a succession of courses: bouley in tribeca

I had the pleasure of meeting an old business contact for dinner at Bouley last night. The Tribeca spot posed an intriguing challenge in locating: which of the four locations in the one block radius I was supposed to be at-- and where is the door anyways? A gracious hostess stepped outside and collected me when she noticed me walking from corner to corner and taking directions from waiters pointing in various locations.
--
Step inside. The warm sweet scent of apple wraps around you. I took notice of the shelves stacked with what must have been hundreds of fresh apples as decor. After surrendering my coat and declining a cocktail in the intermittent room following the entry room, we took a cushy table stacked with pillows to rest on. The room is made of swooping curvy ceilings and old school decor. Somewhere between Versaille and your Grandmother's home.

To begin, we were offered a Tomato Coulee with Salmon Roe and sampling of breads: Mini Baguette and Apple Raisin. The Coulee was light and simple and well matched with the subtly sweet cream. The bread: clearly wonderful and expert.

We sipped on Puligny Montrachet (2004) while looking over the menus. Divine. Sinful. Seductive. Interesting fruit: somewhere in the peach vicinity with a racy finish. For appetizers: Poached Organic Connecticut Egg with Coconut sauce and Crab with Truffles in small copper pot. The crab was: decent. I grew tired with the consistency of the sauce, but enjoyed the firm, buttery taste of the meat.


We transitioned into our main course shortly after finishing our appetizers, and declining offers of whole wheat loves from the bakery. I selected the Maine Lobster with Pinot Noir reduction, spring peas and leaks. My company chose the Sea Bass. Both dishes were served with fingerling mashed potatoes, which I must say were quite surprising in their quality. I feel that mashed potatoes are something that are easy to skimp on in terms of love. Bouley is certain to make them creamy, smooth: flawless. The Maine Lobster proved quite delicious and well matched with the Pinot Noir Reduction. The peas were a bit on the al-dente side for my preference, but fresh.

We punctuated our meal with the Chocolate Frivolous: plate of several different little trinkets: mousse, ice cream, cakes...a hint of hazelnut. The title is well suited. I had a torrid love affair with this dish. The chef offered us a creme brulee and two tiers (one three tier, one two tier) of truffles, cookies and other pretty things. I nibbled a bit (although exceptionally full at this point) while sipping on a Maury (2003) dessert wine.

As we collected ourselves and headed out to catch cabs to our respective residences (or in my case the Rose) the hostess offered us gifts of Lemon Cake.

--

In closing thoughts: a good experience. Stellar (flawless) service. I'm glad I had the opportunity, but I doubt I'd return. With so many restaurants in New York, I would choose something new, more simple or a knockout favorite over Bouley.


( Second Image: Hiro Blog)