My relationship with Bouley is long and distinguished. I had my share of meals at the original on Duane Street, but it was Bouley Bakery where I cut my teeth on David Bouley’s cuisine. Back when it first opened, before the restaurant had been reviewed, I phoned for a reservation and was able to secure one for the same night. After I arrived with a bottle of Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet in tow, I was able to quickly strike up a relationship with Dominique who at that time ran the front of the house. I half-jokingly said to him, “I feel so lucky to have gotten this reservation that I feel like I should organize a running reservation every week.” Well, much to my surprise he got ought the appointment book and said, “Let’s do it.” All of a sudden, every Tuesday night at 8:00 a table for four was mine.
It was easy to live up to my end of the bargain. All I had to do was to show up on Tuesdays or call the restaurant that afternoon to cancel the table. At first I didn’t want to push my luck so I diligently kept the reservation (okay I was hungry too.) But after a while it became a bit of a chore and I would cancel or give the reservation away to friends. Over the nine-month period where this went on, I went about two to three times a month. But what was remarkable about the experience was that in my 20 odd meals at the restaurant, they never served me the same dish twice.
At first I didn’t notice it. But then one day while I inquired why I was being served a different dish than the others at the table. Dominique replied, “You’ve had this dish before. The kitchen wanted you to have something different, something you have never had before.” I asked how they knew what I had eaten and they told me they kept index cards on all of the regular customers in the kitchen. It was an important moment for me because I then realized that an entirely different world of dining existed for the regulars. I guess some restaurants see themselves as a service business after all.
This all ended in the fall of 1998. I started to get tired of eating at Bouley and I gave up my weekly reservation. The hiatus wasn’t a short one – it wasn’t until the fall of 2003 that I returned. During the interim period the restaurant’s reputation varied, and then September 11th happened (ground zero is only a few blocks away) which shut them down for quite a long period of time. Finally David reopened the restaurant sometime in 2002, but I waited until I heard positive reviews (which took a while) before making plans to return.
In those five years I learned a great deal about cuisine. When I finally went back to the restaurant in October 2003, followed by another visit in December of that year – both meals stunning – I was able to see David Bouley’s cuisine in a new light, and I was better situated to analyze what about it was unique to David. I figured that I would return sometime in the late spring of 2004, but then it seemed the restaurant was back on the seesaw and there were many negative reviews throughout the entire year. It wasn’t until spring 2005 that I started to hear good things again and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I returned to the restaurant.
The opportunity finally arrived when my friend Sam Popkin’s daughter, Lucy, came to town to be a summer associate at the distinguished law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (okay I have a cousin who is a partner there so I thought I would give them a plug.) Being the good friend that I am, and knowing how I would like my own friends to take my sons out to dinner if they were spending the summer in a far away place, I invited young Popkin out to dinner. Much to my dismay, finding a place to take her to dinner wasn’t easy. Besides being a committed foodie in her own right, summer associates at top law firms lead the culinary life of Riley and she had already been to, or had plans to go to, every top restaurant in the city. Finally after a half dozen of my choices were shot down I thought of Bouley.
For someone who hadn't been there in more than a year and a half, I certainly got a warm welcome. “Can I help you?” asked the woman at the reception desk. “Yes,” I said, “a reservation for Plotnicki at 8:00.” This prompted one of the captains standing nearby to announce in a loud voice. “Mr. Steve Plotnicki.” Well, how do you do. They took my wine bag and led me to what I would say is the best table in the house, in the room to the right of the entrance, at the table in the center of the room along the back wall. A few short meetings followed—with the captain where I refused the menus and told him we would simply like the kitchen to cook for us, and with the sommelier to organize the order in which we wanted our wines served.
Our meal started with three amuse served individually. Two hors d'oeuvres were made with wrappers of sweet corn, sort of like hard taco shells, but a little sweet. One was filled with sweet Georgia corn and the other with chopped tomatoes. Both very nice. The third amuse, a martini glass with tomato sorbet and parmesan foam, was intensely good. What made the dish interesting was that the tomato sorbet wasn't completely set. It was like a firm and smooth slush. And the parmesan foam was grainy, as if the cheese was melted into the preparation. Bursting with flavor. It reminded me of the intense flavor that Alain Passard gets in his ice creams or Ludovic Lefebvre gets out of his tomato sorbet at Bastide.
