The Bocuse Restaurant

With the decline of truly excellent cooking in the world of fine dining, we approached the Culinary Institute’s classic French-​style restaurant with quite a bit of skepticism. I am happy to report that we were won over!
Service: cordial, friendly, prompt, attentive, and at first a bit too fussy. After all, one really doesn’t need to have one’s water glass refilled every ninety seconds. Still, better to be on that end than the opposite.
The server ended up not being able to completely describe one of the main courses accurately. In the end, it didn’t make any difference, but it might have to someone else.
The bread service was outstanding. Flavorful, prompt, delicious. Nice soft butter accompanied.
Excellent wine list, with a wide variety of choices. We had a 2011 Cote de Beaune that was very good.
The prix-​fixe of $ 45 is a bit of false advertising, as most items on the menu have a supplemental. Be forewarned!
First course – carpaccio was an interesting presentation, rolled around potato, which really did not add anything to the dish. Traditional approach would have been better. Still, tasty. The black truffle soup was classic and delicious, encased in a dome of perfectly baked puff pastry. The soup itself was little more than a basic beef consommé. If anyone can taste black truffle in it, let me know.
Halibut was prepared sous-​vide, moist and tasty, with accompaniment of spring vegetables, and a cream sauce. Lamb loin was prepared medium rare, with lamb shank tortellini, flavorful morels, braised butter lettuce, and a delicious sauce. Both plates were excellent and delivered in a timely fashion.
Dessert was a type of flourless chocolate cake, served with a dollop of cassis ice cream. Wonderful, with a deep, rich chocolate flavor. Decaf espresso that followed was delicious. Complementary petits-​fours arrived with the hefty check. Still worth every penny!

Dining at Bocuse with my 6^th grade students was a delight. A special restaurant where all details are attended to with pleasant enthusiasm by students who work hard to please. Great dining experience: spotless, chic atmosphere, artistic (yet not over the top) presentations, and top ingredients make Bocuse a prime destination.

OMG, this was the best. The service was impeccable. Were able to get a reservation on Friday, May 19 for lunch. Our waiter, Craig was graduating this Friday, May 27. He spoke with us about the culinary program and his goal to open a catering business in Biloxi, MS with his girlfriend who is a pastry chef at the school. I ordered a Roasted Corn Chowder with
Shrimp Salpicon, Cilantro Pesto, Red Pepper Espuma (which I should have ordered 2 bowls, that is how good it was) and Pan-​roasted Chicken Breast with Fresh Pea Purée, Asparagus, Wax Beans, Prosciutto, Herbed Goat Cheese, Green Peppercorn Sauce. The chicken was so moist that you didn’t need to use a knife. For dessert I was allowed to order Crème Brulee, that was not on the menu, but there had been a group function and there was extra. My sister’s food was just as fabulous, here is what she had order: Chilled Asparagus Soup with
Hazelnut Milk Custard, Milk Tuilles, Asparagus Tips, Chive Oil; King Roasted Salmon with Wilted Spinach, Artichoke, Caviar Rye Galette, Red Pepper; Dessert was Chocolate Variation
Semi-​sweet Chocolate Cake, Bitter Chocolate Ganache, Sea Salt, Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse, Pistachio Wafer, Cassis Ice Cream; and Candied Orange
Hot Chocolate, Cointreau, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, Whipped Cream

This is probably my most unique dining experience — with everything cooked and served by culinary school student from start to end. Three types of cusine could be chosen from — American, Italian and French. We went with French.
Everything was supposed to be set up exactly the same way as other high-​end dining places. We tried four appetizers, with my favorite one being poached lobster ravioli. Definitely try the beef with foie gras cooked medium rare, so juicy and tender! They also provided a pretty extensive list of desserts however everyone of us went with the assorted sweets. They even created the ice cream from scratch! Food-​wise, every dish was justified.
Service hmm, think they really tried hard; even though I could tell they were still pretty rudimentary and still needed lots of practices (especially in terms of dealing with clients).
Overall my experience was positive, and I could see lots of potential from the chef and waiters here.

The only reason I gave it four stars was because our server was eh. Mind you this restaurant is run by students and I can tell the server was super Duper nervous. Poor guy. The food was out of this world if youre ever in the area you have to go and check it out.

