Few chefs are as closely associated with a neighborhood as David Bouley is with Tribeca. First came Montrachet (see “This Year’s Vintage,” here), then the original Bouley (which closed in 1996 and reopened later around the corner), followed by Bouley Bakery, Danube, and the Upstairs triplex. This fall marks a new milestone: the opening of the third, and grandest, Bouley yet, this one in the same landmarked building where the chef had envisioned a culinary complex that never came to be. After that, the gastropreneur will reorganize his fiefdom, shuffling existing properties around while starting construction on two new ones. Need a map, you say?
1. Bouley
161 Duane St., at Hudson St.
With its gold-leafed vaulted ceilings and stone from Versailles, the new Bouley has the feel of a French château with a few modern tweaks—like the kitchen cameras wired to Bouley’s apartment upstairs. September.
2. Bouley Market
120 W. Broadway, at Duane St.
The original Bouley Bakery (and current flagship) becomes a gourmet grocery, with breads, pastries, and the rotisserie chicken some Tribecans live on. Wine-and-cheese service in a side room at night. October.
3. Secession
30 Hudson St., at Duane St.; 212-791-3771.
Danube gets a face-lift, losing the carpeting and curtains (but keeping the white tablecloths) and gaining a French-and-Italian-accented menu, plus what Bouley hopes will be the best French fries in New York. September.
4. 10 Hudson Square
160 Varick St., at Vandam St.
Bouley leaves his Tribeca comfort zone for this West Soho space, where he’s planning a production kitchen, a retail market, and a yet-to-be-named casual restaurant akin to Upstairs. 2009.
5. BrushStroke
109 W. Broadway, at Reade St.
A triplex that functions as three restaurants in one: a kushiyaki grill in the basement; a casual Japanese spot on the ground floor; and an upstairs aerie serving kaiseki menus in collaboration with Japan’s renowned Tsuji culinary school. Spring 2009.
6. Test Kitchen
88 W. Broadway, nr. Warren St.
This two-year-old facility hosts cooking classes, product demos, and brainstorming sessions with visiting chefs.
7. Upstairs
130 W. Broadway, at Duane St.; 212-608-5829.
Bouley’s most casual spot expands downstairs, displacing the bakery, which gets subsumed by the market across the street. Look for a new bar, French doors, and expanded sidewalk seating. October.