Brunch at Bar Boulud

By CS Hsia, on March 9th, 2013

Judging from the amount of emails I receive from the Dinex Group about wine related events, Daniel Boulud is serious about wine…. French wine. Of all his restaurants in New York, Bar Boulud is the most wine focused of them all. From the barrel shaped sign, to the wine cellar inspired architecture, and of course the circular wine tasting table.

Opened in 2008, Bar Boulud is actually one of the newer Daniel Boulud properties (DB Bistro, for example, dates back to 2001). Yet there’s little modern about this little eatery. Bar Boulud does have the distinction however of being the first Boulud restaurant in the upper west side, of which there are now 3 (Epicerie Boulud, Boulud Sud), all on the same corner. In fact, the three restaurants share the same basement bathrooms, and has adorable little signs pointing patrons back to their originating dining establishment.

The basement hallway shows the wines.

While Bar Boulud isn’t as formal as Boulud’s other restaurants, don’t be surprised if the patrons out dress ordinary New Yorkers. With its proximity to Lincoln Center, there’s always a good number of pre and post show diners. Some chose to sit down for a full meal, other a quick bite and drink at the elongated bar that’s also the focal point of teh entire restaurant.

For lunch, Bar Boulud is a slightly calmer affair. Brunch entrees tends to be causal, allowing the restaurant to showcase some truly iconic classic French dishes.

Regardless of the time of day, however, always start your meal at Bar Boulud with some charcuterie. These amazing terrines, pates and other cured meats come straight from famed Parisian Charcutier, Gilles Verot.

Charcuterie straight from Paris.

Moving on the the mains, or the wonderfully sounding “plats de resistance”. Oeuf cocotte forestière is a small hot plate filled with two eggs, wild mushrooms, topped with gruyère and caramelized onions. The heaping plate of French comfort food is a bit on the sweet side. I kind of wish there was a bit of salt to make the loaded richness go down a bit easier.

Oeuf cocotte forestière.

Oeufs florentine are basically the French version of Eggs Benedict, minus the muffins. Two beautifully poached eggs sit atop rye toast, together with ham, spinach and hollandaise. A tried and true classic.

Oeufs florentine.

For more meatier fare, the steak and eggs will really fill you up. The Niman Ranch sirloin steak is seared medium rare, and paired with fried eggs, laitue au fromage blanc and bordelaise.

Steak and eggs.

Whether you’re in for a full meal, or just enjoying some light snacks at the bar, Bar Boulud is a wonderful destination. If you’re into wine, it gets even better, but that’s a whole other article altogether.

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