Bouley Review - New York

My husband and I recently traveled to New York. My trips are all planned around food. Upon the wonderful recommendation of my foodie friend, Olivia, we decided to splurge on a famous restaurant in New York, named Bouley. Bouley is owned by the famous Chef David Bouley. He owns a number of restaurants/shops, including Bouley, Bouley Upstairs, Bouley Bakery, etc. We went to the one called Bouley.

When you walk in, you are greeted by a wonderful wall of apples. It smells wonderful!

We decided to do the tasting menu for lunch and boy were we in for a treat! They tell you its 4 courses for 48 dollars but they were so many extra surprises along the way! You can't beat this price for the service, the portions, and the quality of food. 

Here is what was in my tasting menu:

Amuse Bouche: Compliments of the chef, we tasted a trout mousse with caviar and vanilla oil. Nice little surprise! :)

First Course: Porcini Flan with Dungeness Crab and Black Truffle Dashi. This was absolutely delicious. It was served in the rustic pot that was rich in flavor from the black truffle and filled with giant pieces of crab. I'm starting to salivate thinking about it again...

Second Course: Roasted Baby Skate with Seasonal Ramps Dressing and Fricasee of Green Asparagus. Tender piece of fish, nicely flavored, not too fishy.

Third Course: Long Island Duckling with a Balinese Pepper Crust

White Truffle Honey, Julienne of Snow Peas, Tahitian Vainilla-Glazed Turnips, Verjus, Ginger Dressing. I loved the duck as well. Sometimes, duck can be chewy, but this was perfectly done and they very generous with the portions again. I thought I tasted something funny in my salad--I asked what it was...apparently it was duck gizzard...ehh not my thing. 

Fourth Course: Coconut Soup, Passionfruit, Pineapple Granité, Organic Yogurt Sorbet. 

Nice palate cleanser and not heavy. Quite refreshing! 

Fifth Course: Snowball of Crisp White Meringue. Pomegranate Granité, Pistachio White Chocolate Sauce, Ten Exotic Fruit Sorbet. Yummmm......Inside the snowball, was sorbet filled with jellied kumquats. I think that was my favorite part of the dessert, as well as the pistachio white chocolate sauce....In the background, you can see my husband's Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé with Vermont Maple and Vanilla Ice creams, Chocolate Sorbet...

And then you think you're done, but SURPRISE! The waiters bring out this 3-tiered tray of desserts from the Bouley bakery. Chocolate truffles, pistachio macaroons, and a variety of little cakes...How wonderful! Of course, because of that, we walked across the street to the Bouley bakery and purchased some of those yummy macaroons! Clever ploy Bouley!!!  

Oh and how could I forget to mention the bread?!! The waiters would come around with these baskets filled with different freshly baked breads: apple, fig, garlic, pistachio, you name it...YUM! Loved the apple bread and the fig bread....

The service was top-notch. The place was a bit "stuffy" buuut, it is an upscale restaurant. The servers were incredibly professional. It looked like they were constantly scanning the room, subtly watching your body movements, sensing when you needed anything. They would also always politely ask if they could take the plates away... (love that! pet peeve: waiters taking my plate away without asking, or asking if they can take it away as they are taking it away).  

Summary:

Rating: 5 stars

Service: 5 stars

Would I go back?: Absolutely!

Recommended?: Absolutely!

Location:

Bouley

163 Duane St.

New York, NY

Website link: http://www.davidbouley.com/