Nice dinner, but not really special like a Michelin star would imply, not worth the $$$$, very slow service
A small boutique restaurant in a neighborhood across the Seine from the Louvre. The menu focuses on caviar and a 5 or 7 course chef’s tasting menu. The caviar is from the farm owned by the restaurant in Bulgaria. Four different grades of sturgeon caviar are on the menu. Flights of the wines offered in the chef’s menu are available as well.
Boutary is a small setting with dining rooms upstairs and downstairs eight tables per room, a single seating each night so reservations are a must. The downstairs dining room was a more traditional décor with brick and dark woods. Upstairs was a more modern look, white walls with a “lightning bolt” running through the floor, walls and ceiling (actual runs cut into the floor and walls with recessed strings of lights).
The caviars of focus in our seating were a 4 month old baeri-very smooth, creamy, not very salty, a nice finish lingering on the tongue. The other, a 5 month old osetra was a little bolder, more pronounced flavor. Rather than being served on a shell spoon, the chef used the stronger flavor by serving on chive mashed potatoes on a cheese frico with a lemon cream all in a covered bowl filled with Cherrywood smoke. Very showy dish but the caviars flavor would have been better used standing alone.
The appetizers were visually appealing, well plated. They involved different elements but were disappointing in that they seemed more for visual appeal or complexity on the plate without showing any transformation of the elements or really adding flavor. A mini-brioche with a small dollop of eggplant caviar and small squares of soppressata and a deep fried tapioca chip with carrot mousseline are examples. Nice, but not “wow”. Or a plate of smoked salmon, balls of green apple, seaweed, striped radish slice, red beet ketchup and an ice made from pureed lovage. Very colorful but the lovage ice was the most unusual taste treat.
The mains were similar. Seared black sea bass done perfectly drizzled with a black sesame paste in a reduction of the pan jus. The vegetables on the plate were rather simple compared to the fish. No transformation of flavor just nicely cooked vegetables. The seared duck breast was also done perfectly with a pressed duck reduction but garnishes such as pickled red onion and goji berries sprinkled on seemed for color, not flavor.
Desserts were more pleasing. A pear tiramisu with a coffee crunch crust, caramel sauce, candied pear and Chantilly cream was rich and decadent. A meringue with fresh strawberries, topped with candied grapefruit peel, rhubarb sauce and cookie crumbles with a scoop of lavender ice cream was a lighter finish.
Overall, the caviar experience was special, the rest of the menu was nice, tasty but fell short of the expectations of a chef’s tasting menu. More show than substance. Service had highpoints such as the server’s knowledge of the dishes but the timing was really slow. A tasting menu is not a rushed affair but 30 – 40 minutes between courses seemed a bit much.
Be aware that the menu changes regularly so your menu will probably be different