Bouley

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place sooner. The place is so classy and elegant. The food is to die for and the staff are extremely courteous. I believe they make the bread and chocolate in the restaurant. Everything looks so pretty. I just can’t describe how fantastic this place is. I can’t wait to go again. Just remember, men need to wear a jacket.

**FANTASTIC LUNCH BARGAIN IN NYC**
For $ 55, you will get one of the most memorable lunch
experiences in NYC.
ABOUT
======
David Bouley is all about fresh and pure ingredients.
It definitely shows in his seasonal menus.
He has a «flavor forward» philosophy which means obtaining
clarity in taste and presentation so that the guest may fully realize
the essence of the products used.
AMBIANCE
=========
One of the best looking fine dining restaurants I’ve been to.
Not too modern, but fancy Euro-​style.
It makes you feel welcomed, like inside a friend’s fancy villa.
Expect lots of business people and rich tourists.
Great people watching.
FOOD — $ 55 LUNCH TASTING MENU (5 COURSES)
=====
ROASTED SANTA BARBARA BEETS
Terrine with organic sheeps’ milk cheese, and black walnut dressing.
The beets and the cheese together were delicately tasty and beautifully done.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
FORAGER’S TREASURE OF WILD MUSHROOMS
Sweet garlic, special spices, grilled toro, and black truffle dressing.
One of my favorite courses. Complex and wonderfully fragrant
with various mushrooms. That truffle dressing is everything.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
ORGANIC LONG ISLAND DUCK
Indian Reservation wild rice, wheat berries, black dates and hand milled polenta.
The duck was cooked medium-​rare and although I enjoyed it,
I wanted a side dish to complement with the duck. The black dates and polenta
did not do the trick.
RATING: ⁴⁄₅
CHILLED COCONUT SOUP
Pineapple granite and amaretto ice cream.
Wow, this was probably one of the best-​tasting
soups I’ve enjoyed in a very long time. Thank you.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
HOT VALRHONA CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ
White coffee cloud, coffee ice cream, chocolate mousse
Very chocolate-​ly and so delicious.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
BREAD CART
Yes, there’s a bread cart for your carby pleasure.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
BEVERAGE
========
PROVENCE ROSE
Paired well with the food choices.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
SERVICE
=======
Top-​notch from beginning to end.
Didn’t feel rushed at all.
Gave us extra desserts on the menu and a sweet farewell gift.
Seriously, they are the best.
RATING: ⁵⁄₅
Will definitely return, no doubt.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

This was the best meal I have had in Manhattan since moving here almost a year ago. Bouley is the textbook definition of fine dining. The service was flawless and the food superb. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, check out my meal here.

An easy five stars restaurant.
One of the most elegant restaurants I have ever been to.
The food is delicious and extremely unique. The server explains in details the type of meal, its origin, the history.
They have a very unique and rare selection of wines. We had a 1959 rare French wine. We also had a wine bottle from a winery in France that produces only 200 bottles a year. So obviously this restaurant is extremely connected.

$ 55 for 5 courses lunch. Seriously amazing deal. Course after course, everything was delicious. Coupled with the excellent service, the whole dining experience was unforgettable.
Makes for a great date place. The interior and its romantic loveliness made me feel like we were somewhere else entirely, like a French countryside. Definitely one of the highlights of our first trip to nyc x)

