Sorry, Zagat.

Having earned the only 29 out of a possible 30 food-rating in the New York Zagat Survey to date, I arrived at Bouley expecting nothing short of perfection. Setting expecations is always a dangerous thing, but with the likes of David Bouley comandeering my meal for this evening, I felt I had license to do so.

I did not know there was such thing as a friendly Frenchman until we were greeted by the host, who was polite and very forgiving at the fact that we mixed up Broadway with West Broadway and showed up for our reservation nearly 30 minutes late on what looked like yet another packed dinner service. Very surprising, since I was just waiting to get slammed by a dose of French snobbery.

I think the best way to pass judgement on a restaurant's full calibre is through it's tasting menu. It's like giving the chef a blank canvas to work with and telling the chef to throw his best shot at you. In spite of the 2-course a la carte orders my eating partners for the evening placed, I opted for the $95 6-course tasting menu curious to see what Bouley would come up with, and slightly interested to see how they would time the dishes with my partners'.

My feelings for what came out of the kitchen are mixed. The crusted Florida shrimp with baby squid and sea scallops was really quite wonderful (my amateur food photography skills does not do the dish justice). Beautifully battered, drizzled with a tasty truffle infused herbal broth. I found the chilled maine lobster, though, to be sub-par and on the chewy side. Presentation-wise, it looked like I was eating some type of organ. The gelee glazing's resemblance to a mucus-like film did not exactly help.

Also, I felt the chocolate molten souffle that was featured on the tasting menu was much too cliche for a restaurant of Bouley's standard. Give me something more interesting, please (same goes with the sashimi-grade tuna starter that is offered as an option--thank goodness it wasn't chopped up and renamed to a tuna tartare of sorts). The complimentary dessert platter that featured a selection of traditional macaroons, tarts, and truffles was a nice touch, but nothing compared to the likes of Ladurée, or even Tartine for that matter. Props for being inventive with the passionfruit rice pudding, though I had Rice to Riches earlier in the day so was not too thrilled at the prospect of eating more pudding.

By New York City fine dining standards, service (while friendly) was a little rough around the edges. Elementary mistakes, such as mixing up our orders, should never really happen. And it did, more than once. Personally, it didn't really bother me and these are just observations (and it's fun to bitch).

A business once considered the pinnacle of New York haute cuisine lends itself to even the pettiest of scrutinies, and I may have sounded like a whiny little bitch. Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, Bouley is a fine restaurant that serves very tasty food. Definitely go and experience it for yourself, just be prepared to lower your expectations a little and understand that Bouley has probably lost a lot of its sparkle since its high-flying mid-to-late 90's days which earned its 29 Zagat food-rating.

Bouley
120 W. Broadway (Duane St.)
New York, 10013
Tel: (212)964-2525

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0 Gobbls  

I've been disappointed the last few times I've been to Bouley also. I would suggest trying Bouley Upstairs. I'm a regular there and the food is usually pretty good. The halibut, the duck with japanese eggplant, and the gnocchi are always good there. Just avoid going on Sundays when the chefs change =)

Posted by annashin, Oct. 5th at 12:41PM

Great, that sounds much more appealing to me since I hear the upstairs is more casual. The effort of having to dress doesn't reap adequate rewards!

Posted by dru, Oct. 5th at 2:42PM

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