ulterior epicure

I wish blanc were in my neighborhood. Agreed. Like I said, I don't think the two are aiming at the same target. But, that doesn't explain or excuse sloppy and poor execution, which is what I got at chefBURGER. I've made my thoughts about it known on that thread (and on my blog). I had *really* hoped to like chefBURGER more than I did. I too admire Dalzell's entrepreneurial tenacity. I don't know how many times you've been to chefBURGER, but I've acknowledged that I've been once and that I need to go back. I think chefBURGER has great potential, but based on my one visit, it hasn't achieved it as quickly or with the same deft as blac has. pizza bella was wobbly at first, but recently, it's been great. It's my favorite of Dalzell's restaurants. I hope chefBURGER matures with as much grace, given some time.

I’m confused – did you mean “ From what I’ve seen, there’s no doubt that blanc wins by a good stretch.”? ← Ay. You *should* be confused. Yes, I meant blanc wins by a stretch.

I hate to draw comparisons, but the fact that blanc burgers + bottles and chefBURGER–both offering “fancy” hamburgers–opened within a month of each other makes it inevitable. From what I’ve seen, there’s no doubt that chefBURGER wins by a good stretch. On certain points, I don’t think it’s fair to compare the two. I don’t think these two restaurants are even in the same league. I’m not sure that chefBURGER ever intended or intends to compete directly with blanc. chefBURGER caters to the sports and beer crowds of the Power & Light District. blanc holds court in Westport, where the yuppies, hipsters, and Bohemians hang. But, as I stated, I think that comparison and competition is inevitable. blanc is a sit-down service restaurant. It has a bar and an impressive beer list. Their burger selection, though not as comprehensive (or inflated) as chefBURGER’s, is more focused and clean. Presentations are pretty, service is lovely and rather efficient, and blanc’s ingredients and flavors pop more. The prices are pretty comparable, with blanc averaging about $2 more per burger. And, loudness and haze aside, I like the feel of blanc more than chefBURGER, which has all the personality of a high school cafeteria. The only advantage that chefBURGER has over blanc burgers + bottles–and this is a minor one–is that it has a great website. blanc, inexplicably, only has a “My Space” page. Now THAT’S high school. I’ve been to chefBURGER only once and blanc burgers + bottles twice. I need to visit both more to reach a more definite verdict. But, I think chefBURGER needs to pull out some pretty impressive game in order to change my mind. Judging by the crowds, I don’t think I'm alone. To read the food portion of my review, visit the ulterior epicure.

And????? ← I will report shortly.

Two other good restaurants, bad restaurants, or in between. Swizzle is closing. I never made it there. ← I'll assume that your first sentence was a question and not a statement: I can't say, I've not been to either of them. As to your second sentence: I've heard they're temporarily closing to retool and regroup. I understand that the (same) management will re-open it under a different brand and build.

That is too bad. And, if my unconfirmed sources are correct, there are two other restaurants in Kansas City who may be posting similar messages soon.

My comment about dictionary definition was an inside poke at Nathan. He got the reference.

I believe YOU are the one that demands dictionary definitions.

I don't think this is a fair characterization. I think this description is insulting, actually. On different note, do all of Boulud's restaurants send out warm madeleines at the end? I suppose by this I mean Bar Boulud, since I know that both Daniel and Cafe Boulud does and I'm fairly certain that db bistro moderne does as well (although I'm not entirely sure about the latter). ← What's insulting about saying that cafe boulud has very wealthy regulars? ← For one thing, cafeteria = no service. Cafe Boulud = very good service. And, for what it's worth, customer regularity does not a cafeteria make.

I don't think this is a fair characterization. I think this description is insulting, actually. On different note, do all of Boulud's restaurants send out warm madeleines at the end? I suppose by this I mean Bar Boulud, since I know that both Daniel and Cafe Boulud does and I'm fairly certain that db bistro moderne does as well (although I'm not entirely sure about the latter).

