Bouley

[foodexile]

Little blurb in "The City" section of today's NYT about Bouley's new Molteni stove at the restaurant.

But I was more struck by the fact that it says he is opening a new "Bouley Bakery Market" in January.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/nyregion...ity/31stov.html

[chopjwu12]

im in that picture by the way. Im the one next to bouley with the bar at the bottom of his chin.

[ahr]

Nice hat!

[Suzanne F]

Hey, David, cool ! How is it cooking on that thing????

I am really looking forward to the return of the bakery. I've missed it a lot. Mmmmmm, bread.

[chopjwu12]

i like it alot but it takes getting used to. Plus since im a towering 5'4" that thing is really high. I barely reach things in the middle. I have to jump on it to clean it. The bakery isn't going to be like the old one its going to be more like a store with seats. I believe they might make an after hours wiine bar upstairs if im correct.

[bloviatrix]

Chopjwu12 --- In regard to Bouley's comments,have you seen an improvement/change in kitchen dynamics now that the new stove is in place?

[chopjwu12]

yes there is a change. Theres no waiting for pans to get hot. Everything is much easier to see and there is less talking which is a good thing. I enjoy it. The only thing i would have wanted on it is one more flat top. I would have liked th eextra cooking space for pots and sauces thigs like that. But you get used to it all.

[Fat Guy]

I like the Molteni and Bonnet islands as objects of beauty, and even of engineering, but are they really worth the money? What's the point of a New York restaurant spending so many hundreds of thousands of dollars on a French stove that has to be schlepped around and serviced and installed by flown-in laborers when you can get a perfectly good product from Montague, a California manufacturer that has been in business 145 years, that cooks just as well and is a lot easier to install and service? It's still a great custom product from a venerable manufacturer. I just don't think food tastes better for being cooked on a Molteni or Bonnet stove, and I don't think the benefits to the brigade are enough to improve the overall quality of the kitchen's production efforts. I can justify to myself paying extra for most of the trappings of haute cuisine, but a fancy stove?

[chopjwu12]

yes there is a change. Theres no waiting for pans to get hot. Everything is much easier to see and there is less talking which is a good thing. I enjoy it. The only thing i would have wanted on it is one more flat top. I would have liked th eextra cooking space for pots and sauces thigs like that. But you get used to it all.

←

Let me tell you something the stove makes a difference. You may not vbe able to tell the difference but cooks sue as hell can. You can get out products faster you can be much more consistent with products and cooking. There is no problem with service either. I can call the guy right now i have his personal cell number here in NY and he can be there in 30 minutes. theres a difference trust me. Once you learn all the potential of the stove its worth every penny you paid for it. I delt with that piece of shit we had before. It was like 3 years old and bought brand new. Only about half of it worked because the thermocup had to be replaced every dam week a 200+ dollar job. It was absolutely horrible. Like i said i love this stove combined with the rational ovens there a match made in heaven. I cant remember if it said but that particu;ar moltini has no oven on it its just the stuff on top. The undernieth is all plate warmers and such.

[MobyP]

ADNY had a Molteni - it looked like they were beating the crap out of it, and it seemed to be more than up for the job.

Alternatively I was speaking with Wylie Dufresne about his Bonnet, and he said "she looks after us very well indeed."

[GordonCooks]

yes there is a change. Theres no waiting for pans to get hot. Everything is much easier to see and there is less talking which is a good thing. I enjoy it. The only thing i would have wanted on it is one more flat top. I would have liked th eextra cooking space for pots and sauces thigs like that. But you get used to it all.

←

Let me tell you something the stove makes a difference. You may not vbe able to tell the difference but cooks sue as hell can. You can get out products faster you can be much more consistent with products and cooking. There is no problem with service either. I can call the guy right now i have his personal cell number here in NY and he can be there in 30 minutes. theres a difference trust me. Once you learn all the potential of the stove its worth every penny you paid for it. I delt with that piece of shit we had before. It was like 3 years old and bought brand new. Only about half of it worked because the thermocup had to be replaced every dam week a 200+ dollar job. It was absolutely horrible. Like i said i love this stove combined with the rational ovens there a match made in heaven. I cant remember if it said but that particu;ar moltini has no oven on it its just the stuff on top. The undernieth is all plate warmers and such.

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Slightly off topic - are any of you guys coming up for the Tastings/Bouley dinner on Nov 8?

[Fat Guy]

Molteni and Bonnet island suites are very nice indeed. They're certainly better than most restaurant stoves, and there are definitely some benefits to be derived from having a better stove. But are they better than other excellent custom-built elite stoves, like those made by Montague, that cost half as much? Or are they just for show?

[Suzanne F]

Bouley's Tribeca expansion moves back to the frontburner in Downtown Express issue of December 10 - 16, 2004.

If David Bouley has his way, all of Tribeca will soon be cookint his meals at home.

. . .

