Reboot at Bouley's Secession
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 11:34AM 
Update: A commenter (below) says that the prix fixe was for two days only, and that the original menu has returned. We have not been by to see if this is so. Besides that, “Restaurant Week” specials typically do not supersede the entire menu of the restaurant.
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In my review of David Bouley’s new restaurant Secession, I suggested that “about half this menu needs to be jettisoned.”
Bouley has done a lot more: he has thrown out practically all of it. As of last night, Secession is serving a $45 prix fixe. I walked by the restaurant this afternoon and had a look.
There are now just 7 appetizers, 6 entrées (all served with a pot of Tuscan fries for the table) and 4 desserts. That compares to last week’s menu, which had more than 25 appetizers and 25 entrées. I didn’t note every item on the new menu, but the available entrées include chicken, Wiener Scnitzel, and Spaghetti Carbonara. The long charcuterie menu has been reduced to just one pâté.
The menu is headed, “A Preview in Collaboration with Zagat.” You can’t make this stuff up.
I don’t suggest for a second that my review had anything to do with it, but there are enough terrible ones out there that Bouley clearly needed to do something—fast. With this more limited menu, he can now focus on the basics, as he should have done in the first place. Calling it “a preview” keeps the critics out,” or at least might persuade them to be gentle.
David Bouley, Secession in Manhattan: TriBeCa 
Reader Comments (2)
As was suggested on MF, the Zagat collaboration menu was planned in advance, originally under the reservation code "Zagat Presents" or something of the sort. So, you can't really fault them for that offering in itself.
Now that they've scrapped, for now, the entire a la carte menu, however, well that's much more interesting. We'll see if it comes back after this promotional period with Zagat is over.
Bouley's new restaurant called Secession featured a two day promotional menu called "A Preview in Collaboration with Zagat." The items were pre-fix for the event, much like what establishments do during "Restaurant Week". The menu is currently back to it's original format and will be adjusted for seasonal ingredients.