The savory portion of the meal began with a diver scallop that was fanned out, served with crabmeat in an herbal sauce. Classic Bouley and really delicious. The quality of the scallop was superb, and the quality of the crabmeat was spectacular. Next was halibut topped with summer truffles from Oregon, served in a creamy purée of celeriac. Fantastic and I can't say enough about the quality of the fish. And the sauce was so creamy and delicious—hedonistic, which isn't easy to achieve with fish in the U.S.. Then came black bass with honshumeji and shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and endive. Again the quality of the fish was superb, and the flavors and texture were perfect together.
Next was dayboat Maine lobster with tomato sorbet, almond cream, and cubes of candied watermelon. I thought the lobster was a hair overcooked, but the sauce was delicious and again, classic Bouley. I have to say, these were fish courses on par with Le Bernardin. True two-star quality if you were in France. The one course that wasn't up to the same level as the other course was the Hudson Valley Foie gras. It was a bit rubbery, probably from being overcooked. And the flavor, while not bad, was not up to the same quality as the other dishes. The last savory course was lamb from Colorado—a chop and a piece of the loin which were fabulous quality with tremendous lamb flavor and a beautiful, slightly grainy texture. It was served with a little goat cheese–eggplant tian that was delicious. Purée of fingerling potatoes served on the side was a disappointment.
We drank 1985 Dom Perignon which was very good and will be superb in five years, 1989 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet les Caillerets which was also superb, and 1993 Leroy Vosne-Romanee Beaumonts which was especially superb, if a bit young and tannic. Even desserts a lemon sorbet with a passion fruit sauce and a molten chocolate cake were terrific. I can't remember the last time I had a good one. A classic Bouley meal.
Not having been there for so long, I forgot how good David's food can be. His sauces are fabulous. Dare I say he is the best saucier in the country? That sauce with the lobster, with the almonds, tomato and watermelon was about as good a sauce as you will find in this country and it could easily hold its own in France. While American restaurants struggle to find ingredients where the underlying quality are as good as what you find in Europe, Bouley seems to make up a lot of the difference by balancing flavors and blending textures properly. To me this is David Bouley’s contribution to modern American cuisine and he does not get enough credit for it. In fact his might be the classic American cuisine.
I also need to mention that the service was impeccable, and at Parisian standards. We wanted for nothing and our every need was anticipated. The staff was always helpful and charming. Wine glasses appeared ahead of the right course and our glasses were never empty. The sommelier, enamored with the wines we brought, engaged us in a discussion about them and we rewarded him by giving him nice pours of the Burgundys. It was an excellent evening and it is good to see that Bouley is aging well. Even though it is no longer the best restaurant in New York City, it has managed to remain a relevent part of the dining scene. A-
steve, i had a similar experience - the sorbet & cream dishes were as instense as bastide, the fish as good as bernardin, and the lamb the best piece i've ever had.
Posted by: chuck | September 27, 2005 at 02:09 PM
Steve,
So happy to hear you had a wonderful experience at Bouley again. You photos really accented the review, and everything, particularly the tomato sorbet with Parm. foam, and the black bass looked magnificent. I wondered, though, when you last went to le Bernardin? My husband and I went this past weekend, and were not impressed with the quality of the fish or the preparation...and I definitely wouldn't put it on 2-star french status along with places like Pic....Pic wouldn't leave bread crumbs on the table or allow a glass (wine or otherwise) to go dry.
I was just curious on your thoughts and whether a return to Le Bernardin was in the cards in the future? Perhaps our experience was more to do with being us (as opposed to someone famous/known/repeat business) and less to do with the restaurant itself?
Best,
~Sarah
Posted by: Sarah | September 28, 2005 at 06:46 AM
I was at a birthday party at Le Bernardin last December. It was a private party for 40 people and I was surprised at how good the food was. I hadn't been there for many years as I always found the food a tad conservative for my palate. Anyway, my point in the Bouley review was more about Bouley getting the same quality fish as LB as they reportedly get first pick.
If you go again, try and have the poached escolar with baby lettuces (assuming you didn't have it this time.) It's an excellent dish. Amazingly simple but there is something very fresh and unique about it.
Posted by: Steve Plotnicki | September 28, 2005 at 07:40 AM
it's a long way from Bouley , but thank you for remembering.
Cheers & Peace.
Dominique
Posted by: dominique simon | May 23, 2009 at 08:36 PM