As
a Christmas present for myself, I went to Bouley for their prix fixe lunch. The last time I was here it was 2005 and I
was just starting to really appreciate good food. At the time, I thought Bouley was the best
meal I had, so I was curious to see how my meal would be now that I’ve eaten at
a lot more places.
Amuse
Bouche #1- Provencale Tomato Coulis, Ricotta, Black Truffles, and Aged Balsamic Vinegar: really really good – minus the truffles, this seems fairly easy to make,
I’ll definitely try to recreate the flavor profiles on my own at some point
Amuse Bouche #2 - Kudzu Chip with Black Truffle Aligot: the aligot had a very smooth consistency – a nice bite of food
Assortment of fresh baked breads: they have a bread cart that makes its
way around the room where they slice the bread tableside - I got apricot,
garlic, raisin, olive, walnut, and a couple others – the only minor complaint I
had was that the butter was very cold so it was a bit difficult to spread
First Course - Carpaccio of Kampachi, Big Eye Tuna and Striped Amber Jack, prepared
in a Mediterranean Manner: I’m not sure what was in the two different sauces
(the only thing that was definitely identifiable was a hint of truffle), but
both complemented the fish nicely
Second Course - Porcini Flan, Alaska Live Dungeness Crab, Black Truffle Dashi: really amazing. Unfortunately, there was a bit of shell still stuck to some of the crab – regardless, this was still my favorite dish of the entire meal
Third (Complementary) Course - Egg, Polenta, Mimolete, and Compte Cheese Soufflé with a Puree of Swiss Chard inside: the presentation’s a bit messy – I don’t think this was intended since the soufflé seems to have been set up with a ring mold, but the different components worked well together and it was free, so no real complaints
Fourth Course - Organic Long Island Duck Roasted Whole with
Winter Spice Mix - Hudson Valley Organic Hand Milled Polenta, Washington State
Huckleberry, Baby Bok Choy Puree, served with Pommes Puree on the side: this was the only course I wasn’t that
impressed with - while everything was cooked nicely, all the flavors were
really familiar and nothing on the plate really wowed me like the previous
courses
Fifth (Complementary) Course - White Chocolate Cloud with Green Tea Powder: so I think that as a result of the shell pieces from the flan, I received this course (it’s occasionally served during their dinner prix fixe). This is white chocolate and milk with lecite, an emulsifier that’s ideal for making airs. They froth up the white chocolate and milk, scoop out the foam into a mold, and place it in the freezer to set. The result is an extremely delicate texture and flavor. This actually reminded me a lot of Taiwanese Snowy Ice
Sixth Course - Chilled Fall Rhubarb Soup, Santa Barbara Organic Strawberries, Buckwheat Gelato: excellent palate cleanser
Seventh Course - Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé, White Coffee
Cloud, White Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Mousse: if I had to nitpick, the combination of soufflé
and mousse was a bit too sweet, but otherwise, a very solid dessert
Petit Fours: (from left to right) White Chocolate Coconut Truffle, Milk
Chocolate Truffle, White Chocolate Sugar Cookie, Dark Chocolate Cookie, Sesame
Seed Sandwich, and Poppy Seed and Caramel Crisp: a bit much for one person, especially
after the soufflé and mousse, but I ate everything anyways
Besides the shell pieces in the flan (which wasn’t that big a deal), I was quite happy with everything I had - this was definitely one of the best prix fixe meals that I’ve tried and well worth the price.
Bouley
163 Duane St
New York, NY 10013
