Secret to Daniel's consistency?

[Felonius]

If I had to give a ranking for consistency in terms of food, service and overall dining experience to NYC's top restaurants, I would likely rank all three of Daniel Boulud's establishments in the top three slots (the other contender would likely be Gramercy Tavern, but I don't dine there often enough to definitively evaluate it). While I have had mind-blowing meals at places like Bouley and Jean-Georges that may have slightly surpassed those had Chez Boulud, these restaurants and their competitors are nowhere near as consistent in their delivery. After several years of regular dining at Cafe Boulud, and to a lesser extent Daniel and DB, I have found that Daniel Boulud has achieved the closest thing to McDonalds-esque consistency (and I dont' mean this in a pejorative way) in the haute cuisine world. When I walk into one of his establishments and plunk down the big bucks, I have nearly a 100% chance of getting what I came for and leaving totally satisfied.

In your opinion, how does he do this where so many others have failed?

Is he in the kitchen of all three establishments supervising on a regular basis?

[Leslie Brenner]

I agree with you, Felonius, about the degree of consistency at Boulud's three restaurants, and it's no accident: such consistency is of paramount importance to Daniel. It's interesting, too, that you bring up McDonald's: I recounted an episode in my book in which New York Times reporter John Tierney called a handful of French chefs to ask their opinion of McDonald's hamburgers (in response to anti-McDonalds protests in France), and Boulud talked about being impressed with their consistency. The exchange is as follows:

"There is no shame in going to McDonalds," Tierney quotes him as saying. "The food is predictable. You go there 20 years later, and it tastes the same."

Then why, Tierney wants to know, "are the McDonald’s bashers so popular in France?"

"The French are jealous," Boulud concludes. "The hamburger may be the most successful snack in the world. The French wish they could have invented McDonald’s."

In answer to your question, first I'd say that the fact that he's so completely involved in the day-to-day running of all three of his restaurants (though perhaps less so, at this point, with Cafe Boulud) has a great deal to do with how they achieve such consistent high quality. When not out of town, Boulud is just about always in one of his restaurants, often in the kitchen. But it also lies in how very driven Boulud is--and his quest for perfection is really the theme of The Fourth Star. For a fuller answer, I can only tell you that it really took me 300+ pages to explain it!

[Felonius]

Thanks for your reply! I'm heading out to buy a copy of your book this afternoon.

[Andy Lynes]

Felonious, is it too late to ask you to wait for the results of the competition? the odds are in your favour!