Certainly, this meal included. In fact, the next day, I lunched at Franny's, where the total bill, per person, (with wine) was only $20 less than at Cafe Boulud (without wine).

I don't *think* there's a thread devoted to this yet. This looks like it has great potential (from Chicago Dish): Can we just fast forward to April 2009?

I have followed Gavin Kaysen since his days as the executive chef of El Bizcocho in San Diego. With a nomination for the 2008 Rising Star award from the James Beard Foundation, I thought that this would be an opportune time to finally visit another Daniel Boulud property. Despite the fact that I had a reservation at per se that evening, I tempted myself into having lunch at Café Boulud. A couple of friends who had been impressed with Gavin Kaysen’s cooking over the past few months emailed me about the restaurant, which reminded me that I needed to visit. Perhaps more than any other Daniel Boulud operation, Café Boulud has always come with the highest commendation from other restaurant enthusiasts (although a recent surge in popularity for newest kid on the Boulud block, Bar Boulud, might change that). The name Café Boulud belies the seriousness of this restaurant, both in terms of service and level of cooking. I have heard (and read) that Boulud had intended it to be a “neighborhood restaurant.” With one Michelin star, white tablecloth, a polished waitstaff, finessed food, and prices frequently sailing north of thirty, I don’t see how it could *just* be a “neighborhood restaurant.” Aesthetically, the only thing neighborhoody about it is it’s somewhat remote location on the Upper East Side and the occasional pair of designer denim that walked into the restaurant on the weekend lunch that my friends and I were having. Here is what we ordered: Amuse Bouche Hummous with confetti of peppers Starter Courses Vidalia Onion Velouté Ramp leaves and crispy onions Citrus Salad Heart of palm, arugula, grapefruit, tangerine, and radishes Maine Peekytoe Crab Grapefruit gelée, lime aioli, avocado, potato chips Main Courses Moroccan Spiced Duck Toasted quinoa, roasted peppers, raisins, harissa vinaigrette Arctic Char á L’Oseille Pomme fondante, fava beans, red pearl onions, yellow wax beans Dessert Courses Meyer Lemon Délice Fromage blanc mousse, blood orange, mimosa sorbet Raspberry-Pistachio Vacherin Vanilla chantilly Chocolate Pain De Gênes Mascarpone mousse, amedei chocolate crémeux, and amaretto ice cream Warm Madeleines By chance, the three of us, ordering a la carte, managed to cover all of the quadrants. I was in need of some vegetables, so I ordered an additional “Citrus Salad” from the prix fixe menu. The food at Café Boulud isn’t the type that generates or necessitates much description. For the most part, it’s very straightforward: the Vidalia Onion Velouté (Le Potager) is velvety and rife with earthy sweetness and the Maine Peekytoe-Crab (La Saison) is clean and delicate, accented with a bright grapefruit gelée. Even the Moroccan Spiced Duck (Le Voyage) wasn’t terribly far off from what one might imagine it would taste like. The one thing that is particularly striking about the food at Café Boulud is that everything seems iconic. This is partly due to the simple and classic preparations. It also is a result of impeccable execution and clean presentation. Despite the creative twists and accents, the flavors are vintaged and familiar. It’s as if any one of these dishes could have, believably, been served a few hundred years ago. I hesitate to pass judgment on the wines that were paired with my friend’s dishes. Although I tasted them, I can’t say that I got a good grasp on how they interacted with the food. I would be inclined to say that they were solid, but nothing particularly thrilling. And I suppose that could be the summary of this entire meal: solid, but not particularly thrilling. This is not to say that this meal was a disappointment. In fact, I offer it as a compliment. I don’t think that the aim and reach of Café Boulud is to entice and dazzle the way its oppulent elder, Daniel, does. Rather, Café Boulud’s is tasked with providing a reliably steady and familiar experience that one is likely to want to repeat with more frequency than the once- or twice-a-year special occasion. And so, perhaps in this respect, Café Boulud does function like a neighborhood restaurant. Except, maybe, it’s better suited to a very well-endowed neighborhood, given the high prices. Service was attentive and comfortably formal. I can’t say I dig the space. It feels underground, for some reason–I suppose it is slightly sunken below street level. The “waiting” area feels like an awkwardly placed afterthought. And, sylistically, I don’t like the mirror-covered columns, which I recognize make the room seem bigger. Despite my critical opinions about Daniel Restaurant, Café Boulud makes me respect Daniel Boulud as a restaurateur. He has a keen eye for young talent, as evidenced by the chefs who have passed through his kitchen. He’s also highly successful at creating a personality and feel for each of his restaurants. (I also like that Boulud sends out warm madeleines at the end of your meal, the one positive thing that Daniel Restuarant instituted.) I look forward to visiting the latest one to join his group, Bar Boulud. I’m happy to have finally eaten Chef Gavin Kaysen’s cooking, serendipitously just a few days before he won the 2008 James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef. We were told that the entire menu was Kaysen’s (with some approval and input from Boulud, of course). While I won’t say the menu was boring, it did lack a certain pomp and pizzaz boasted by like-minded restaurants. Perhaps this is the why the restaurant wouldn’t be my first choice for a special night out or go out of my way to dine at. Maybe it is just a very good, reliable, high-end neighborhood restaurant after all. But, I’m not sure how much room Café Boulud’s personality allows for innovation and creativity. You would think that having four menu “sections” would demand or result in four distinct stripes of cuisine. But, I found the distinctions less-obvious than I wanted or expected them to be. Nearly all of our dishes could have fallen under two, if not three, of the four categories (especially the dessert menu). The only two that were inherently distinguishable were Les Voyages–essentially anything that was obviously not French–and Le Potager–vegetarian selections. Otherwise, everything exhibited French aesthetics, preparation and cooking techniques. Really, Café Boulud’s fare isn’t any different from that of the many French-biased, but internationally conscious and seasonally-minded restaurants in our world. It just cares to group them under blurry-bordered banners. You can read the rest of the review at the ulterior epicure.