Went to Bouley in celebration of my boyfriend’s college graduation. I had started looking for reservations late so the only times that were available for dinner were much later than we liked to eat– so we decided to go for lunch instead. Both of us had the $ 55 pp 5-​course lunch tasting menu:
Our first taste was a selection of amuse bouche brought out for us as well as some bread: among the amuse bouche was a tomato coulis, a savory cream puff, and a cracker with some crème fraîche and what appeared to be black truffle. They were decent but by no means the star of the meal. I wouldn’t recommend eating both pieces of bread put in front of you– if you do, you’ll be stuffed by the end of the meal. Hold out for the bread cart!
1) We both started with the Hiramasa and Blue Fin appetizer. The Hiramasa was fantastic and the Blue Fin was okay. Both went excellently with the lemon-​y sauce underneath.
2) Next, we both tried the Porcini Flan, which we both agreed was the best dish of the tasting menu. It was served in the cutest little bowls and was the perfect temperature. The only negative thing I have to say about it is that it was more dashi than flan. But the crab was amazing and generously portioned, and the black truffle complemented nicely.
3) We diverged for the third course. I had the beef cheeks with blue kale gnocchi (in my opinion, the gnocchi was the star of the dish– the beef was tender but forgettable). My boyfriend had the Long Island duck, which he loved (and the presentation was beautiful).
4) Next, I had the coconut soup and he had the something-​hibiscus granite. We tried each other’s and both agreed I had the better choice. The granite was too tart in my opinion. The coconut flavor in mine was nicely paired with the pineapple granite, which gave it a sort of upscale piña colada feel.
5) Last, we both had the frivolous of vahlrona chocolate. Despite not having the slightest clue what a «frivolous» was, it was delicious and I’m glad we ordered it. Along with this course, the server brought out a congratulatory dessert, which was a nice touch but wasn’t very tasty.
The meal concluded with a selection of petite fours (don’t bother), and we were given a nice lemon pound cake to take home. We only had two glasses of wine each but the wines we had were great. The meal came to $ 240 with tax and tip.
The quality of the food was 5 stars. The service, however, led me to take away a star. Maybe it’s just personal preference, but I would have liked a little more small-​talk and personal feel from the servers. For example, a girl at the table next to me came in wearing a graduation cap (I mean, how obvious can you get) and not once did the server offer any «congratulations», which I thought was a little strange. It was very attentive but a little hover-​y in my opinion. The second I finished a last sip of wine the server was right back by my side to ask if I wanted another. I would have willingly sacrificed a little attention in exchange for more privacy when eating my meal. At one point, one server dropped a bunch of menus, and I swear you could have heard a pin drop. It was just a little robotic and uptight for my liking BUT AGAIN, it could just be my personal preference.

Faded Glory.
A professional crew running a ship of former titanic proportions.
This place was once one of those beacons of gastronomic excellence which raised our expectations and allowed us a moment of introspective wonder. Alas it is now just a cash register disguised as an eatery. This ghost ship is afloat on a memory, preying on unsuspecting couples celebrating anniversaries as its sole engine.
I remember when $ 400+ could buy you a really excellent meal in this city. Perhaps it can… elsewhere.
It was hot in the city today. Nearly 90*! The dining-​room was hot and stuffy, I sweated in my seat and was thoroughly uncomfortable as I endured this meal. Bouley has a strict jacket requirement for men. However the waitstaff removed their jackets tonight to cope with the heat. The patrons were forced to suffer. BOO! If you are going to cater to the lowest common denominator, then even the playing field and stop torturing your clientele! Get a loan from the bank and install AC!
The dining room is truly breathtaking, and the entire footprint this restaurant inhabits has an otherworldly feeling to it. The entrance is a wall of apples the air perfumed like an orchard. The parlor entrance is grand and fitting for a period film on the bourgeoise. All of the elements sweep you away to another place and time … All the elements that is, except the cuisine.
The Foie is a generous portion with a sweet/​sour cherry sauce too sparse for this rich portion. Seared, but I would have preferred a caramelized outer layer for texture. A mediocre use for this birds most precious possession. Finishing salt please?
Sashimi appetizer was a gorgeous looking plate, a passion sauce complemented the delicate tuna and Hawaiian some-​kinda-​fish.
The entrees:
Colorado lamb was unseasoned, and arrived medium but ordered rare. A boring showing of sautéed kale and quinoa but a delicious Jous (the highlight of the plate). Only after the plates were cleared (mine still littered with lamb) were our concerns explored.
The kitchen was quick to respond to our dissatisfaction with a few morsels of Kobe beef to satiate our souls. While this apology on a plate was the best thing we had to taste this evening it did little to elevate this monumental disappointment.
My wife’s lobster was quickly forgotten once eaten.
Ending the meal with a passion desert. Which was two miniature logs of passion fruit and chocolate boringness.
And for my lady… a chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, with chocolate and a chocolate sauce. It was one dimensional and chocolatey.
A terribly sad disappointment for our first anniversary.

