My wife and I enjoyed our meal there tremendously. What was even better was meeting Chef Bouley himself...so interesting and very kind to us. Showed us the kitchen and shared his thoughts and process on how he creates his unique and wonderful dishes. Very memorable.
5
On a trip to NYC last spring, we went to Bouley and Le Bernardin. Both were wonderful in their own ways. But I was struck by the observation that the servers all were male and had french accents. I did not feel that any of our experiences at Bouley either required, or were enhanced by the gender or linguistic origin of the servers. Observing this pattern of discrimination was a bit unsettling. I even contacted a manager at Bouley who responded that they pride themselves in their diverse staff, and that it must have been by chance that this diversity was not evident on the night of our visit. With Mr. Wells comments, I'm not so sure this was a coincidence. Maybe if they did have a more diverse staff, the service issues noted by Mr. Wells could be improved.
3
Only in the US, and most particularly, patrons pay so much attention to the person serving them. This definitely puzzles me. I frankly could not care less about that person's gender or ethnicity and I really wonder why anyone would.
Each time I've dined at Bouley, I've been reminded of the lovely story of Babette's Feast. Each plate with its creatively conceived sumptuous elements elevates the spirit. The experience is joyful and transforming.
9
Dining at Bouley is, without question, unlike any other eating experience! The people have spoken-- Bouley is TripAdvisor's #1 restaurant in the US and top 25 in the world. Receiving anything less than 4 stars is hard to swallow.
6
Does anyone know what becomes of the hundreds of apples? Are they used in the restaurant, or do they just rot as decorative vegetation? While the restaurant sounds like one I'd add to my list to visit when in NYC, I must admit a morbid curiosity about this wealth of fruit while many in the city lack affordable access to fresh fruit and vegetables.
3
My husband and I have been coming to Bouley for 25 years....starting at the old restaurant in 1991, shortly after we started dating. We keep coming back for birthdays and anniversaries, both for the wonderful food and for the great memories it has for us. Bouley's cooking has changed over the years as he continues to innovate, but he has a unique style which we prefer over the other famous French restaurants in NY - Clean, fresh, and flavorful.
We first found out about it through the original Times review. I still think it is a 4 star restaurant.
We first found out about it through the original Times review. I still think it is a 4 star restaurant.
8
I cannot explain what the magic is, but for me David Bouley's food has always been on a different level than anyone else's. There are many restaurants in NYC and elsewhere with excellent food, but even compared to the best of those, he seems to be in a class by himself. I have had many dishes there I will always remember, and I cannot say that about any other chef (including in France!)
10
I adore this place. Truly worth a journey (which I make here at least twice a
year.) I love the atmosphere and unhurried pace. I hope it will continue
for many years. Agree that the lunch is one of the bargains of the western
world. Lovely food and, always, an uplifting experience.
year.) I love the atmosphere and unhurried pace. I hope it will continue
for many years. Agree that the lunch is one of the bargains of the western
world. Lovely food and, always, an uplifting experience.
6
I recommend the 5 course lunch tasting menu, a real bargain @ $55.
9
I agree. Amazing the review never mentioned this real bargin
3
I have not yet dined there and cannot wait to do so.
We were there at Christmastime. I honestly can't remember for the life of me what I ate. Wine pairing was excellent, however. I thought the portions were somewhat small and that the frequent visits from the bread cart might have been intended to fill diners up a bit more.
Our party agreed that we would take Dinner at Heston Blumenthal in London any day over Bouley, esp. given the $1300 cost for five.
Our party agreed that we would take Dinner at Heston Blumenthal in London any day over Bouley, esp. given the $1300 cost for five.
OK, I'll bite (pun intended). What the heck is a "groin-vaulted ceiling"?
1
Groin vaulting is built on the intersection of barrel vaults:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groin_vault
Nothing directly to do with the human body part.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groin_vault
Nothing directly to do with the human body part.
3
What's with the gimmick of starting each paragraph with a "yes" or "no" or some variant thereof? I prefer a straightforward review.
4
i love everything about this uniquely superb restaurant. it is a world class wonder and deserves a 4 star rating from the Times and Michelin. The overall experience is transportive and uplifting. NYC dining at its finest.
6
Michelin only gives three stars.
