Searching through
Open Table about three weeks prior, I found
Bouley was already partially booked for Saturday, February 5th. I was left for either prior noon reservation or 2:00pm reservation, so I picked the latter.
What had intrigued me to pay another visit (I went many years ago when Bouley will still located elsewhere in a much smaller space and wasn't surprised to hear that the restaurant closed as I thought the food was good, but not great), because I heard the restaurant is much better and the $36 Lunch Tasting menu (1 appetizer, 2 main courses and 1 dessert).
We were right on-time for our reservation, but in dismay found several other couples waiting ahead of us -a clear sign that we may be waiting a little bit and we waited indeed, for approximately 25 minutes.
We spent our time waiting and me taking some pictures of the gorgeous waiting area.
Assuming that the restaurant was running behind schedule, I thought that they would like all other high-end restaurants, profusely apologize for the wait and treat their waiting guests to a complementary beverage or treat. To my dismay, I found that we got neither.
Finally we were seated in the downstairs dining area that appeared to be more casual than the room upstairs. Notably, I had requested to be seated next to each other at the table and for a table for two and the tables for two on the street level were all seated across from each other (which I could care less for). We were actually very happy with our table as it was spacious and quiet (we had enough space around us that I did not and could not hear neighboring table's conversations).
The restaurant starts everyone off with a Warm Butternut Soup with Fresh Frothed Ricotta and Sliced Chestnuts. It was a great start and already I could tell this meal was going to be good.
Warm Butternut Soup with Fresh Frothed Ricotta and Sliced Chestnuts
Bouley offered various different breads including olive bread and purple currant bread.
Side of Rosemary bread
Every notable restaurant should offer coffee with fresh milk, brown and white sugar cubes, brown and white rock sugar and a variety of sweetener substitutes. Perfect.
To start Marcos had the Organic Local Green Asparagus - it was with roasted pencil asparagus and basil dressing in a comte cloud. The cheese was warm and creamy. In my opinion a little too rich, but he loved it.
Organic Local Green Asparagus -
with Roasted Pencil Asparagus
Basil Dressing in a Comte Cloud
I had
Chatham Blue Fin Tuna with marinated Japanese turnip, spicy radish and yuzu-miso dressing. The tuna appeared a little too soft than firm. The yuzu-miso dressing was more yuzu as I really could not taste the miso. The combination of all components together was good.
Chatham Blue Fin Tuna
Marinated Japanese Turnip, Spicy Radish,
Yuzu-Miso Dressing
Marcos ordered the
Organic Scottish Salmon. He loved the mustard seeds, but I'm wondering where in the menu description does it actually say mustard? Despite the clear substitution to what was on the menu and ordered, it appears it was a accompanied with a mustard sauce with seeds (love!) and bok choy?
Organic Scottish Salmon, Lightly Cured,
Indian Red River Grapefruit, Clemantine & Blood Orange,
Parsnip Puree, fresh Almond Broth
I loved my second dish -
Porcini Flan with
Alaska Live Dungeness Crab and Black Truffle Dash. I would return for this dish. The flavor of the porcini was perfect and present enough not to overpower the flavor of the Dungeness crab. The black truffle dash was more like a thin grate of truffle, but the flavor of the truffle was dull and stale-like (too bad truffle season is over).
Porcini Flan, Alaska Live Dungeness Crab
Black Truffle Dash
For the third course, Marcos got the
Organic Long Island Duckling, which was excellent and perfectly well-done and complemented with the truffle honey.
Organic Long Island Duckling
Roasted with Truffle Honey,
Puree of Nevada Organic dates with Turnips,
Julienne of Local Beets
I ventured for my third course for the New Zealand White Fallow Venison with Black Truffle Gnocchi. Venison is the culinary name for deer meat. It was perfectly cooked and tender with almost not gaminess. The black truffle gnocchi was not what I was expecting. The gnocchi did not make me feel like I was eating gnocchi. The miniature size is cute, but there was no airy fluffiness that I was hoping for and needless to say, what happened to the black truffle part? I didn't take any truffle in my dish. The prune on the side was sweet and delicious and the brussel sprout leaves were good as well. Still wondering what happened to the gnocchi.
New Zealand White Fallow Venison with Black Truffle Gnocchi,
Blue Kale, Brussels Sprout Leaves, Pruneaux D'Agen
Then a palate cleanser. A coconut ice cream in coconut soup with pineapple bits. Nothing special and almost too much of it.
Marcos and I ordered the same dessert -
Hot Caramelized Anjou Pear, which is essentially a poached pear that is sliced thinly and wrapped around a biscuit with Valrhona chocolate and hot toffee sauce, which was different and delicious to a degree. The rosemary and Tahitian vanilla ice cream was nothing to jump hoops for. Overall, dessert left me wanting for more.
Hot Caramelized Anjou Pear,
Valrhona Chocalate, Biscuit Breton, Hot Toffee Sauce,
Rosemary & Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream
In addition to our dessert, came a tower of miniature treats from thin seasame crackers layered with peanut butter, chocolate with a passion fruit gel center, coconut macaroon, traditional French macaroons and cookies.
We left around 4:30 in the afternoon and found ourselves in a line with others waiting at the coat check. I noticed that the woman at the coat check was handing out a take-home gift to some patrons and not to others. Eventually (I was there long enough), to figure out that the "gift" was given to every other set of customers, which is rude and tasteless in my opinion. I'm sure you figured by now that I didn't receive this take-home gift (my guess is that it's a couple of apples). I must say that selectively handing out a gift and announcing to the persons receiving it that they have to wait a second because she has a gift for them is rather rude when you have several others waiting in this line waiting to pick-up their coats and other belongings as well. On top of it all, I thought I was dining at a high-end restaurant that could at least decide to gift or not gift at all. Then again, I suppose I shouldn't expect too much from a restaurant with only one Michelin star. Though did someone really think so? Compared to others with one stars, I am surprised this restaurant is on the list.
