Very Mediocre and Disappointing
	Reviewed By SFTravelerFoodie	Jun 24, 2008

First, the service was atrocious. There were so many suited waiters and dining room managers running around they were literally bumping into one another. And,even worse, they were all hovering around - very distracting and unprofessional for a restaurant of this alleged caliber.
Also, right inside the doorway to the dining room, right next to our table, was what looked like an end table with a large plant on it. That was fine. But they used it to store menus in a drawer, so all evening they were opening and closing the drawer to retrieve and put away menus. And, they stored half empty bottles of water and wine on top, stuck around the plant. It was very busy, distracting, and unappealing to look at someone else's half empty bottles all evening.
Service was very poor. We waited over 10 minutes for our drinks (there were only two of us) after ordering, and we waited over 20 minutes between appetizers and entrees. We sat waiting close to 20 minutes after our dessert and coffee was finished, with our napkins on the table and the waiter standing watching us, before I finally gave in and asked for our check to get the hell out of there. No one ever came to us and asked how our meal was and if everything was okay. I guess they were all too busy trying to stay out of each other's way.
Food - decent, but nothing outstanding. The Blue Fin Tuna Sashimi appetizer was okay, but had very little flavor. The shaved fennel that was supposed to be on it was invisible and contributed none of the desired flavor . We both had the seared halibut for an entree, which was good, but nothing I couldn't make at home. Breads sounded interesting but were lifeless and tasted like a loaf I had last week from Safeway. We both had two different chocolate desserts - the souffle, and the chocolate brioche. We are both chocoholics, but these desserts were nondescript. Very little chocolate flavor. The little plate of cookies courtesy of the pastry chef was also nondescript and unappetizing.
And the bathrooms - broken handle on the faucet, and broken hinge on the toilet seat so that it swiveled around and did not align with the toilet itself. For a restaurant of this alleged caliber (oh heck, ANY restaurant), this was unacceptable. When I mentioned it to the manager on the way out, he argued with me and told me it was fine.
Never again. Gotham Grill the previous night - OUTSTANDING!!!! Lots of other restaurants in NYC - go to one who cares, not Bouley riding on its now quite wilted and outdated laurels.