4
In a city that possesses many great restaurants, Bouley is the one that will make you truly fall in love with New York.
5
I love the food at Bouley! My only complaint is that he stole George away from Gotham Bar and Grill where we eat more often!
Bravo. Beautiful creations!
Re: gluten free selections in the "bread chariot", are they side by side with the normal bread? Folks with celiac disease might have good reason to pause.
Re: gluten free selections in the "bread chariot", are they side by side with the normal bread? Folks with celiac disease might have good reason to pause.
1
Breads served to celiacs are kept in a separate area, they are not served from the bread cart.
3
Years ago, when I was young and broke, I promised my girlfriend to take her to Bouley if I won a small court settlement. I did and lived up to my word. It was the best meal of my life and has never been surpassed, with unique and wonderfully flavored food.
Despite not appearing overly elegant we were treated respectfully in a beautiful environment. I can't wait to go back. It was a great night.
Despite not appearing overly elegant we were treated respectfully in a beautiful environment. I can't wait to go back. It was a great night.
14
I had eaten at Bouley as a special occasion restaurant several (OK, more than several) times when I lived in Manhattan, and always thought it fantastic. I remember that after 9/11 David Bouley kept the place going by feeding the site reclamation workers the best $5 meal they ever had in their lives, and some people complained he was gouging. We had not been back since then, and moved up the Hudson, but something made me want to take my wife there for her birthday. I'm so grateful it's still there--well, across the street anyway--where I remembered. Fantastic. Utterly fantastic, perfect, better than ever and worth the money.
11
When I lived in Manhattan as not one of the 1 percent but a serious foodie nevertheless from the mid-80s through 1996, Bouley was my DESTINATION restaurant three or four times each year. Available tables were always the last seating - I think at 10 PM? And you still had to wait! But who cares when you're young?
David Bouley's art is still my benchmark for exciting and exceptional food. And it was wonderful that Chef Bouley always invited us to the kitchen after dinner around 1:00 AM to discuss the experience. I particularly remember a dinner where one of the courses was bluefish, because I sort of cringed when the waiter announced it (BLUEFISH??) It was fabulous. So Chef asks what did we particularly like, and I said the bluefish, and that I had been skeptical when it was announced. He said yes it can be awful, has to be pristinely fresh but "my uncle caught this early this morning". So seems he was one of the original farm to table chefs before the phrase went mainstream.
I've wandered far away from home, and now I must go back!
David Bouley's art is still my benchmark for exciting and exceptional food. And it was wonderful that Chef Bouley always invited us to the kitchen after dinner around 1:00 AM to discuss the experience. I particularly remember a dinner where one of the courses was bluefish, because I sort of cringed when the waiter announced it (BLUEFISH??) It was fabulous. So Chef asks what did we particularly like, and I said the bluefish, and that I had been skeptical when it was announced. He said yes it can be awful, has to be pristinely fresh but "my uncle caught this early this morning". So seems he was one of the original farm to table chefs before the phrase went mainstream.
I've wandered far away from home, and now I must go back!
10
I'm not going to quibble with the number of stars, but I'd always pick Bouley over Le Bernardin, which the Times gives 4 stars and at which I've dined more than Bouley.
6
Absolutely correct. Maybe you have to eat the caviar purses to appreciate Le Bernardin; I haven't and so I don't. Fish needs simplicity. Best fish restaurants I've ever eaten at are a simple hotel terrace in Bellagio, Italy and Margaret Tayar, on the border of Tel Aviv and Jaffa.
1
My first meal at Bouley was almost 10 years ago, at its previous location, and I've had both lunch and dinner in their current place. Each time; I recall wanting the meal to go longer...as if I was watching a double no-hitter heading into extra innings on a perfect summer day-into-evening. I can't wait 'til next time.
8
I ate here many years ago. The portions in the tasting menu were SO small, we left the restaurant hungry, vowing never to return. The food was good, but overshadowed by our anger. The price was high years ago. $125 for 3 courses today, without wine, is too over for me.
This review does tempt a reader, but it's getting harder and harder to justify so much money spent on a meal. Perhaps you don't leave as hungry today.
This review does tempt a reader, but it's getting harder and harder to justify so much money spent on a meal. Perhaps you don't leave as hungry today.
