Bouchon Bakery
Thu May 4 2006
Time Out Ratings
<strong>Rating: </strong>0/5Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at Broadway, third floor (212-823-9366). Subway: A, C, B, D, 1 to 59th St--Columbus Circle. Mon, Tue 11:30am--5:30pm; Wed--Sat 11:30am--9pm. Average main course: $12.
The appeal is obvious: Go to Bouchon Bakery and you can sample Thomas Keller’s food for far less than it costs at Per Se, where the tasting menu now costs a whopping $210 per person (including tip). The reality is you will have to eat in an open caf setting in the middle of a mall, under a giant Samsung sign, and choose from a limited selection of sandwiches, salads, quiches and spreadable entres (pt, foie gras and so on). That said, this is a great place for lunch. The servers are friendly and can describe every ingredient on every plate (not an easy proposition when the menu lists such foreign phrases as mille-feuille, frangipane, Paris-Brest and religieuse). The sandwiches (around $13 a pop) are impeccably plated—though portions can be small. Wine is available by the bottle or carafe. Decor snobs and impatient types can skip the sit-down part of the meal and buy everything on the menu at the storefront across the way.—TONY
