Cafe Boulud – Has the Cafe surpassed the flagship?

Rather the question should be, will it be allowed to?

Lets take a step back before we answer that question, and provide a little bit of background.

Among the top tier chefs of Manhattan, I’m a huge fan of chef Daniel Boulud. All of his restaurants are consistently good, and having had the opportunity to personally meet him in his office, and conduct a brief interview, the man’s an absolute class act. To thank him for his time at the conclusion of the interview, we purchased two $250 gift cards and promised to return. One card went to Jessie, and one went straight into my wallet. (Yep, full disclosure here, we were not comped)

My card was spent during my dinner at Daniel, where $250 is only sufficient to cover part of the tab. Jessie meanwhile opted to dine at DBGB, which meant she was not able to finish her card balance. Since she was going overseas for the fall semester, she handed me the card at the airport. Immediately I made a reservation for the other Michelin Star Boulud restaurant Cafe Boulud.

Located only a block away from Jean George’s recently opened restaurant The Mark, Cafe Boulud has long been the Upper East Side’s standard for fine dining. I parked right across the street (I love the abundance of parking in the UES), then walked past the diners sitting on curb side tables to enter the restaurant. This may be fine dining, but the word Cafe means there’s outside seating.

The dining room itself is elegant, but does not have the grandeur of the flagship restaurant. Service is attentive, but also the slightly over-the-top perfection at Daniel. The menus and the drink lists were presented, and we quickly got acquainted with the theme of the restaurant. Everything here, from drinks to entree is categorized into:

• La Tradition
• La Saison
• Le Potager
• Le Voyage

Since we were allowed to mix and match, we decided to make it interesting. It definitely was very interesting, which we quickly learned as soon as our pirate flagged cocktail arrived. Argh…..

Lets drink to Le Voyage, Argh....!!

For appetizers, I went with Le Voyage, a Thai Lobster Salad. My guest had the Charred Octopus Salad which were of La Saison, a summer specialty. My salad was served on an original, and exotic rock. The flavors were good, and the lobsters delicious. The Charred Octopus Salad definitely stood out more, the flavors and texture cooked to perfection.

Thai Lobster Salad, served on stone

Charred Octopus Salad

Entrees. I decided to go with the classic Côte De Boeuf, and my guest continued her trend of La Saison and had the duck breast. The beef was cooked to near perfection, and the tomatoes on the side packed some serious flavor. I really liked how the pastry filled bone marrow was both visually fun and tasty.

Beef with tomatoes and bones, at least that's what it looks like.

Once again, my guest picked the more exciting dish. The duck was cooked beautifully, and with each bite the flavors of the skin quickly mixed with the layer of fat between the skin and the meat. Absolutely fantastic.

My new favorite duck in the city

The dessert was excellent too. the strawberry tartelette was absolutely delicious. Like the visually deceiving bone marrow dish in my entree, what looked like sugar cubes on the tart was actually puffed mascapone.

Strawberry Tartelette. Not sugar cubes.

I absolutely adore this restaurant, its the great blend of delicious food, attentive service, visual delight, and a wonderful location. However I feel that everything about it really could have been better, and perhaps it was kept from achieving its perfection just so it won’t clash with Daniel, a few blocks away. With that said, almost as good as Daniel is already a praise worthy of many repeat visits, and I sure will do so.

CS
Photos taken with iPhone4

Rating:  

Café Boulud (Make a Reservation)
20 East 76th St.
New York, NY 10021