DB Bistro Moderne

[Jason Perlow]

But, can you get a "Double Double Double Truffle, Animal Style" ?

[Fat Guy]

Well, there is the "caviar burger" at Cafe Noir in Beverly Hills. It's $150. No beef, just caviar layered with blinis in a burger-like configuration. Comes with fries and a shot of stoli.

[jogoode]

Too many truffles on this thing would be disgusting I'm sure. But with Boulud's pricing, I wonder if "double" in this case means "two".

[Fat Guy]

"Too many truffles" isn't a concept one really has to wrestle with at the $99 price point. That quantity, at NY restaurant price levels, is still firmly in the "garnish" category.

[jogoode]

Even for black truffles?

[Fat Guy]

Assuming these are fresh black winter Perigord truffles, it's hard to imagine that the extra $40 buys you more than an extra half an ounce. I think if you go directly to Urbani as a consumer you'll pay about $50 per ounce. Someone with up-to-date truffle info can refine those numbers, since I'm just estimating (Urbani doesn't list its prices online).

If DB is selling lesser truffles, like summer truffles or some sort of preserved product (the term "freshly shaved" is ambiguous, as is the term "black truffles"), there could be several ounces involved. That would start to seem like a lot.

[el nino]

aren"t we missing the point here?a burger is all about the perfect beef,bap,tomatoand sauces,why trying to bastardise it?

too many black truffles can be overpowering and in the "burger"i bet they are the only thing you can taste .i think this is such nonsense that even if that was a joke ,i wouldn"t think its funny,this is material for "foodies" who haven t got a clue what they are speaking about.

[Pan]

What did you mean by "bap"?

[Fat Guy]

El Nino, a DB burger is a burger in name only, and is not overpowered by the truffles. It's little cubes of foie gras and pulled braised short rib meat stuffed into a ground tenderloin patty. The truffles work well with it, just as you'd expect truffles to work well with foie gras and short ribs. Not that I think the DB burger is a terrific dish, but the overpowered-by-truffles objection just doesn't fly.

That being said, I disagree that a normal hamburger would necessarily be overpowered by truffles. Beef is a fairly robust meat that should easily be able to handle plenty of truffles. I've had lobster, halibut, and other delicately flavored foods with black truffles and haven't noticed any problems with balance. In my opinion, the flavors and aromas of truffles tend to register at a different level from the underlying food, thus acting very much as an enhancer rather than a competitor.

[alacarte]

What did you mean by "bap"?

In the UK, that's what they call hard rolls. Sometimes any sandwich served on such a roll is referred to as a "bap" too.

[jogoode]

aren't we missing the point here?a burger is all about the perfect beef,bap,tomatoand sauces,why trying to bastardise it?...

I mentioned the burger because I think it's absurd -- which doesn't mean I wouldn't eat it. As long as you understand that what you are eating is, as FG said, "a burger in name only", it can't hurt.

And I do not like tomatoes on my burger if they are not in ketchup form.

[hannnah]

One of VH1's talking-wallpaper non-music shows showed one of the DB burgers in cross-section. It didn't really look that appetizing. Plus, you'd have to have a reticulating head to take a bite out of it - if the hands holding it were regular size, the burger itself was enormous.

[Fat Guy]

It's not any bigger than the standard New York burger. I think the standard New York burger is too big, but the DB burger does conform to community standards in terms of size. In terms of whether or not it looked appetizing, that probably has more to do with VH1's food stylist (or lack thereof) than with the innate appearance of the item, which is quite attractive when presented at the restaurant (er, Bistro).

[jogoode]

Looks small next to the pomme frites here. And pretty.

But here's a more realistic picture (scroll down slowly; it's the twelfth picture, right after a big picture of Angelina Jolie (sp?) in silver).

I just read somewhere that he was promoting the extra truffle option a while ago on the Good Morning/Good Day shows, Regis, etc...

[tommy]

several people here have obviously had the burger. i don't recall anyone saying that it was big, or required some special technique to eat. seems normal, and not too much of a hassle to eat to me. in fact, i've had many burgers that were much bigger.

edited for spelling. i'm not sure where my head is today.

Edited December 26, 2003 by tommy (log)

[elyse]

Hypothetically, if I went there for a burger, what would happen if I asked for it without foie? Should I call ahead?

[slkinsey]

Yea, I'd call ahead about that if you really don't like foie. It's pretty integral to that particular burger, and they may have trouble making it or it may be difficult to make it without.

[LJC]

I just got back from Caracas and while I was there I was reading a local magazine where they wrote about the DB Burger. The focus was the price; they converted it into Bolivares and it came out to about Bs. 150,000.00 which is enough to buy a very good steak dinner for 4 or about 250 cups of coffee.

[Pan]

Good God, 250 cups of coffee! That puts it into perspective!

[tommy]

Good God, 250 cups of coffee! That puts it into perspective!

yeah, they must have some cheap-ass coffee!

[LJC]

a single shot esspresso with or without milk ranges between 20 and 30 cents US or Bs. 600.00. A beer costs about Bs. 1,300.00. So a DB burger can get you about 110 beers.

[jogoode]

To resurrect an old thread...

I enjoyed my boeuf en gelee so much that I decided to try db's two-course pre fixe. For around thirty bucks, you get an appetizer or dessert, chosen from a very limited selection, and a main dish.

I tried the country duck pate, arranged beautifully on the plate with little dots and stripes of house-pickled vegetables: a tiny chanterelle and piece of shitake, sweet ramps, very delicate pickled ginger cut into three petals, two cubes of pickled onion(?), and a jagged line of highly horseradishy mustard. It was excellent. The pate was rich tasting, coarse, and had bits of peppercorn. With that and the pickled vegetables, every bite was different. Piled in the lower right-hand corner of the plate were little granules of something, more pepper maybe.

For my main I chose Roasted Atlantic Cod with Brandade Crust, Cockles and Chive Beurre Blanc. They gave me an enormous piece of fish, surrounded with cockles, carrots, and leeks. The buerre blanc was excellent and picked up a briny flavor from the cockles (there may have been some juice from the cockles in the sauce). The brandade topped the fish and breadcrumbs on the very top were crunchy from the oven.

I had a very fruity glass of Riesling -- my first time trying a Riesling -- and it may not have been the best choice. But its sweetness was welcome as my dishes very rich. I thought the lunch was a great value. The service was great, the portions generous, and the food very simple and enjoyable.

[docsconz]

JJ, Was the reisling from Alsace or Germany? While it probably wasn't a bad match, it doesn't IMO appear taht it would have been the best match to highlight reisling. I would suggest something spicier or even richer (i.e. creamier) with a "very fruity" reisling. A dryer reisling like a German kabinett might have been a better match for your meal. Then again, maybe it was, sine even the kabinetts often come off as very fruity.

I have enjoyed db Bistro the several times I have been. It is my favorite spot for pre-theater dining. I did have the burger once - it was outstanding. Another time I had the roast chicken (it might have been guinea hen before I knew what that was) and it too was outstanding.

[jogoode]

Thanks for your comments, docsconz. It was definitely a German riesling, possibly from Joseph Leitz, though I could be mangling that name. I think if it were drier I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but again I don't know what a dry riesling tastes like.

[jogoode]

db is now serving a choucroute on Mondays says nymetro.com's Restaurant Insider, which for some reason I can't figure out how to link.

I had heard they were serving choucroute a month ago and asked when I went. They said they weren't. I'd really like to try it.