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Bouley – Exploring New Frontiers in French Cuisine
Maurice Graham Henry
Sunday dinner on August 31 2003
 A question that comes to mind when reflecting on Bouley, the downtown
New York successor of Bouley Bakery, is whether this is really a French restaurant. If
the associations one makes for such a restaurant revolve around French Chefs, French wait staff,
and menus printed in French, then the answer is no. But when approached
from a less rigid vantage point, this is indeed a remarkable restaurant that
identifies itself as French (yes, we telephoned and confirmed this),
with a gracious wait staff serving contemporary French cuisine prepared under
the oversight of one of the great
Chefs of the world, French or otherwise: David Bouley.
American born with a French heritage of which he is proud, David Bouley
has received extensive
culinary training in France. Paul
Bocuse, Roger Vergé, Joël Robuchon, Frédy Girardet, and Gaston Lenôtre are
some of the better known Chefs he has worked with to learn and perfect
his craft.
I made my second visit to Bouley on the last day of August 2003, just
before their annual weeklong closing. However, this was my first time
visiting as a writer, with a pen and notebook put to constant use throughout
the meal. As friends of mine know, I place great importance on the
ability of restaurants to properly pair food and wine.
I always leave the pairings up to the restaurant staff. So what follows
is a description of the meal I had that Sunday evening.
When entering through their famous large wooden door, a young woman
greeted me, checked my reservation, and showed my to my table in the "red
room". The only way I can describe the interior is "faux castle cellar"
which certainly gives the restaurant a very French feel. The "red room"
to the left of the entrance,
the larger of the two dining areas, has walls that
are dark rose color. To the right, the "white room" is smaller, and a bit
brighter. Both are equally lovely.
Chef's Canapé
Seared New York State Foie Gras with red plums glazed in
Moscato D'Asti, served with a Foie Gras Terrine Salad with crisp Yukon Potato
Wine pairing: Elderton Reverina Australia, Botrytis Semillon 2001
Seared Atlantic Halibut with Young Summer Squash
braised in Hard Cider
Wine pairing: Poligny - Montrachet (Côte d'Or) 2000
Roasted Loin of Monkfish rolled in Rose Olive Sauce and
Nicoise Olives, served over Cauliflower Puree and a piperade of Roasted
Tomato, Italian Eggplant, and Bell Peppers, finished with Black Olive
Sauce Bouillabaisse
Wine Pairing: Chorey-les-Beaune 1999 (Médaille D'Argent
Paris 2002)
Maine Day Boat Lobster with Heirloom Tomatoes, Sweet Watermelon glazed with Ginger and Ox Heart Tomato
Sorbet Wine Pairing: Rosé di Regaleali 2002 (Italy)
A small glass of Kamoizumi "Komekone" Sake
Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé with Yellow Plums and Blackberries,
Blueberry and Vanilla Ice Creams, Chocolate Sorbet
Raspberry Cloud with Blueberry, Crème Fraîche, and Pineapple Ice.
Wine Pairing: "MA" Mas Amiel 2001 (100% Grenache Noir)
Plate of Petit Fours
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The Chef's canapé soon arrived, featuring Maine salmon gravlax mixed
with Yuzu coconut yogurt, almond oil, avocado, and tomato – it's delicious, a
foretaste of the inventive cuisine to come.
This was soon followed by two rolls, served together: a traditional
French roll, and an apple roll. Both were served warm; each had a crust that, while not soft, was not overly crunchy either.
My choice this evening is to go with the tasting menu, with one
exception. Because I want the lobster as a main course, and will be
served another seafood course as well, I ask to begin with the foie gras.
That is no problem, although I'll be charged "a little extra" for that.
This was perhaps the best Foie Gras I have ever had. The flavor
was brought out, not obscured, by the glazed plums. ( A syrupy sauce that
sometimes surrounds the Foie Gras was happily missing here.) The terrine
was excellent as well; it had the phenomenally silky "feel" on the tongue that
only a foie gras terrine or mousse can provide. While the potato added a
degree of crunchiness, I suspected it was there mostly for decoration.
The Elderton Reverina complemented the dish brilliantly. While I
was initially less than enthusiastic about having an Australian wine. its
sweetness and mild fruitiness perfectly offset the foie gras. This was
actually my favorite pairing of the evening, a much appreciated departure from
the Sauternes regularly paired with foie gras at other restaurants.
The next dish, the seared halibut, I frankly found rather bland. I
expected the hard cider in which it was braised to give it some "kick", yet I
certainly
didn't sense any. However, the 2000 Poligny - Montrachet was
certainly an agreeable pairing.
My disappointment with the halibut quickly abated after one taste of the
excellent roasted monkfish. (This was an extra course,
compliments of David Bouley.) For the sauce, the dominant taste was
a tomato/pepper combination. The red 1999 Chorey-les-Beaune
1999 did what a correct pairing should do, enhancing the flavor of the
food while having the food enhance the pleasure of the wine.
Next came the highlight of the evening: the cold lobster with
watermelon, tomatoes, and tomato sorbet. This was the dish I was most
curious about. I wanted to find out what David Bouley could actually do
with watermelon, a fruit I still associate mostly with summer camp when I was
a kid. And now? I can't imagine a more perfect
way to serve lobster in the summer. A few medallions of cool, crisp
watermelon boldly enhanced the pillow of lobster served out of its shell,
served alongside a scoop of fabulous tomato sorbet. The Italian Rosé proved to be the gentle accompaniment
such a dish calls for.
I was next given a glass of sake to "clear my palate". I'd never
had sake before, so I dove in. My trust was not poorly placed.
It has a lovely clarity which succeeds in placing your palate back to neutral,
in preparation for the dessert.
Before I write about the desserts, I want to say from the outset that I am not
a "dessert person". (Actually, on more than one occasion I've been
tempted to ask if I could forego dessert and have a taste of yet another
course.) The chocolate soufflé arrived first, and was as rich tasting as
any chocolate lover would want it to be. Yet what made the dessert so
special was another brilliant pairing, the 100% Grenache wine "MA", from the
Languedoc region. Chocolate lovers, take note: if you've been
searching for the perfect dessert wine to accompany your indulgence, this wine
is it!
Another dessert brought alongside the soufflé was the raspberry cloud,
another complimentary dish. But there was one problem: the kitchen had
no way of knowing that of all the berries I like, raspberries I've always
disliked. While I've found an exception (raspberry iced tea), I don't
even like raspberry flavored things. But I did have a few bites, and wow:
it certainly packed an intense raspberry flavor. This made me certain
that, if you're a lover of raspberries, this is the dessert for you.
A small plate of petit fours finished off the evening. (Don't even
think of not trying the cinnamon cookie!)
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