Bouley: A Romantic Meal for the Money


Bouley is what I consider a romantic restaurant. Flowers are adorned on tables with the smells of fresh apples infiltrating the room. The waitstaff go around in a relaxed and whimsical fashion, carefully entering the conversations of their guests and gently placing your dishes onto the table. My co-worker and I decided to take a trip to Bouley to celebrate the end of a project, in hopes of partaking in their lunch special – $48 four-course tasting menu.

Bread! What a great start. One of the first things they brought out, and it was freshly baked from next door. HOW FRESH CAN IT GET? Nothing like soft and tender bread to start off a meal. It only makes you think about what other great dishes there are to come.

Jasmine tea-smoked Organic Scottish Salmon with local corn puree, running beans, and toasted fava beans as shown above. Can we say “lick the plate”? It was well cooked and I felt that the ingredients really highlighted the salmon. I didn’t taste the jasmine tea but the other components of the dish provided me enough satisfaction.

All-natural Pennsylvania chicken with blue kale, black truffle gnocchi, Vermont chanterelles, spring chive, and hyssop sauce is pictured above. The chicken was well done, and the gnocchi was surprisingly light.

Hot caramelized Anjou pear with Valrhona chocolate, biscuit breton, hot toffee sauce, rosemary and tahitian vanilla ice cream is shown above. Being a fan of warm / cold desserts I couldn’t help myself in finishing nearly the whole thing (I was ridiculously full after my meal). Chocolate + fruit is always a good call, and combining it with the tahitian and rosemary ice cream cooled it down and complimented the overtly sweet flavors.

And to top it all off, chocolate and petit fours to finish everything (as though you didn’t have enough).   Bouley was a magical experience, full of elegant and delicious well-prepared food. Everything looks thought out and is thought out. Granted dinner might be quite a spend but this is definitely a thumbs up for a fairly priced lunch deal. Definitely worth a try, and a highly recommended date place. I am swooned.

Bouley
163 Duane Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-693-7480
davidbouley.com


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