From finding Instagram reels of the best restaurants in NYC to creating spontaneous dishes from the remains of my fridge, food is important to me. As a foodie, I take everything the city has to offer very seriously. Lately, one of my habits has been trying foods that I don’t eat on the regular, so when an inquiry to try a French restaurant’s cuisine popped up in my inbox, I was eager to see if Boucherie lived up to its hype.
Adorned with bright flowers and twisted vines, their West Village location was beautifully decorated and reminded me of the European countryside. Once inside, it was clear that this was a popular spot. There were many people chattering amongst themselves in an inviting atmosphere that made it suitable for catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Before going to Boucherie, I interviewed Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Bastiste Scordel about the restaurant and its impressive pastry program. He noted that it’s easy for people to be attracted to France when the culture focuses on “the happiness of life.” “At Boucherie, we really want to show people the bright side of life, to transport them to Paris through our cuisine and beautiful décor,” he said.
You can often tell if a restaurant will be a new favorite long before the bigger dishes arrive just based on the simplest details like the bread and drinks they serve. When my French onion soup came, I hoped the restaurant would continue its winning streak with attention to detail. Considered a classic in French cuisine, Boucherie’s French onion soup had a satisfying and beautiful cheese pull. With caramelized onions at the bottom of the dish, it was the perfect appetizer to begin with. Even though I am not a huge French onion soup fan, I found Boucherie’s to be the exception, and now I find myself craving it.
For my main meal, I wanted to try something that is popular in French cuisine, so I had their salmon rôti. Settled on a bed of roasted potatoes and served with endives, one of the notable defining features of this dish was the choron sauce, which is a variation on the French classic Béarnaise sauce. With a notably pink center, Boucherie’s salmon was some of the best I’ve ever had. If you’d like to know what the chef would order, try their cote de boeuf, which Scordel says “is a must.”
After stepping inside Boucherie, I was interested in trying their pastry program. Across all four locations, Boucherie’s pastry team plated over 155,000 desserts last year. This includes having sold 400 croissants each weekend and 66,000 last year. This French restaurant’s pastry program emphasizes Scordel’s passion for “showing his guests that pastry is just as fulfilling as the main course.”
Scordel said he loves to “bring joy to people when they eat dessert. It is fulfilling to see their expressions when enjoying [his] dishes. With dessert and pastry, creativity is unlimited, so you can really let your inspirations show in the craft, which is why [he is] so passionate about pastry.”
Growing up with a Michelin-starred chef as a father, Scordel reflected on how he learned from his father. He had the opportunity to assist his father at a food show where he saw the Pastry World Cup. This experience made Scordel realize that he wanted to work on pastries for the rest of his life. With a passionate chef leading the pastry program, it’s no wonder that all of Boucherie’s locations are selling out their pastries quickly in the city that never sleeps.
One dessert Scordel calls a “true recipe for success” is their crème brûlée because of the dessert’s notable vanilla and caramel “customer favorite” flavors. While I didn’t enjoy the dish as much as other customers, I was a fan of their profiteroles. For Scordel, he recommends trying something you can’t find everywhere, like their honey roasted pineapple or pistachio-passion fruit tart.
“At Boucherie, I love to craft delicate desserts that have many components and are made with different techniques,” Scordel said. “It’s fun to make really elegant desserts accessible to our guests.”
While it might be considered over budget for most students, Boucherie is still a great place to catch up with friends over delicious drinks and food that show the immense effort and attention to detail that their chefs have. Boucherie makes you feel like you’re in France, and it makes for a perfect getaway from the lights and sirens of New York City.