And, the ACLU weighs in...

Young chef Joe West gets some kind press from The Kansas City Star's critic.

Or, they knew you were Sneakeater. ← In which case, he's not very effectively sneak eating, is he? I find it vexing that most of their menu links don't work. Can anyone describe the Mister Mystère. When the website's menus were properly displaying, I remember it reading like a hazelnut frappé.

Okay, so maybe the strategy is to get adopted by the family that she's cooking for.

I haven't seen a single episode (so, no spoilers please) and would like to catch up. I'm finding the Food Network website to be a nightmare for getting the first x (what are we, sixth week?) episodes in order. All I see are the episodes entitled "Into the Studio" (is this the first one?) and something about "Bon Appetit," which I figure is a fairly recent (or even tonight's) episode. Can someone please p.m. me with the schedule, or better yet, show me somewhere online where I can watch the previous episodes in order? (I know the "out-takes" and snippets are on the FN website, but I want to see the entire episodes). TIA.

Sorry to hear that, hopefully you avoided the Arthur Bryant's at the Airport, not the same thing as the original at all. ← Right, or the Wolfgang Puck's refrigerated case; it's nothing like Spago either.

Thanks, Swicks.

Keep in mind, this is from the old Cook's Tour show, so yeah, very old. I'm hoping Rulman has found a pair of socks by now. ← I've never cared for Ruhlman. And, it doesn't even have to do with the fact that he went to The French Laundry in jeans (at least that's what they look like to me).

Scott Bryan, former chef of Veritas in New York. ← Which brings me to ask - how long ago was this filmed? Bryan left Veritas in September 30 of 2007 (IIRC). The server in this segment was my server at per se last month. He was very good.

Scott Bryan, former chef of Veritas in New York.

Any recent visits?

Bump.