We hit a great meal with great servers this time — you never know at the CIA;-)
I started with the duck 3 ways and the tochon de fois gras was perfection!!! Then I had the market fish a la bouillabaisse and finished with the «classic dessert» which included ice cream made tableside with liquid nitrogen. The fish was good but if I had had it on its own without the app I would have left hungry. The ice cream — well all I can say was wow! Having never seen the liquid nitrogen trick in person I was in awe! My husband has the red shrimp to start which had a very complex and deep flavor to it. He then had the sliced steak and also had the «classic dessert». His food was delicious.
The about to graduate servers were just perfect and didn’t even get upset when I spilled the himalayan salt on the table — what a mess I made. They were delightful about it.
We will be back as this was one of the best experiences we have had at the CIA.

This food is very good, but the portions are tiny and the price is extremely high. Considering that its student work, and you have to drive 3 hour round trip to attend, its really a bit too high. I think we paid $ 70 for one entrée (fish), the beef truffle soup, ratatouille, one glass of wine, and one dessert.
The décor — which is given so much attention — is nice, but not really special. Wood floors and some modern chandeliers. One nice thing is the window showing the kitchen with literally 20 student chefs back there.
The staff — the students and interns — were very nice and good kids who were always helpful.
No bread served — until specifically asked for — and then delivered about the time we were finished with 80% of the meal.
The beef truffle soup VGE — $ 13 — I didn’t really care for it. I guess I am not familiar with the truffle taste, but it made a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste to a beef bouillon in a nice little pastry.
the market fish was really a small fillet of fish with some small claims, a single shrimp, a little bread coated in cheese and non edible sprigs of fresh lavender etc. The broth was really good, and I could not put my finger on what that taste was. $ 28 and really way way way too small to be called an entrée.
The ratatouille — a pretty good little side dish — and incredible bargain at $ 5. Extremely tiny though.
The Trio de Pommes — three micro apple desserts — it was ok. green apple ice cream (one micro ball), some sliced cooked apple, ok. Etc. Each of the three was essentially one regular bite of food.
I guess I expected slightly bigger portions (for a normal person), slightly better taste, and/​or slightly lower prices.

(2 star ranking means average taking food and price into account.)
The student chefs and wait staff are extremely polite and wonderful to talk to. The quality of the food preparation and the service show that they care about food and the experience. And since the wait staff are also chefs, they can explain a lot more than the average waiter.
Coming to this campus is always a wonderful experience, and it really is a joy talking about food with someone who has a true interest in it.
I highly recommend eating here on a weekday when it is not that busy so the students have more time to do things properly — it makes a world of difference.

students were nervous and sometimes i feel like they were hovering and service was getting real spotty and slow towards the end when more people came. but thats ok, its a learning process for them.
appetizer:
black truffle soup– beef broth was very tasty, beef tender, puff pastry was light and airy but the soup was only a quarter of the cup full. wish there was more
trilogy of duck was good, i liked the prosciutto the most.
main entrée:
duck– tender and has a deep flavor to it, i liked it
steak– cooked right to medium rare, very tasty and melts in your mouth.
sides: asparagus– hubby liked it; truffle mac n cheese– to die for! must get! wished there was more noodle in it. it was mostly sauce.
dessert: assorted coffee flavor goodies which were really not that special. tableside ice cream was pretty cool.

Went there for Restaurant Week.
My starter was the Truffled Soup, which was alright, but not great (not enough flavor for my taste and not enough soup — which is kind of sad for that kind of dish).
The entrée (seared scallops), however, was not from this world — it does not get any better. I had good, solid scallops before, but these were incredible, complemented by very good sides (the potatoes were a little bit undercooked).
Desserts were very good (went for the cheese — great selection!)
Service was good, though some of the staff a bit tense (but well, they are there to learn).
Liked it and will be back.

What an experience, worth the trip and the cost and forever on my list of places to eat again and again!
The starters at our table, a deconstructed Niçoise salad with lavender pepper crusted tuna was tasty, the prawns with butternut purée, coca bean ragout and crisp speck was divine; I will ask for these at my last meal! The black truffle soup is a standout and unique.
The meals were perfect. The duck with kumquat sauce was perfectly prepared and one of the best duck dishes we’ve ever tasted. The beef loin with Gruyère foam was part of an ensemble of flavors that were meant to reside together, so tasty. The veal was so tender and the braised onions such a perfect compliment to the meat and the kale; the way each meal was plated and the flavors chosen by the chef to share the stage make the experience première. Certainly one of the best meals we’ve had in our travels.
Our sides included potatoes that were light and flavorful, melted in our mouths and the ratatouille — both superb.
Interesting drink menu; a Rosemary lemonade that was refreshing, fennel soda that I’d love to have at home and seasonal mixed drinks. The beer we tried was a CIA wit beer, lightly spicy and D-​lish.
We finished with the table side ice cream experience and an apple medley and coffee. All dessert items were outstanding.