Bouley is by far manhattans most beautiful restaurant. You walk in to a room filled with apples .
You then are greeted by the host in a magnificent orchid greenhouse with dozens of orchid plants as well as orchids painted on the walls and beautiful couches and armchairs. The restaurant itself is splendid with a library, gorgeous ceilings and stunning décor throughout!
The bread selection throughout the meal was unbelievably impressive ten different types of breads to select from in addition to the two we were given when we sat.
Amuse bouche of the most delicious tomato pepper and ricotta as well as Comte gougeres. I could have had ten of each amuse bouche they were so yummy.
For my appetizer I had the fois gras which was one of the best I’ve ever had. Followed by the duck which also was very good however came out a bit cold. For dessert Bouley offers many classics to choose from as well as some other options for the more adventurous. I had the millefeuille and it was perfect!
Beautiful restaurant and delicious meal with lovely service.

$ 55 lunch pre fixe 5 courses, but they give you freebies so it’s 7 to 9 courses. Amazing value .
Porcini flan, egg and duck were amazing. I will be thinking of them long after my visit.
Décor A+, refreshing, vibrant mix of modern and vintage that I don’t see often.
Food is flavorful but not too rich like Nomad which was very cream based.
On our way out they gave us a whole lemon cake as compliments

5 stars for service. The food was classy, elegant. We opted for the 5 course lunch $ 55 but did not expect the 3 hour experience. My compliments to Chloe, the extremely accommodating and genuinely kind hostess. I called to move my 11:30am reservation to after 12 due to transportation issues and eventually arrived at the original scheduled time. We were seated before anyone else in the waiting room. It was nice to be the only ones in the dining area for a short while. Those apples, brilliant.
Make note of the $ 10/​person sparkling water fee, as well as $ 9/​still Evian, ~$ 6 for coffee/​tea. Complimentary items arrived soon after selecting our five courses. I took a liking to the thin cracker amuse with savory cream, not so much the chilled tomato purée. Bread! 2 separate servings of it. My favorites from the cart were the pistachio/​walnut, hazelnut, and fresh warm garlic. Too much butter digestion.
Course 1: Hawaiian Hiramasa & Nantucket Bluefin sashimi with dabs of passion fruit sauce melted in my mouth! Most likely my favorite course.
2: Porcini flan, I agree this was salty, plenty of crab
3: Slow braised Kobe beef cheeks– by this point I was stuffed and wished I had ordered sea bass or the astounding chicken «culotte» my sister chose (deliciously flavored!). The mini chewy gnocchi was a hit at the table. Comped mashed potatoes for each guest!
Multiple utensil changes and a crumb sweep later prepared us for a sweeter taste of France.
4: Chilled coconut soup would have been divine as the closing course. Sweeter than the tart cranberry hibiscus, that’s for sure. Crushed pineapple and coconut ice cream in a sugary soup
5: Myrtille: round dark chocolate enrobed mashed blueberry mix. I tried the 70% Valhrona chocolate lava cake with gelato, heavy.
We celebrated Mom’s birthday here and they brought over a green cream topped cake with lit candle. Still have no idea what that was.
Prior to the bill, they brought over coffee and tea for those ordering it with a 3 sugar tier (white, brown, rock) plus complimentary chocolates/​almond crisps.
Thanks to Arnold (?) the coat check personnel for handing us parting gifts of lemon tea pound cakes. He informed us they take bread orders from their private bakery next door.
Take a photo with the fragrant apples for a complete Bouley experience.

