Cafe Boulud

[jogoode]

I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Z. My experience and the reports I've heard and also the credible-seeming message-board posts I've seen all point to Cafe Boulud delivering a weak Restaurant Week performance. I get the impression of a restaurant that is doing the Restaurant Week thing reluctantly. Cafe Boulud is one of my favorite restaurants in all New York, but I would not recommend it for Restaurant Week. Over the course of many Restaurant Weeks, I've come to the conclusion that the Danny Meyer/Union Square Hospitality Groups are by far the most enthusiastic participants in the promotion, as is their cousin Craft.

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I'm not sure whether things have changed since the chef change, but I've been to Cafe Boulud four or five times over the past few years during Restaurant Week and was more than happy with the food. I still remember a delicious veal tongue salad with lentils and cod in sauce Diable with bacon and the most amazing sweet corn. I also remember accidentally ordering a glass of Mersault--it cost almost as much as the pre fixe. OK, no restaurants go all out for Restaurant Week like Meyer's places. But I'd give it a shot, especially since an unfettered lunch there costs over $60.

By the way, has anyone been since Carmellini left? Felonius?

[BryanZ]

I stand duly corrected, as I haven't been there during Restaurant Week. I agree with FatGuy's point that USHG seems to do the best job with the event, but as jogoode astutely points out, the $25 investment might be worth it just to give it a shot.

[rozrapp]

By the way, has anyone been since Carmellini left?

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We had dinner there in October, and the food was superb!

[Marlene]

I'll be in New York in a couple of weeks, and by happy coincidence I'll be staying at the Surrey. I believe Cafe Boulud is either in or right beside the hotel. If it's open for lunch I'll be looking to try this. I've eaten at Daniel which I quite enjoyed, although can't compare it to ADNY or other similar restaurants yet, but if Cafe Boulud is in any way similar to Daniel in terms of quality, I should be very happy.

[docsconz]

I had a lovely lunch at Cafe Boulud a couple of years ago when it was under the helm of Andrew Carmellini. It was very nice indeed. Whatever you do, though, Marlene, if you are going to have a h.c. lunch, do not pass up Jean-George.

[adegiulio]

I'll be in New York in a couple of weeks, and by happy coincidence I'll be staying at the Surrey.  I believe Cafe Boulud is either in or right beside the hotel.  If it's open for lunch I'll be looking to try this.  I've eaten at Daniel which I quite enjoyed, although can't compare it to ADNY or other similar restaurants yet, but if Cafe Boulud is in any way similar to Daniel in terms of quality, I should be very happy.

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We ate dinner at Cafe Boulud on Sunday. If you are hoping for an experience close to Daniel, you will be disappointed. The menu is geared differently, the service is a comparative joke, and the "polish" just isn't there. Our meal was lackluster at best. Eating at Daniel last month was a treat, CB is just something you get through.

We ate there in the Carmellini era also. While the food then was much better, the service still lacked.

I hope your experience is better...

Edited January 17, 2006 by adegiulio (log)

[oakapple]

We ate dinner at Cafe Boulud on Sunday. If you are hoping for an experience close to Daniel, you will be disappointed. The menu is geared differently, the service is a comparative joke, and the "polish" just isn't there.

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I'm not really sure who would go to Café Boulud expecting an experience similar to Daniel. Are you saying that Café Boulud is a poor restaurant on its own terms? Or, are you just saying that diners expecting a second Daniel will be disappointed?

Edited January 17, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[adegiulio]

We ate dinner at Cafe Boulud on Sunday. If you are hoping for an experience close to Daniel, you will be disappointed. The menu is geared differently, the service is a comparative joke, and the "polish" just isn't there.

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I'm not really sure who would go to Café Boulud expecting an experience similar to Daniel. Are you saying that Café Boulud is a poor restaurant on its own terms? Or, are you just saying that diners expecting a second Daniel will be disappointed?

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My post was a response to a post in which the poster posed the idea that if CB was in any way similar to Daniel, she would be happy. I was responding to that, and while I never used the word "poor", I don't think Cafe Boulud is worthy of its namesake or price.