The secret to good cooking, said the Connecticut-born chef, is attitude. "You have to pay attention to certain rules of cooking," he said. "But really, cooking is just having fun."

BTW: David, is that you in the middle of the picture?

Edited December 13, 2004 by Suzanne F (log)

[chopjwu12]

hello all,

No thats not me but at fist glance it looks a little like me but its actually a philipino kid named joel. Not nearly as good looking as me!!!!!!!!!!!

Well the title of this is kind of ironic as well since ive chosen this subject to anounce to you all that my last day at bouley will be chrsitmas eve. So if anyone is coming in to one of the best restaurants in new york before then let me know and i will try to pop over and say hello.

Dave

[Pan]

What's in your future, Dave, or is it too early to announce any new position?

[chopjwu12]

as far as where im going i will let everyone know if and when it all happens.

[Pan]

Good luck!

[flinflon28]

Noticed this thread hasn't had any responses since the NY Times review. I am being taken to Bouley tomorrow for my birthday. Does anyone have any suggestions or words of wisdom? Has anyone noticed improvement since the summer? Is the seasonal tasting menu worth the expense?

When I went to Daniel in August we went all out with the "big spender" tasting menu option and it was superb!

Any help is appreciated

[jaquavella]

Noticed this thread hasn't had any responses since the NY Times review.  I am being taken to Bouley tomorrow for my birthday.  Does anyone have any suggestions or words of wisdom?  Has anyone noticed improvement since the summer?  Is the seasonal tasting menu worth the expense?

When I went to Daniel in August we went all out with the "big spender" tasting menu option and it was superb!

Any help is appreciated

←

We still feel David is at the top of his game. We experienced another superb dinner two weeks ago. The concentration of flavors is unsurpassed. The same week we had dinner at Per Se, Cafe Gray, Gotham, and Le Bernadin. All very good but not up to Bouley. Yes the service while, good may not be as polished and up to the level formerly present at the origional Bouley, but I understand there is a new individual on board charged with overseeing this area. You will notice from the above list of our favorites, all are chacterized by the fact that the Chef is almost always in attendance and not off on some development boondoggle

[chopjwu12]

yes i will agree there are good things to come from the foh at bouley. Someone was just hired i wont mention names but her is very inteligent and young and full of energy. I really expect good things from him. They started a new bread cart for bread service at lunch. there are some truly wonderful breads on there almost all are natural yeast starters the smells are wonderful. We just had a famous family of bread makers come in and help out with everything. They were extremely talented people and you noticed the difference the very first day.

[SethG]

Noticed this thread hasn't had any responses since the NY Times review.  I am being taken to Bouley tomorrow for my birthday.  Does anyone have any suggestions or words of wisdom?  Has anyone noticed improvement since the summer?  Is the seasonal tasting menu worth the expense?

When I went to Daniel in August we went all out with the "big spender" tasting menu option and it was superb!

Any help is appreciated

←

You should check out tetsujustin's detailed review posted last week here (toward the bottom of the page, posted Dec. 20).

[jaquavella]

Noticed this thread hasn't had any responses since the NY Times review.  I am being taken to Bouley tomorrow for my birthday.  Does anyone have any suggestions or words of wisdom?  Has anyone noticed improvement since the summer?  Is the seasonal tasting menu worth the expense?

When I went to Daniel in August we went all out with the "big spender" tasting menu option and it was superb!

Any help is appreciated

←

You should check out tetsujustin's detailed review posted last week here (toward the bottom of the page, posted Dec. 20).

←

All reviews have something to impart, this one can benefit from another decade at least in the wood.

[flinflon28]

I'll have a more detailed review later but my birthday dinner at Bouley on Tuesday was simultaneously the most wonderful and frustrating dining experience of my life. Quite possibly the best food I've had in 5 years coupled with some of the most inept service I have received at any restaurant. It is truly unfortunate that the talents of the kitchen are being compromised by spotty service.

[CiriloE]

my birthday dinner at Bouley on Tuesday was simultaneously the most wonderful and frustrating dining experience of my life.  Quite possibly the best food I've had in 5 years coupled with some of the most inept service I have received at any restaurant. 

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flinflon28,

Sorry to hear about your story. My family celebrated my daughter's birthday party at Bouley with a dinner for nine last October. We were placed in a good location and everything went well. Two of the nine went a la carte instead of the tasting menu large parties like us were all supposed to get. We did not receive any grief for that and the service was well synchronized and wonderful. I admit that I am not as discriminating as tetsujustin but we all went home satisfied with the experience. Maybe Dave aka chopjwu12 had something to do with it as we communicated before going there? Dave, what say you? Was my experience the norm or just special treatment?

Cirilo

[chopjwu12]

well what happened

i say im just a small man that has little or no real weight in the restaurant. I think its just the season you know. Its to dam busy and things get comprimised. Thats the way it is in every place.