i loved everything about bouley. everything. well maybe except that we were asked if we wanted anything to drink without being offered the wine list. and service was a bit abrupt at first, but… it was ALL GOOD after that. the room of apples as you walked in was amazing — it smelled like fall on a dreary day (spring in nyc is NOT like spring in sf)… coat checked, i waited for my gf in the sitting/​waiting area — it was beautiful and ornate, and a great preview to what the dining room would look like. because the dining room was amazing — i want a room EXACTLY like this if i ever have a house… (The ladies room is also amazing, the décor here is beautiful and grand without being tacky!)
we both did the 5 course lunch for $ 55. it might be the best value i find all year. i would come again and again if i lived in nyc, and try every possible combination of the 5 course selections. we started (and ended) with glasses of rose — cuz my friend said, the more rose we drink, the faster summer will come. i like that a lot. asked the waiter for the ‘signature’ bouley dishes on the lunch tasting menu and was told to definitely get the malibu sea urchin ($ 13 supplement, haha) and the porcini flan. so we both got that. both were great (though the flan was perhaps on the saltier side)…
THEN CAME THE BREAD CART. omg. omg omg omg freshly sliced bread that is baked offsite but AMAZING — there are like 10 – 12 different kinds. it was carb heaven. i tried like 6 different types (they also serve bread BEFORE the bread cart). worth every extra mile that i ran the week after to make up for the indulgence. the man slicing the bread is also super friendly and seemed to love his job — why wouldnt you?! you make people happy!
i got the duck as an entrée, coconut soup, and the study in chocolate. the chef sent out mashed potatoes (YUM) with our entrees, and an extra cherry themed dessert. it was all beautiful, and all delicious. there was a little stand of nibbles — truffles and the like, that you can take with you (because it’s a lot of food). as you leave, they give you a (nother) loaf of pound cake or the like for breakfast the next day. honestly. best brunch ever. i cant say enough good things about the value, presentation, taste, and experience.

Underrated. Went for dinner. Classic French with the best staff in town. This place tries and it shows. The bread cart is novel with its 10 choices. The best items I think are the duck and the New England bass. They both were complex flavors. The kinds of dishes that seem too difficult to replicate. The sea urchin and crab flan were not my speed, I thought the flan was too peppery and the urchin, while served in an urchin shell… well, it’s a personal taste thing.
The lamb was fine, the lamb chops were so small they must belong to a neonate.
The hibiscus sorbet was like a creamsicle, which is great.
If you’re a chocolate fan then the frivolous chocolate lava cake is for you.
Overall, great, pleasant, classic French dining with all the extra silverware and European trained staff you’d expect.

We visited today for our annual Easter Brunch. Venue reminded me of an old Château in France with its rich velvet interiors and cobbled stairs. That is about as descriptive as I can get about a venue! But safe to say Bouley will not disappoint!
With their attentive, but polite staff and nicely paced courses, Bouley has something for everyone. Even the Easter menu had 3 options for each of the 6 courses. I’d say if you’re a vegetarian, this place wouldn’t be great.
My only complaint would be that the lobster in the 3^rd course was slightly chewy and the food seemed a bit cold at times. I think the lunch on a normal day is a better value than the Easter Brunch, but it was still great.
I’d definitely come back into the spring/​summer as more vegetables come into season.

Tasting Menu — 5 Courses — $ 55
Bread Cart:
Apple Raisin Roll
Flax Baguette
Saffron Walnut Brioche
Classic Brioche
Pistachio Walnut Bread
AMUSE
— Tomato Couli with cucumber gelée, pickled radish, and goat cheese.
— Japanese-​style cracker with crème fraiche and black truffle.
FIRST
— Hawaiian Hiramasa & Nantucket Blue Fin: Meyer lemon and passion fruit sauce, fresh verbena with Russian Oscietra caviar.
— Malibu Sea Urchin ($ 13 supplement): Salmon roe, Russian Sscietra caviar, green apple gelée, and yuzu foam.
SECOND
— Porchini Flan: Golden Princess crab, black truffle dashi.
— Organic Connecticut Farm Egg: Serrano ham, steamed polenta, artichoke, sunchoke, coconut garlic broth.
THIRD
— Slow Braised Kobe Style Beef Cheeks with Blue Kale Gnocchi
— Organic Long Island Duck: Indian Reservation Wild Rice, wheat berries, black dates, and hand-​milled polenta.
FOURTH
— Fresh Black Raspberries Gelato with Buckwheat Sorbet.
— Chilled Coconut Soup with pineapple granita, exotic ten fruit sorbet, and passion fruit and amaretto ice cream.
FIFTH
— Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé with a white coffee cloud, coffee ice cream, and chocolate mousse.
— Hot Caramelized Anjou Pear with Valrhona chocolate, biscuit breton, and hot toffee sauce. Side of crème fraiche and berry ice cream. The tender and warm pear slices were wrapped around the chocolate, biscuit, and sauce.
Since I was celebrating my birthday, another dessert was brought to the table with a candle and birthday message. It was a Mandarin Orange Tart with exotic ten-​ruit sorbet and passion fruit crisp. I love fruit tarts and this one was perfect, of course. I also received a postcard signed by Chef Bouley with birthday wishes! It was all very, very thoughtful.
Then, in addition to our three desserts, they brought out a lovely display of beautiful chocolates (12 different pieces). We had absolutely no more stomach to spare, so we had them wrapped up. Plus, we received a mini loaf of lemon cake as a parting gift. We enjoyed espresso with our desserts and I loved the selection of sugars: German rock sugar, white sugar cubes, and brown sugar cubes.
Everything was seriously amazing. From the freshly-​baked bread (the Saffron Walnut Brioche is ridiculously good!!) that is sliced tableside upon selection to every single dish on the tasting menu. My favorites were the Hawaiian Hiramasa & Nantucket Blue Fin, Malibu Sea Urchin, Porcini Flan, and Organic Connecticut Farm Egg dishes. Service was phenomenal, as would be expected. This was one of the best lunches I’ve ever had and the menu is so reasonably priced! Highly recommended.