Excellent experience. Great service and very delicious food. Students were very professional and did a great job! Our table ordered the seared tuna lavender, fried goat cheese frisée salad, duck with squash, pork loin, steak and halibut. The ice cream made table side was an exciting novelty. The campus is beautiful.

The Bocuse, when we have been, has been phenomenal.
As you probably know if you’re looking at this review, it’s a restaurant in the Culinary. This means you get the unique experience of walking into a school (!), down a hallway, and into a very pro restaurant. The CIA grounds are pretty awesome, too. Go when it’s light out so you can fully appreciate the atmosphere.
This also means you have student chefs and student servers. Yes, they are being overseen by pros. Does this mean that they get everything perfect? Well, of course not. That being said, my experiences there have been absolutely spot on. Modern French cuisine with flair, served in a beautifully updated space. A worthy successor to the old Escoffier, perhaps even a notch above.
Make reservations!

If this was a regular restaurant, I would probably give them two stars. Since this restaurant is part of an educational institution, and most of the workers are students, I decided to add a star to the review.
I was very excited to have dinner at the Culinary Institute of America. After all, it is the best known and highly respected center for culinary education in the US.
The meat was disappointing though. Although beautifully presented, the flavors were disappointing.
The Fresh Hudson Valley Corn Soup, was good, the highlight of the meal. You could taste the fresh corn and the soup was smooth and delicious
The Black Truffle Soup VGE was tasty, as a beef soup, the black truffle flavor was very subtle, almost not there.
The Pan-​Roasted Arctic Char, was not bad, but I’ve had better. The skin was not as crispy as we would have liked, and the fish was slightly overcooked. The problem we had was that the Ricotta-​filled Squash Blossom was not in the dish, and the servers took their time delivering it. By the time it arrived, it was cold and didn’t taste as good as we expected.
The Lobster Trilogy was a big disappointment, none of the trilogy of dishes was good. The lobster was either overcooked, or fishy tasting.
Dessert was not memorable and the service, although eager, was spotty as best. I ordered a glass of rose wine, and got a glass a red wine, when I mentioned that our server, he insisted that’s how their rose wine looks. I think knowing the difference between a rose and a red should be a pretty basic skill to have.
Honestly if, the price of the meal had not been as high as it was, I would have probably cut them more slack. But paying that much money for what we got, in terms of service and quality of food, just doesn’t cut it.
I am glad I went and visited the campus, and library, or the Culinary Institute of America, but I cannot recommend going to eat there.

Inside the Culinary Institute of America resides The Bocuse Restaurant.
Our journey started when the maitre d’ opened the double doors for us and we were whisked into an elegant and contemporary looking restaurant.
Culinary Institute of America students are in their final phase of graduation and are working hard in the restaurant. There is a large glass partition and guest can see the internal workings of the kitchen. The wait staff is standing by at parade rest waiting for their dishes to be brought out to the guests, very classy.
The interactive wine iPad list was very cool. It was a full listing of their wine list along with each wine description. The wine list was extensive and very impressive. The beer on tap was also pretty good, they offered about 7 beers from Europe and America.
There is one thing you must get at The Bocuse Restaurant, it is the black truffle soup. What a presentation! Its a large puff pastry and inside the «dome» in soup with truffle shavings. Insane!
My wife had an excellent entrée, the Artic Char. It was buttery and cooked perfectly. My entrée was the sliced sirloin steak. What a dish! From the way the steak was sliced, you can see there are fine details being executed. The brown gravy was so good, I wanted to lick the plate clean. The stuffed artichoke heart was also a nice touch.
Dessert? OMG, I’m packed at this point but we decided to order a small French cheese plate sampling. Again, it was just small tastes that packed a powerful punch. (They also give you a small chocolate for two sampling with your check)
I highly recommend The Bocuse Restaurant inside the Culinary Institute of America.

