New York's Finest
Sunday, July 23, 2006
I took my wife to Cafe Boulud for dinner while in NYC.
Wow.
Cafe Boulud is the small member of chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant family. It's settled in the lobby of a boutique hotel on the Upper East Side. From the minute you walk in you're in for a treat.
The space is fairly small, seating maybe 75. The color scheme is warm and inviting. The place is bustling - wait staff, wine stewards, the maitre d all moving around in a manner that seems almost choreographed. It's a little loud, but that settle down as the crowed thinned out. The patronage was older than I expected - we were about the youngest couple in the room. And there were clearly a number of regulars.
The menu is interesting. It's broken down into 4 themes, including "the season" and "the market." Each theme has first and second courses that you can mix and match. Or you can order the 8 course tasting menu ($125 per person) and let the chef by your guide. We opted to mix and match. In retropect we should have done the tasting menu but at the time 8 courses seems a bit much.
The food was outstanding. The flavors worked very well together. The presentation was execllent. Portion sizes were just right. We found ourselves eating very slowly and savorving every bite.
We included a cheese course that was nothing short of great. 4 cheeses with accompanyments that included honey in the comb, quince paste, and olives soaked in sweet wine. And again the perfect portion size, leaving for dessert.
Ah dessert...it was super. And the menu offered dessert wine pairings that worked very well.
The wine list was large but not daunting. And the wine stewards were on hand to answer any questions and make recommendations.
At first I wasn't so sure about our server, who was a bit cold and reserved. But as the crowd thinned out (we were the last to leave) she warmed up. As did one of the wine stewards, who ended up sitting with us talking about his daughter, who just gradutated from college. Some people find that type of thing annoying, but to us it's part of the experience and something I wouldn't want to replace.
Cafe Boulud goes to the top of my NYC restaurant list. It's not for everyone. And it is probably better for a special occassion. But it's so unique compared to what we have in Seattle, and the entire experience was so good, that I will recommend it liberally.