I came here for dinner with a friend. We had the tasting menu: specifically, the Malibu Sea Urchin (amazing! highly, highly recommend), the Organic Quail Eggs (my favorite dish of the night; incredibly rich and delicious), the New England Black Sea Bass (decent), the Organic Long Island Duck (yummy, but nothing too special), and the Chilled Coconut Soup (solid).
The service was very attentive and handled all of our requests well. The atmosphere is lovely. I love the way the restaurant is decorated (the interior is seriously beautiful). It doesn’t feel too pretentious. It’s delicious food in a relaxed, gorgeous environment. I highly recommend!

Why Bouley is only a 1 star Michelin is beyond me. Especially when you have places like Pok Pok NY with a Michelin star.
The décor is beautiful. Very Interview with the Vampire kind of feel. The lunch tasting menu only sets you back $ 55 not including the supplement charges, tax and tip. Best lunch tasting you’ll get anywhere. Period.
Starts off with a complimentary course of some beet and tomato purée and this truffle cheese bread. Good stuff.
The Uni with caviar was good. $ 13 supplement. Generous portion, beautifully presented but the sour green apple foam was over-​powering.
The porcini flan is a must get. Abundant amount of King crab with truffle soup. Think chawanmushi.
The braised Kobe cheek was eh. Only because I hate all braised type of food.
The duck was very good however. The truffle polenta was bangin.
You get a variety of artisanal bread to try at one point. Everything fresh and delicious.
The next two courses were a palette cleanser and the main dessert. Chocolate mousse was good. The pear pastry was just ok.
End it off with a typical spread of chocolate bites and you’re golden.
For anyone who hasn’t tried their lunch tasting is missing out…

I know this place is expensive, i know it is French, I now know it have a star, but man, i can’t say this is a good restaurant.
We booked a table 2 weeks in advance. At the time we got there, we still had to wait about an hour to get our table. The front dest was not friendly at all. It took a while before anybody greeted us and asked if we wanted any refresher. I tried out 2 drinks both were awful.
Finally we got in. It said on the website tasting menu only, but we were handed a big menu and we needed to choose every single entry. I though the whole point of tasting menu was trying out a restaurant with chief selection. The order and sequence would make a harmonious song. Not sure how it can achieve that with at least 6⁴ different combinations. As a result, some of my friend ended up with 3 dishes of truffle. They said would throw up with another dish tasted the same. I was lucky enough, chose the first dish for every course. So if you were every come to this place, thats what you should do.
The service was a disaster. Obviously many of them were untrained and had weird accent. A waiter broke a glass ware in front of us, and some pieces bounced back to our thigh. They did gave us a free dish of TRUFFLE egg white for that.
Overall, I can’t see any reason for us to come back again. The main gate was hard to find. It locates in the downtown area so who wants to come here for an expensive but average dinner?

