Bouley

Checked in for a 9:30PM reservation and curtly informed that the seatings were twenty minutes behind. The hostess directed us to Bouley Upstairs to have a drink and said that she would call us if something opened up earlier. When we arrived at Bouley Upstairs the hostess was not accommodating at all and sent us to the downstairs bar. After finishing our drink (which should have been complimentary but wasn't) we opted to NOT give our business to Bouley and went to a bistro around the corner. The absurd part is that Bouley never called us yet marked us as a "no show" on opentable. A restaurant with a 28 rating in Zagat should be flawless - and the service should be impeccable....instead the level of service was analogous to a chain restaurant in suburban sprawl.

crammed restaurant, ok food, kind of pricey. better burger at the gee whiz diner, sea urchin not so fresh.

In comparison to other high end restaurants in New York, Bouley was not worth the cost. We had the tasting menu and I'd say about 1/3 of the dishes were exceptional and the rest were just okay and a bit boring. The wines pairings were for the most part on par but were not exciting. The service, minus one young lady who served coffee at the end of the meal, was stuffy, rude, unfriendly and rather incompetent. If that's the type of experience you're looking for then Bouley is your place.

The only complaint I possibly can think of would be that we had to wait a few minutes for our table to be ready when we had dinner at the Bouley last month. But even the wait was made quite pleasant due the staffs attitude. Everybody was so friendly and welcoming that you immediately felt that they actually were happy to see you. I must admit that I would have had the best of times anywhere that evening, being with my lovely partner, but the food service and ambience could not have been much better. It was easy to feel at home at the Bouley, and I am very happy to recomend this to anybody who want a special evening.

To be fair, the food here was really good. However, unless you go with the tasting menu ($150 pp), you will most likely leave hungry. I went with my husband to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. Everyone from coat check to the maitre de were so pleasant, helpful and happy to have us. The environment is upscale, like- my Park Avenue parent-in-laws (who are 65 and 75 yrs old) would have loved this place. So yeah, it's definitely not a young scene by any stretch. It's more like Daniel, or One if By Land- it's quiet, customers are ladies with big dyed hair, big earrings, a Chanel suit- and the men are all in suits with white stripes on the side of their heads. You have like, 4 people working on your table at a time (a guy walks over holding a tray with your food on it, and ANOTHER waitor comes over to serve it to you off the tray)- yet it still took us 1.5 hours to get through dinner. WTF? Food portions are TINY. I mean, laughable. We ordered the tuna app, and yes it was delicious, but it was over in 3 bites. Literally. Same with the oyster appetizer- there were three quarter-sized oysters- that's it. Yikes. The entrees were somewhat larger, my piece of fish was exactly the size of the PALM of my hand (excluding fingers)- both entrees (sea bass and cod) were excellent, but the portions were fit for an elf. We ordered the chocolate dessert, which was so much, that we could hardly finish it (scratching head...)- so if it weren't for the final sweets, we surely would have left hungry. Oh, and they also bring, at the end of the meal, a two-tier of petit-fours. Why so much dessert and so little food? I can't say I'll be back, it just wasn't the right scene or food experience for me and the hubby, but I would certainly recommend the restaurant to someone else- someone a little older...maybe the Queen of England?

It is serene without being pretentious. It is quiet without being morgue-like. It takes care of you without being overbearing. And I haven't even mentioned the food... which is a revelation. From the amuse bouche to the copious desserts they keep plying you with the food manages to be inventive but not so odd you question what you are eating.

I have to admit I had heard about Bouley when I first moved to NY and avoided it based on the assumption that it was likely another establishment restaurant in NY that is overpriced with a pretentious following and let's face it you can get superb food and ambience across the spectrum of prices ranges in this city. My relatively new suitor brought me to Bouley last night and I have to say every moment was exceptional - the gentle but accomodating service, the insanely good food (the foie gras was perfectly prepared - the lamb melted in my mouth - the amaretto dessert was heavenly) and wine, the romantic winter garden where we were seated by candle light ... I can't say enough and am suprised to see the comments that suggest this is a hit or miss restaurant when my experience was so wonderful (and I'm a food lover and have been all over the city and have my own restaurant list so I promise I am very even keeled when it comes to commentary on a restaurant!). I'd hate to return and be disappointed but I had to leave a few comments to let you know that perhaps your visit will be a hit like ours was...