Wow, thats a lot of "post"

Edited January 17, 2006 by adegiulio (log)

[Marlene]

Maybe I wasn't clear. I'm not expecting the same experience as Daniel, but I am hoping that the quality of food for it's market niche is comparable. Does that make any more sense? If I want a similar experience to Daniel, I'll need to go to ADNY or similar I'm thinking.

[Sneakeater]

My first post-Carmellini meal at Cafe Boulud. Happily, I don't think the place is materially different.

Appetizers: a cream of wild mushroom soup for me. As I sometimes say, with dishes this familiar, the question is only how good the rendition was. This was excellent.

For my companion, tuna tartar with black truffles. LOTS of black truffles. Yet -- how does this happen? -- not an amount of black truffles that overpowered the fish.

Two wins so far.

Entrees: my companion had the duck with mostarda di frutta. She said it was the best duck dish she ever had. After I directed her attention to the other side of the room and snatched a chunk off her plate, I agreed that it was excellent, one of the great current NYC entrees. Gaf's description above is perfect.

I had a lamb shank with Algerian spices (I think the menu said) with a bunch of root vegetables and tea-infused raisins. The lamb shank itself was disappointing -- I mean it was good, but for all the talk of Algerian spices and stuff it wasn't really better than any old lamb shank at any old restaurant. But -- this is going to seem weird, but bear with me -- those few tea-infused raisins were delicious. I never had anything that tasted like that before. Imagine a raisin, but with an extra charge of fragrance that propels it into the extraordinary. OTOH, four or five raisins, however extraordinary they may be as raisins, are probably not a sufficient reason to order this dish.

For dessert, a special of milk chocolate mousse with meyer lemon. I'm not a big fan of milk chocolate, but in this short window I'll get any meyer lemon dish I can. Boy was it good.

If you liked Cafe Boulud before, no reason to stop going now. New(ish) chef Bertrand Chemel is keeping the place on course.

Edited February 8, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

I guess I should add the mandatory report of a service glitch:

They forgot to bring us our amuses, and instead served them to us between our appetizers and entrees. (Hush of pure shock falls over the room.) The amuses were tempuraed shrimp in some kind of sweet and sour sauce, BTW, and were absolutely wonderful (and very generous).

I was so happy about my and my companion's being seated at Cafe Boulud at 8:30 AS WALK-INS that I didn't think to mind. They were appropriately apologetic, though.

Edited February 8, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[oakapple]

A friend has just celebrated her 45th birthday. For the occasion, I decided to take her to Café Boulud, the three-star sibling of Daniel Boulud’s four-star flagship, Daniel. I’ve heard great things about Café Boulud over the years, but Andrew Carmellini, the chef de cuisine to whom it owes its reputation, jumped ship recently to open A Voce, leaving the kitchen in the hands of Bertrand Chemel.

We weren’t blown away. One can never go too far wrong with seared foie gras ($26), but there was nothing distinguished about the preparation. Peking Duck ($36) was likewise competent, and an ample portion, but wasn’t special. My friend had a similar reaction to sweetbreads ($19) and hangar steak ($34). Her cheese course ($21) was one of the comparative bargains.

One server offered a special dessert, but moments later another server told us it was unavailable. The strawberry grati ($13) was just fine, although quickly forgotten.

On the plus side, I was impressed to see that the wine list had a full page of white wine selections under $60, and another full page with reds under $60. I’ve been to plenty of restaurants less ambitious than Café Boulud where the choices under $60 were few and far between.

With so much more to choose from on the menu, I hesitate to say that Café Boulud is coasting, but both of us found the cooking uninspired, given the price point.

[robyn]

Are there any UES restaurants with three stars (granted in the last five or six years)?  I'm sure DB&D would have loved three but I'm sure they were happy to get two.  It is probably the best restaurant on the UES....of course, that's not saying much.

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Ummmm, Cafe Boulud?

Ummmm, DavidBurke & Donatella is better than Daniel?