I know I’m simply echoing all of the amazing reviews before me, but I couldn’t not review this place. Fantastic meal, service, and experience all around.
I booked a lunch time reservation about 3 weeks before our NYC trip and still was only able to get a noon reservation on opentable! Definitely plan ahead and snag a reservation in advance. As everyone says, the lunch prix fixe menu is really a deal that cannot be beaten, so we were pretty pumped to come here and did not eat anything that morning in preparation! Jackets required for men, as stated in many reviews and on their website.
On entering the restaurant, the entrance room is so blissful. It is warm and smells of lovely fresh apples that are lining the walls– I’ve really never wanted to bask so long in the entrance of a restaurant before.
We went into the next room after we checked our coats and immediately thought the atmosphere was going to be a bit stuffy. It is very elegant and refined, which is not what I’m used to all the time. However, the staff could not have been nicer or more welcoming. I was pleasantly surprised. We were seated immediately and brought over menus. We had already decided we would be doing the lunch tasting menu, which is $ 55 a person for 5 courses. We opted out of the beverage pairing, since it was noon and I am not that much of a lush (well, not that day at least).
First, they bring you over 2 pieces of bread. These breads are fine, but do not waste your carb intake on them! Wait until the bread cart. It is the best thing I’ve encountered in a long time. Then, we were brought over an amuse bouche– we each received chilled tomato soup, a small goat cheese puff, and a cracker with potato and black caviar. Each of these items were delectable and a nice start to the meal.
The tasting menu then went as follows (we split everything):
1. Homemade almond soup and Hawaiian hiramasa & nantucket blue fin: The almond soup was warm, comforting, and silky. It was so good, I did not want to share! The fish were sliced thin and the pieces were fresh and light. Delicious all around.
—Interrupting the meal for the bread cart—
This bread cart is absurd. Maybe I like bread too much, but I would come back just for this. There were about 15 different breads that the bread cart man offered– everything from saffron hazelnut to fig to garlic to pistachio to these high fiber breads with 10 different nuts and seeds. I mean, yes please to all of it. He was also very cute in how he asked us what we wanted. Every slice of a bread came with «Any other?», to which I responded with my next choice. My plate was quite filled with bread. I’m ok with the judgment I probably received from the staff. They were all delicious.
Ok, continuing on.
2. Porcini flan and calamari w/​scallops: Porcini flan was delicious, as fellow Unilocalers have said. Big pieces of crab with big truffle flavors. The calamari and scallops were good, but probably one of the more forgettable dishes we had.
3. Slow braised kobe beef cheeks with gnocchi and venison with kale: I am not a huge meat person, but at nicer places when I know it will be cooked perfectly, I tend to opt for meat. Both of these dishes were cooked to the tee. The meats were both so tender, you barely had to chew them. The venison was tougher to cut, but melted in your mouth just the same. Both sauces and sides were on point and paired so nicely, as to not overpower the meat but just add in delicious flavors that worked so well together. Definitely the winning course in my eyes.
4. Coconut soup: A great palate cleanser. Nice and refreshing, but still so flavorful.
5. Hot chocolate soufflé and carmelized anjou pear: I’m not really a pear person, so I tried it and it was fine, but I was more than happy to not have to share my soufflé. It was soo delicious and a perfect way to end the meal.
At the end, they brought us an array of chocolates, which was unnecessary but we ate a few anyway. We were also sent home with a lemon cake that they gave us when we got our coats.
In keeping with the theme of how great the meal was, the service is impeccable. The staff was always around to make sure we were enjoying our food, but were not overbearing or unfriendly. They even made a few jokes with us and that definitely increased our comfort level when we first got there. They realized soon after we started our meal that we were sharing all of our courses and they started splitting our sides and giving each of us our own portion. It was very thoughtful and a nice touch. At one point, my knife dropped into the sauce on my plate and was very dirty. Literally less than 5 seconds after this happened and before I could even get the waiter’s attention, I was brought a new knife. The waiter joked that he sees everything and I truly do believe him!
All in all, this is probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had and is certainly worth more than the price. I cannot wait to come back!

