A classic.

Bouley is that and more.

David Bouley was one of the first super chefs.

He has had several restaurants over the years and still maintains Brushstroke, event spaces Bouley Test Kitchen and Bouley Botanical, but the flagship, Bouley, has endured.

The restaurant exudes old world charm.

It is classically decorated, with a romantic candle-lit ambiance enhanced by vaulted ceilings, an ancient French fireplace and Impressionist paintings.

Next month, the modern french restaurant will be closing after nine years in the present location.

Plans are to eventually reopen a 20-25 seat establishment on Harrison Street in Tribeca.

Our fabulous daughter made reservations at Bouley to celebrate our anniversary, a precedent established years ago.

We started with martinis in beautiful glassware.

The staff is constantly presenting tasty treats to whet our appetite.

It is a prix fixe menu.

I started with a divine warm Foie Gras from New York State.

David opted for the North Carolina Pink Shrimp & Cape Cod Sea Scallops
with Alaskan dungeness crab, Point Judith calamari, ocean herbal broth. It was sensational.

Along came the the impressive bread cart with a minimum of 10 freshly baked loaves. The sky was the limit.

David’s main course was Chatham Say Boat Lobster with summer tomato, coriander, dillseed, saffron, Tahitian vanilla.

I ordered a wonderful Wild Alaskan Salmon with sesame crust, coconut, kaffir lime, black sesame and okra.

A fabulous pineapple coconut soup was served after the main course to cleanse the palate. I was fine with it as dessert…the soup was absolutely delicious and refreshing.

Desserts were plentiful.

I ordered the Chocolate soufflé with Valrhona Chocolate and Columbian coffee gelato.

David selected the Artisanal Cheese Plate which was one of the best and most plentiful I have ever seen.

Included were multiple pieces of a thin brown bread. Usually, restaurants provide 2 to 3 slivers of cheese and a few tiny pieces of bread.

Chocolates were served as well as a strawberry tart commemorating our wedding anniversary.

Our meal was accentuated by a phenomenal gift bestowed by our tablemates who were celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss.

We started chatting and Jerry presented us with a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

We were overwhelmed.

We conversed at length with the charming couple.

DIane and Jerry, a declaration of our thanks and many more happy years together…by the way, they have been together since they were both 15.

AIn due course, I happened to notice a man across the room.

I became agitated when I realized it was NY Yankees pitcher, Tyler Clippard.

He has been an unmitigated disaster as of late, blowing more games than I care to remember.

This was not a time to be celebrating, rather he needed a serious timeout to contemplate the error of his ways.

Satiated, we departed and were gifted with a loaf of bread of our choice and a pound cake.

Upon exiting, we took in the aroma of the plethora of apples adorning the entryway.

Chef Bouley has assembled shelf upon shelf of apples, replaced often enough to stay fresh and fill the air with an orchard’s worth of perfume.

The tradition of always having fresh apples in his restaurant foyer actually began as a mistake.

The chef had gone to the theater and in his haste, left some crates of apples there.

When he returned, the scent was so mad gical that they became a fixture.

I highly recommend dining at Bouley before it closes. It is a very unique and satisfying experience.

Personally, it was a romantic, charming evening.

Bouley 163 Duane Street Tribeca. Open for dinner Monday-Saturday 5:30-11pm. Lunch 11:30-2:45pm. Reservations on OpenTable.com. Restaurant closing at the end of July, 2017. Prix Fixe menu $135.