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Cafe Boulud is on the upper east side - I think . I don't know whether you'd say that AD is on the upper east side (I'd call it Central Park South). I thought DB&D was better than Cafe Boulud - although curiously - I thought Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach was better on both occasions that I dined there than CB in New York. An exception to my "outpost" theory (although the local restaurant critic hated the place). I enjoyed it as much as DB&D. I've never been to Daniel. Robyn

[Sneakeater]

Whatever you think about Cafe Boulud, it's a restaurant on the Upper East Side that's gotten three stars from the New York Times within the last five or six years.

[Nathan]

as I noted in the other thread, my mistake. there are two higher-ranked restaurants than DB&D on the UES. I don't think that changes my point any though...

[oakapple]

as I noted in the other thread, my mistake.  there are two higher-ranked restaurants than DB&D on the UES.  I don't think that changes my point any though...

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The only one you missed is JoJo, which I consider over-rated at three stars, but it has three nevertheless.

Two other UES restaurants with Michelin stars, but only two NYT stars, are Aureole and Etats-Unis.

[Felonius]

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[oakapple]

Overall, my recent meals at Cafe Boulud have been solid but not quite as inspired or memorable as many from Andrew Carmellini's days.

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I dined there for the first time about six months ago (review here), so I can't make comparisons to Chef Carmellini's tenure. Both my friend and I felt that, considering the price point and the restaurant's reputation, it was a little underwhelming. I wasn't so off-put that I wouldn't try it again. But I'll have to find another friend to try it with. Edited February 4, 2007 by oakapple (log)

[ajgnet]

I dined at Cafe Boulud several months ago with some friends of mine. I'd heard such incredible things about the restaurant and, after having a highlight meal of 2006 at Daniel, I greatly anticipated what was to await at one of Chef Boulud's other restaurants. Unfortunately, to say the least, things did not go so well that night.

We arrived on a Saturday night for a 9pm reserve. I know there had been some discussion about capacity problems on Friday and Saturday nights; so, I anticipated a wait before being seated. This wait turned into being seated at 10:30pm. What made this extremely painful was being consistently told that we would be seated "shortly." Otherwise, we could have gone somewhere else and come back. When we were finally seated, the manager apologized for the extended wait and kindly offered us a class of wine. A minor bleep, nothing too bad ... and hey, I had some extra time to look at the dishes on other tables. Then, things got really bad.

My first course, Butternut Squash Soup, was really disappointing. The soup was very thin with a viscosity similar to skim milk. It would run off my spoon without leaving any granular bits of squash behind, something that I look forward to with such a warm and autumnal soup. The soup was under-salted. It was also lukewarm. The portioning was way off -- the bowl seemed more appropriate for tortilla chips. The combination of the soup’s thinness and sheer volume made me reach for the bread instead of the spoon. To add to the randomness, grazing the top of this were raw apple slices (with skin) and a raw brussel sprout leaf. For me, this textural contrast was just too sharp. I also don’t really understand what the leaf was doing there. This whole dish seemed way off. My friend ordered the same soup. Since we were dining with an employee of the Dynex group, we felt awkward sending the dish back and decided to cut our losses and save our appetites after the fifth bite.

The second course, Sea Bass with Squid Ink Risotto was not nearly so disappoining as the first; but, it too was lackluster. Aside from the overall dull flavor, my biggest complaint was the lukewarm temperature again. There was also a shiny film that began to form over the risotto, making me think it’d been sitting around for awhile. Second, was the staining caused by the squid ink. It made the risotto so dark and opaque, that the seasoning and miniature pieces of chorizo were indiscernible. With each slicing of the fish, pieces would fracture off into the muddy abyss. Granted, that might be a personal preference of liking to see exactly what I’m eating.

On the plus side of things, the warm madeleines at dessert were a nice treat. A little dry but the warm temperature made up for that in my book. The only other place I’d ever eaten warm madeleines, outside my own kitchen, was at Daniel. It seems like such a basic idea that really goes a long way. Real tasty. The highlight of the meal came with the petits fours. Small cream puff pastries with cherry cream filling. Absolutely fresh, perfectly balanced (not overly sweet with a pinch of fleur de sel on top), and texturally beautiful. These might have been the best cream puffs I’ve ever had. We requested 3 additional rounds of petits fours. I still think about them.