Bouley
First, if you are seated downstairs, make sure you talk to the staff to turn the air on. They did not do so for us and I was almost suffocated. I can barely breath and thought I had a heart attack. Finally, they gave us some air we needed after other customers had the same thing and complained. Fortunately, no one died that day.
OK, back to the place. Congratulations for being one of the Best New Restaurant in U.S. 2015.
Very impressed entrance full of apples on the entire wall. The air is filled with refreshing fruit aroma. There are two small waiting areas at the door and before the dinning area. Staff kindly took our coat and we were able to find comfortable seat for a drink before our table is ready.
It is warm inside and of course jacket is required for guys. We were seated in the cellar downstairs. The entire floor is nicely arranged and very comfortable. There is much artificial air freshener though.
I recommend the lunch tasting menu. Despite the limited options, we can still try different items. Truffles appeared in almost half of the dishes. I particularly ordered the Flan, their signature dish. It is creamy and has lots of crab meat. The truffle overwhelmed the meat flavor, and I would try something else next time. The «Kobe Style Beef Cheek» is OK. The waiter honestly told us this not real Kobe when I asked. The wild mushroom is my most favorite so far, due to the perfect cook and well balanced dressings. A nice staff serve you freshly baked bread at you table, nine different kind flavors, through out the dinning.
At the end, I do not think our waiter provide us enough attentions. Otherwise, he will notice a dying men at the table. In the end, you can enjoy a set of chocolate and take home the left over. They even offered us more if we like. A nice gift is also provided when we waking out, a nice lemon cake.

Rating: ¹⁰⁰⁄₁₀₀ pts
Bouley is by far the greatest meal I’ve had in recent memory, and undoubtedly high on my list of the greatest meals I’ve ever had.
Founded by internationally renowned chef David Bouley, this Michelin star-​winning modern French establishment was rated as the 3^rd best restaurant in NYC by Zagat in 2013. Sure, my $$$$-level dining experience may be on the scanter side, but the level of food quality compared with the prices make me wonder how much better a meal can really get.
* Try to make reservations 2 weeks in advance (we did so 1 week prior, and could only be seated at 5:30pm or late at night)
*Jacket required for men.
The door opens to a foyer-​type waiting room with a wall completely lined with apples, making for a pleasantly fragrant start. An old world-​style curved door then leads into a finely decorated waiting lounge, from which a host will bring you to the main seating area, which is adorned by French impressionist art.
We all settled on the 3-​course $ 125 dinner meal. There are a good amount of choices (8+) for each of the 3 courses, ranging from (1) Foie Gras to Porcini Flan, (2) Alaskan Salmon to Kobe Beef, and (3) Chocolate Truffle to French Cheeses, with enough variety for anyone to craft their own ideal meal. (My choices below.)
Soon after ordering, food started coming out at a comfortable pace: at no point did anything feel rushed, nor was there a prolonged gap until the next dish came out. Drinks were suavely handled with equal alacrity.
The first thing to come out was a tiny dish with a bubbly tomato liquid. Tomato being the only food I can’t handle, this was a bad start for me. However, I put my hesitation aside and slurped it up. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, and what’s more, the meal only got better from here, swiftly moving onto a crisp wafer topped with cream and caviar that seemed to evaporate into enjoyment the second it met my mouth.
Before our first course was served, a bread wagon came by, where a jovial man who was excellent at keeping the table ambiance sliced us our choice from among 12+ varieties of freshly baked (some actually still steaming) French breads. Ah, the joy of French cuisine! I tried as many as I could, and all were equally exquisite. The wagon would return several more times to supplement our bread stash.
Next came our first 2 courses.
(1) Hawaiian Hiramasa & Nantucket Blue Fin: these sashimi slices where sitting in a delicious lemon/​passion fruit olive oil and topped with caviar. The fish was amazingly light and delicate.
(2) Grass Fed Canadian Buffalo: the buffalo meat was as smooth as butter, and the accompanying gnocchi and fresh mushrooms were equally delicate.
Next came a palate cleanser: sorbet topped with ice cream served floating in coconut milk. This was so amazing that it could easily have held its own as a dessert. The triple combination of flavors and textures was fantastic, and I didn’t want it to end. But soon after it did, out came:
(3) Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé: this was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. With each spoonful, out oozed warm chocolate, which bled into the accompanying coffee ice cream and chocolate mousse. Up until this point, I had been conversing with my colleagues, but after my first bite into the dessert, I entered a euphoric state and fell silent until may plate was cleared.
As I sat there in bliss, out came a chandelier-​like presentation of chocolates and tuiles, which I ended up taking home and enjoying immensely over the next few days. As if that weren’t enough, they also handed each of us a full loaf of lemon-​tinged poundcake to take home.
Unforgettable food, phenomenal service, and great value. I have not even the slightest grievance, and would go back in a heartbeat.