2
Really? We've eaten there numerous times. We always leave stuffed. And every course is truly exquisite. We are not skinny NYC people. We eat healthy good sized meals. But we never left Bouley unhappy let alone angry. And we have always left wonderfully sated......
16
What an ugly unpleasant stupid space. I don't care how good the food is, I would not what to be in that room. Come on, it's 2016 in NYC.
3
I, along with many others find that it has timeless style.
14
First dined at Bouley twenty years ago and David became a friend. Yes, he is eccentric.......an eccentric genius. He is always striving for perfection, takes risks, and is open to new cuisines and ideas. Also, I find it appealing that he does not chase the "branding" ideas/products that spread thin so many talented chefs. Now that I no longer live in NYC, am grateful his kitchen has served as a training ground for many fine chefs who now own successful restaurants. One is nearby!
Meals at Bouley are worth both the time and money you will invest. You will make memories there.
Meals at Bouley are worth both the time and money you will invest. You will make memories there.
9
I just love Bouley, eccentricity and all. There is a beating heart there, and a lot of soul.
Pete says it perfectly, although I would always give Bouley four stars, since I have never, ever, had a bad experience there, and I have been there a lot.
Pete says it perfectly, although I would always give Bouley four stars, since I have never, ever, had a bad experience there, and I have been there a lot.
18
Yikes, I am so hungry after reading this. I was seduced by the bread chariot alone. And I do love a luxurious but comfortable -- not too stuffy, stiff or snooty -- dining room. I like seeing diners dressed to suit the atmosphere. In looking through the (gorgeous) photos, though, I was disappointed to see, in that conservatively dressed crowd, a female diner sitting on ther overcoat and scarf, which is messily splayed over the back of her chair. Why wouldn't the restaurant tell her to check that? I know I sound like an old fussbudget, but I think of fine dining as a kind of theater. Everything contributes to the experience, and that includes the behavior of the other diners and the tidiness of the surroundings. I don't want to see in a nice restaurant what I wouldn't tolerate in my own dining room. Check your coats!
8
Bravo to Francesco Sapienza for the amazing photos. Wow!
15
Having recently enjoyed lunch there, I still say it's the best value in Manhattan. The very reasonable tasting menu for lunch (without wine pairing) is superb. Although the pairing doubles the price, it's still good value, albeit none of the wines are remarkable. And I agree, the sea urchin is other-worldly good.
8
I have eaten in many fine restaurants. This one is near the top of my list.
9
Have been here several times, and service HAS been inconsistent. A wine server tried too hard convince me a (pretty nice,) Riesling glass was a champagne flute, and had extraordinarily bad breath, something a server should pay attention to, among other dropped balls. But the food has been extraordinary, too.
3
My wife and I ate at the original location some years ago.
At the time, I was working in the kitchen at Union Square Cafe. While at work one day, everything came to an abrupt halt on the always chaotically busy Saturday Greenmarket lunch service. Bouley had rolled up on a motorcycle, all in leather, with Bernadette Peters on the back.
I had also been Michael Romano's second at a fundraiser for the school we both attended, NYC College of Technology. The dessert that night was an exquisite creation by fellow alum, future White House Pastry Chef, and then Bouley Pastry Chef Bill Yosses.
We went to Bouley, and had the longest meal of our lives. Over three and a half hours for a three course lunch. No, not kidding. There were lamps on the tables in a darkish room, and the plug was by my foot. Evidently My foot was inadvertantly jostling the plug and making the lamp blink, which annoyed the waiter to no end, and he wasn't shy in saying so, either.
The food was excellently prepared, and coldly served, and at an unconscionably slow pace. The portions were so small that immediately after arriving home, we ate dinner. Of course, after a 1:30 lunch reservation, we didn't get home until almost 6. As good as the food was, we haven't been tempted to go back.
At the time, I was working in the kitchen at Union Square Cafe. While at work one day, everything came to an abrupt halt on the always chaotically busy Saturday Greenmarket lunch service. Bouley had rolled up on a motorcycle, all in leather, with Bernadette Peters on the back.
I had also been Michael Romano's second at a fundraiser for the school we both attended, NYC College of Technology. The dessert that night was an exquisite creation by fellow alum, future White House Pastry Chef, and then Bouley Pastry Chef Bill Yosses.