Overall, I think this was just an off night. I’d like to return at some point to confirm my suspicion.

[riboflavinjoe]

While the food at this restaurant was good (nothing great, but it was good enough), the service was absolutely terrible. We planned on going to Café Boulud as a special supper for our last night on our honeymoon, but they treated us terribly. We didn't mind waiting in the entrance for a little bit while our table was being prepared, but when we sat down at the tables near the entrance, we were not greeted with any warmth, nor did anyone bring us any drinks list. We managed to get a drink list from another couple that was there waiting, too. Once their table was ready, the hostess came to take them to their table, and left their glasses of champagne on the tables near the entrance. My wife saw that one glass was missed by the hostess who was then bringing the glasses to the first guests, and so she said "excuse me..." and was cut off by the hostess with "YOUR TABLE WILL BE READY SOON!" My wife then said "no, I just wanted to say, this glass is theirs too" and the hostess said a cold "I know" and ran off with it to give to the first table. We basically had no attention from our sommelier, I ordered the foie gras and wanted a glass of the Sauternes, but had to order it AFTER my foie had arrived, while my wife ordered her glass of albarino with the tuna tartare AFTER it had already arrived. The timing of whatever service was provided was atrocious. I made sure to ask for the sommelier when my foie plate was finished to ensure I would get a glass of wine to go with my pork loin. At the beginning of the meal, we saw there was a cherry souffle on the specials menu, so my wife got excited and asked the waiter "should I reserve one of these now in order to ensure I get one at the end of our meal?" and our waiter assured us there would be no problem and that we would not have to reserve one. When it came time to order dessert, she asked for the souffle, but it was no longer available! We expressed our disappointment, and they arranged to scrounge up a souffle with a few scraps of cherry at the bottom, but calling a cherry souffle is a fairly heavy stretch. When the bill came, they charged us for a glass of wine we didn’t even drink, but after I pointed out their mistake, they removed it without any hassle, but not very much of an apology either. They delivered my main course while I was away in the restroom, and served my wife's dessert in a chipped bowl. While we were being a bit picky on these last two points, there were so many things about this meal that were completely unacceptable, and we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone going to a city with so many other great places to eat.

[Felonius]

I used to dine at Cafe Boulud regularly, but now that I'm spending most of my time working in places other than NYC, I'm out of the loop.

Has anyone been there recently? From what I've heard, they've had a lot of staff turnover in the past six months. Several sommeliers cycled through, the former manager is now at Aureole, the chef de cuisine (Bertrand Chemel) has left. Then I saw something online the other day about a new chef chef de cuisine who was a contestant on some Iron Chef TV show. What the heck is that about?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear recent reports on Cafe Boulud. Maybe I'll truck on over there today to see for mysef, but then again, I might have to try Bar Boulud instead.

[robert40]

I used to dine at Cafe Boulud regularly, but now that I'm spending most of my time working in places other than NYC, I'm out of the loop.

Has anyone been there recently?  From what I've heard, they've had a lot of staff turnover in the past six months.  Several sommeliers cycled through, the former manager is now at Aureole, the chef de cuisine (Bertrand Chemel) has left.  Then I saw something online the other day about a new chef chef de cuisine who was a contestant on some Iron Chef TV show.  What the heck is that about?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear recent reports on Cafe Boulud.  Maybe I'll truck on over there today to see for mysef, but then again, I might have to try Bar Boulud instead.

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The new Chef de Cuisine's name is Gavin Kaysen. And I heard his new menu was introduced this month. He was also on the Today Show this morning making short ribs that looked delicious.

[ulterior epicure]

The new Chef de Cuisine's name is Gavin Kaysen. And I heard his new menu was introduced this month. He was also on the Today Show this morning making short ribs that looked delicious.

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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.

[WiscoNole]

Do you do anything besides eat $100+ tasting menus?

[ulterior epicure]

Do you do anything besides eat $100+ tasting menus?

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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).