, said:

ellenost, on Feb 8 2009, 08:31 PM, said:

ellenost, on Jan 8 2009, 04:47 PM, said:

ulterior epicure, on Jan 8 2009, 03:33 PM, said:

It's been nearly a month.  Surely som  eone's gone in for a visit?

I have a reservation for the beginning of February, so I'll report back. Definitely looking forward to my return visit. I'll look forward to other postings.

I'm very pleased to report that the new Bouley is wonderful! I've always been a big fan of Bouley, but wanted to wait a while after their move to revisit. I had the Chef's tasting menu (8 courses -- with choices). Dinner took almost 4 hours that was perfectly paced. The decor is beautiful. We dined in the "library" that felt very private. Service was very attentive. I'm looking forward to many return visits.

ellenost, thank you for the update. Is the "library" intimate because of its size, ambience, lighting?

It's called the library since there is a wall of books (all in French--I checked). The ceiling is lower (no vaulted ceiling as in the front room). The ceiling has prints. The room is darker than the front room. There are only four tables--makes for a more intimate feeling.

[sickchangeup]

The nice part of the library was that it had lights shining down just to the side of our table (the one most towards the back part of the library, opposite the restaurants entrance), so I could just move my plate over off the table a bit and get good enough lighting at dinner time to take the photos I took above (point & shoot & hack).

[chefboy24]

i stopped by to take a peek. the new bouley is freaking gorgeous, it looks like a 3 star michelin country side restaurant in france. he still has the apples at the door, gorgeous slate and tile and marble everywhere, flowers, huge tables, space between tables, 3 rooms.

i wonder if its going to get a rereview by the bruni.

[oakapple]

chefboy24, on Feb 10 2009, 10:48 AM, said:

i stopped by to take a peek.  the new bouley is freaking gorgeous, it looks like a 3 star michelin country side restaurant in france.  he still has the apples at the door, gorgeous slate and tile and marble everywhere, flowers, huge tables, space between tables, 3 rooms.

i wonder if its going to get a rereview by the bruni.

I agree the space is gorgeous, but the menus I saw looked provisional and incomplete. Given that Bruni has already reviewed Bouley once on his watch, I suspect he will give it more time to settle into a routine, and then re-review it if he thinks the food has changed enough to warrant it.

[ellenost]

oakapple, on Feb 10 2009, 02:05 PM, said:

chefboy24, on Feb 10 2009, 10:48 AM, said:

i stopped by to take a peek.  the new bouley is freaking gorgeous, it looks like a 3 star michelin country side restaurant in france.  he still has the apples at the door, gorgeous slate and tile and marble everywhere, flowers, huge tables, space between tables, 3 rooms.

i wonder if its going to get a rereview by the bruni.

I agree the space is gorgeous, but the menus I saw looked provisional and incomplete. Given that Bruni has already reviewed Bouley once on his watch, I suspect he will give it more time to settle into a routine, and then re-review it if he thinks the food has changed enough to warrant it.

The menu looks very complete (at least as of last Friday). There's an "a la carte" menu with at least 6 options per course, and two tasting menus. I can't imagine the menu is not complete at this point. I do look forward to a return visit to see whether there are any changes (I hope not).

[oakapple]

ellenost, on Feb 10 2009, 11:57 AM, said:

The menu looks very complete (at least as of last Friday).  There's an "a la carte" menu with at least 6 options per course, and two tasting menus.  I can't imagine the menu is not complete at this point.  I do look forward to a return visit to see whether there are any changes (I hope not).

That is fewer appetizers and entrées than they formerly offered in the original location, and fewer than one normally finds at a restaurant with à la carte service. I am not saying they cannot operate that way, but my reaction on seeing it was that they were easing into the new space, and would eventually offer more.

[BryanZ]

Six, however, represents a 50% increase over the four in each category the restaurant first offered.

[ulterior epicure]

oakapple, on Feb 10 2009, 02:02 PM, said:

ellenost, on Feb 10 2009, 11:57 AM, said:

The menu looks very complete (at least as of last Friday).  There's an "a la carte" menu with at least 6 options per course, and two tasting menus.  I can't imagine the menu is not complete at this point.  I do look forward to a return visit to see whether there are any changes (I hope not).

That is fewer appetizers and entrées than they formerly offered in the original location, and fewer than one normally finds at a restaurant with à la carte service. I am not saying they cannot operate that way, but my reaction on seeing it was that they were easing into the new space, and would eventually offer more.

Yes, but six in each category is more than acceptable, in my opinion. If anything, it's one of the things that attracts me to this menu.

[ulterior epicure]

BryanZ, on Feb 10 2009, 05:41 PM, said:

Six, however, represents a 50% increase over the four in each category the restaurant first offered.

Exactly.

[ellenost]

BryanZ, on Feb 10 2009, 06:41 PM, said:

Six, however, represents a 50% increase over the four in each category the restaurant first offered.

Actually, there may have been more. The Chef's tasting menu looked so delicious that I really didn't pay that much attention to the "a la carte" menu. There were at least 6.

[oakapple]

ulterior epicure, on Feb 10 2009, 03:44 PM, said:

Yes, but six in each category is more than acceptable, in my opinion.  If anything, it's one of the things that attracts me to this menu.

I am struggling to comprehend why having fewer choices would make a restaurant more appealing.

As I mentioned upthread, there certainly are restaurants that operate successfully with just half-dozen apps & entrées, but it's undeniable that this is on the low side, and based on what Bouley has historically done, I would guess it is not the final total.

[ulterior epicure]

oakapple, on Feb 11 2009, 08:30 AM, said:

ulterior epicure, on Feb 10 2009, 03:44 PM, said:

Yes, but six in each category is more than acceptable, in my opinion.  If anything, it's one of the things that attracts me to this menu.

I am struggling to comprehend why having fewer choices would make a restaurant more appealing.

As I mentioned upthread, there certainly are restaurants that operate successfully with just half-dozen apps & entrées, but it's undeniable that this is on the low side, and based on what Bouley has historically done, I would guess it is not the final total.

Yeah, but historically, Bouley has drawn very mixed reactions (not just for service, but food).

Sometimes (often?), the ability to choose (from a larger selection) comes with the price-tag of having to wade through and weed out superfluous, so-so, cheap punt, quota-filling dishes. I'm not saying that this was ever the case with Bouley; I simply haven't eaten there enough to say with any amount of certainty.

Of course, you're right, a shorter menu doesn't equate with a better menu. But, in my experience, a shorter menu is a more focused menu. All the extraneous "crap" dishes are dropped in favor of the better ones.

Of course, this is all for naught if half of those half a dozen dishes are improperly executed or conceptually faulty to begin with. But from the posters upthread, neither seem to be the case.