We went to Bouley, and had the longest meal of our lives. Over three and a half hours for a three course lunch. No, not kidding. There were lamps on the tables in a darkish room, and the plug was by my foot. Evidently My foot was inadvertantly jostling the plug and making the lamp blink, which annoyed the waiter to no end, and he wasn't shy in saying so, either.
The food was excellently prepared, and coldly served, and at an unconscionably slow pace. The portions were so small that immediately after arriving home, we ate dinner. Of course, after a 1:30 lunch reservation, we didn't get home until almost 6. As good as the food was, we haven't been tempted to go back.
1
A great review, but I would have given it four stars. Note that the bread cart is amazing. Definitely indulge. As to the meal taking too long, part of the beauty of dining in that beautiful room is to sit there with your guest(s)/partner and enjoy a long leisurely meal. It is a rare restaurant where one can enjoy such fine dining in such a leisurely way. Sit, dine and enjoy.
23
Oh thank god. No snarky one percent comments, yet.
Bouley is truly one of a kind restaurant and I'm so glad that Mr. Wells gave it such a glowing review.
Bouley is truly one of a kind restaurant and I'm so glad that Mr. Wells gave it such a glowing review.
23
The few times I've dined at Bouley have been events to cherish. Once, we knew someone who was a member of the kitchen staff and we got extra special treatment.
7
Next month it will be 19 years since my parents took me to Bouley for my 30th birthday celebration. My boyfriend and I were living in a walkup on MacDougal, and the dry cleaner across the street was delayed in returning his suit in time for the reservation. The cleaner's husband was racing back with the suit from Queens while I was racing down to Tribeca, on my own and in tears. I will never forget walking in the door to Bouley and being enveloped by the cool scent of all the apples. The meal, the evening and the company was perfect. I had lobster with mango. My father was still alive. Such a memory, triggered by all the senses.
48
So nice to hear and know that this place is still around, and as good as ever. I ate there maybe twice, but the last time was a good ten years ago. I confess I'd sort of 'forgotten' about Bouley, what with the endless succession of new restaurants always opening up. Think it's time for another trip down memory lane. ;-)
15
Well said but this is clearly a 4 star review for a 4 star worthy restaurant.
31
As a Duane Street neighbor, I think I may finally have to do more than poke my head in. Thanks for the review to get me in there!
12
It was with trepidation that several years ago I booked a table for a large family dinner (from both coasts and the mid-west) ... for Thanksgiving. Even the top restaurants can falter in those circumstances. It turned out to be one of the best Thanksgiving feasts we've been luck to enjoy. Bravo Bouley!
11
Im sure Bouley still deserves its three stars. But Im also sure Pete could have given us more in description. I feel like Mr. Wells said more for his recent satisfactory reviews then this mediocre review of a three star establishment. Bouley seems to have more than what meets the eye, something more than a gluten free obsession as it seems
6
Sometimes while walking down Duane St, I stop to look in the window of the open kitchen at Bouley. The activity, the regiment, the precision, are a joy to watch if even just for a few minutes. That they would offer this view upon themselves says so much about their confidence and ability to create a great meal.
19
A wonderful restaurant; one of my favorites in the world. And the staff was EXTREMELY kind to my mother, which just adds to my affection for the place.
28
This is a must visit for each trip we take to Manhattan! From the gorgeous setting to the delicious and beautiful food...It is this side of heaven!
9
Delighted to see that one of my long-time favorite restaurants receives the praise it deserves!
8
Delighted to read Bouley is still alive and well. It has been a few years...
Had some unforgettable impromptu long lunches with my family there, then we would walk back to our hotel mid town slightly tipsy but feeling so happy after a fantastic feast of food and wine.
Will be back soon!!
Had some unforgettable impromptu long lunches with my family there, then we would walk back to our hotel mid town slightly tipsy but feeling so happy after a fantastic feast of food and wine.
Will be back soon!!
8
A chef who cares about health, excellence in food and a sublime experience. I wish I could afford to eat at more Bouley more often. The few times that I have are precious memories.
21
an excellent restaurant. the value / sensory experience equation can not be matched in NYC or in many locations globally. Bravo Team!
18
Congratulations to a well earned 3 Stars. Superb.
19