This French restaurant is in the Culinary Institute of America. The service is exceptional from the moment the doors opened right up until we left. Friendly knowledgeable maître d and chef’s in training for the wait staff.
The food was as good and sometimes better then French cuisine I’ve had in Paris restaurants. We had escargot in baby turnips, and lamb meatballs for starters. For entrée my wife had the rabbit loin in tarragon and I had the roasted saddle of lamb. Both entrees were cooked to perfection. The flavours were remarkable! Dessert was the chocolate variation.
Great restaurant for experiencing fine French dining in the Hudson Valley.

This was one of the worst food meals of my life.
Let’s start with the fact that they don’t update their website and don’t honor the deal there or have the food listed on the site. Then combine that with the INCREDIBLY high prices, like easily 2 – 3 times what the food was worth and you have a recipe for disaster.
Oh but wait, there’s more… the food was awful. The worst escargot I have ever had, the rabbit was tasteless, the duck was over cooked and under-​flavored, I have spent that much money for that little food and liked NONE of it. NONE. It was awful.

We went here for my husband’s birthday and it was DELIGHTFUL. One of the best meals we’ve ever had our entire lives! We lunched at American Bounty (which will probably always be my favorite) and then had dinner at Bocuse. My husband RAVED about the octopus and in fact ordered two portions (the second was gifted by the restaurant for his birthday.)
The service at Bocuse was really outstanding and we were shocked to find out that our waiter is hoping to work in the back of house after graduation; his people skills and service technique were phenomenal! We dream of going back and hopefully will soon!

This was my first visit to any of the restaurants on the Culinary Institute of America’s campus, and I already cannot wait to return! We were a dinner reservation, party of 7, and were well accommodated. The décor is beautiful, elegant and clean, and our servers were kind and enthusiastic. I was told the restaurant is staffed by students, and I really appreciated their hard work and dedication. On to the food!
The chef sent out two complimentary bites before our appetizers, both were fantastic. The first was a yeasted mashed potato spoon with bacon lardons, and the second was a grated carrot dome with pistachio and a light and tangy gelee. I can’t remember exactly what everything was, but certainly enjoyed them both.
Some of the appetizers or group ordered were:
— Black Truffle Soup — delicious and beautifully presented, but lacking in depth of flavor.
— Warm Goat Cheese — I did not sample this, but my family members who had it seemed to enjoy it.
— Torchon of Foie Gras — those who ordered this were extremely excited for it, and were then extremely disappointed.
— Warm Squab Breast Salad — a pretty presentation and excellent flavor.
— Crispy Octopus — absolutely delicious! A generous portion, meaty but so tender, easily the best appetizer we ordered.
Entrees:
— Veal Short Ribs — these were satisfying and tasty, but we weren’t huge fans of the sauce.
— Venison — fantastic flavor, not at all the usual gamey taste, delicious sauce.
— Roasted Fluke — personally did not taste this, but the person who ordered it didn’t seem too thrilled.
— Sauteed Dorade — one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever had. Perfectly cooked, in a decadent broth with lentils, artichokes, and haricot vert.
Dessert:
We all ordered the tableside ice cream. This is absolutely a must! It was so much fun watching them pour in the liquid nitrogen, and seeing the magic unfold. The ice cream was so creamy and delicious, full of vanilla bean, and served in their miniature house made waffle cones. With the ice cream, each person received a presentation of mini desserts. One was a pistachio/​green tea type of cake/​mouse, a delicious and adorable bread pudding, and the best one was a date bread in sumptuous caramel sauce. There were also mini cakes that no one really cared for. The French press coffee was also excellent. Upon receiving the bill, we were presented with even more after dinner sweets! Truffles and individually wrapped caramels were among the offerings.
While there were ups and downs, I would not hesitate to go back to Bocuse, and can’t wait to try the other restaurants as well!

Some aspects at this restaurant were really good and some were just ok.
The host deserves 5 stars. He was courteous, friendly, he had good sense of humor, and he was accommodating.
Our waiter was courteous however he was super slow and forgot a few times about our inquiries. He had to apologize at least 5 times the entire night. He just didn’t seem to have much experience and seemed clumsy with the overall service.
We got the pre-​fix dinner and only the entrees were really good. The appetizers were good. The deserts however were pretty bad. This being a French restaurant, I expected better deserts. We got the assorted deserts and they were all overly sweet. The «ice cream» was pretty bad. «The show» of making the ice cream was cool but definitely not worth it. The ice cream was melting as the guy was scooping it out of the bowl. The ice cream did not even set properly with the liquid nitrogen. The cone itself was saggy and chewy. I would give deserts probably 1 star!