"I go to the Spotted Pig maybe two or three times a month."Photo: Melissa Hom
All Posts Tagged: ‘cafe boulud’
Rising Star Chef Gavin Kaysen Celebrates With Lamb’s Heart
Harvard Grad Couldn’t Find His Way Out of a Bar With a Key; First Impressions of Sheridan Square
Astoria: Mundo Cafe will bring back its summer menu next week. Which means the return of Hungarian cherry soup, which only looks like Pepto-Bismol. [Joey in Astoria]
Carroll Gardens: Yes, that's a giant gondola made out of ice in the window of Marco Polo. The restaurant's celebrating its 25th anniversary, but no, they probably won't let you ride it even in this heat. [Lost City]
Greenwich Village: Recently opened Thunder Jackson's has good bar food, but the forties of Miller High Life served in paper bags are $12. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Upper East Side: Frank Bruni finds the most interesting outcome of the Beard Awards to be Café Boulud's Gavin Kaysen as Rising Star Chef since "this says a lot about the impression Kaysen has made, or rather how quickly he’s made it. And it says a lot about Daniel Boulud’s ability to pick talent." [Diner's Journal/NYT]
Williamsburg: A Harvard grad got himself locked into Trophy Bar after passing out in the bathroom, and by the time he got a friend to come by the morning after and try to help, he had fallen asleep in the bar's back garden. [NYT]
West Village: Web buzz has it that Sheridan Square's food is legit, but the atmosphere is strange since so far the restaurant always feels empty. [Eater]
Clinton and Ray Team Up for Fund-raiser; What Lidia Served the Pope
• Rachael Ray and Bill Clinton are opening a pop-up restaurant Monday night in the Barbuto space to benefit her Yum-o! organization. [NYDN]
• Pinkberry’s “all natural” frozen yogurt contains a lot of ingredients that aren’t so natural. [NYT]
• Stephen Mancini produces homemade grappa, limoncello, and wine in the cellar of Union Square Café. [NYS]
Burger King Is Recessionproof; UWS Gets Food Festival
• Burger King CEO John Chidsey explains how the fast-food industry benefits from economic squeezes: “It’s very hard for me to imagine that the economy could ever get so bad that somebody could not afford to go buy a Double Cheeseburger from McDonald’s or a Whopper Jr. from us for $1.” [WSJ]
• Some food experts and wishful thinkers argue that rising meat and corn prices will cause Americans to consume fewer nutritionally questionable products and instead focus on local fruits and vegetables. [NYT]
• On May 31, for $100, you’ll have a chance to taste all the gems of the Upper West Side at the aptly named "New Taste of the Upper West Side." [NYP]
Jim Leiken Is the Next Star From Boulud's Chef Stable
"Imagine you’re a soft-shell crab. How would you want to be cooked?"Photo: Melissa Hom
Age: 33
Restaurant: DB Bistro Moderne
Background: A local product (he grew up in Scarsdale), Leiken worked with Mike Anthony at March, and later opened Tabla’s Bread Bar as head cook. Another spell at March under Wayne Nish led to three years at Daniel, where he worked every station in what amounted to a fine-dining graduate program. He's currently executive sous chef (the equivalent to chef de cuisine) at DB Bistro Moderne.
Momofuku Ko to Open Next Week; Wheat Prices to Affect Pizza and Bagel Lovers
Momofuku Ko is scheduled to open on March 12, and once the friends-and-family period ends, the only way to get in will be through online reservations. [Eater]
Café Boulud still has the power to draw big names like Tom Ford, Barbara Walters, and Bruce Springsteen. [WSJ]
The same I.D. scanners that help keep out underage drinkers at nightclubs are also helping police track down the various shooters and stabbers that frequent these places. [NYP]
No Mansion for You This Weekend; Clinton and Obama Aprons
Don’t expect to get into Mansion tonight without an invite — or anytime this weekend unless you’re a model or designer. But you can experience their sex toys firsthand on Valentine’s Day. [Down by the Hipster]
Related: Mansion’s House Is Not Entirely in Order
Frank Bruni thinks Allen & Delancey and Sfoglia are romantic choices for Valentine’s Day. Too bad you won’t be able to get in. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Restaurant Week may be over, but there are still some (relatively) good deals to be had in this town. Case in point: On February 19, you can get a four-course meal at Café Boulud for the price of three courses. [Zagat Buzz]
Gavin Kaysen Tests His Menu at Café Boulud; Williamsburg's Pampa Still a Mystery
Astoria: Time Café is said to serve a solid brunch. The fries look a bit pale, but after a few "terrific" mimosas, they'll probably hit the spot anyway. [Joey in Astoria]
East Village: The culinary study center the area desperately needs opens today. [Restaurant Girl]
Flatiron: On Monday, January 28, 4-Foodies is hosting an Italian Favorites tasting at Lunetta. [4foodies]
Upper East Side: Bar Boulud's success hasn't hurt Café Boulud, where chef Gavin Kaysen is currently testing his new menu; the latter DB spot still attracts eye candy like former Giants star Tiki Barber. [Mouthing Off/Food&Wine]
Williamsburg: A sleek new building on Graham Avenue will soon be home to a restaurant called Pampa, but no one really knows what the place will be like. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Chefs Bored With Food, Move to Clothes; Pricey Plates and Polygamy Just Go Together
Wondering who actually orders $1,000 bagel or a $28,000 bejeweled sundae? Serendipity 3 owner Stephen Bruce “wouldn’t be surprised if soon we get a call from a Middle Eastern prince or Shah willing to give something sweet to his many wives on his next trip to the city.” [News.Com.Au]
Related: Have White Truffles Finally Gone Too Far?
Breaking: Serendipity 3 Closed by DOH
Since chefs, mixologists, and their restaurants are the newest breed of celebrity, it's about time they started designing clothes. Get dressed at Freemans, Death & Co., and PDT. [Mouthing Off/Food&Wine]
Restaurateur Jimmy Bradley on the source of his managing prowess: “The Art of War by Sun Tzu taught me many leadership and organizational lessons.” [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Adam Platt Defends His Ratings
After seeing that our good friend Adam Platt awarded Allen & Delancey, a restaurant we especially admire, a measly two stars, we decided to confront him with his misjudgment, and request – nay, demand! – that he explain and even justify his method of awarding stars to us. We knew it was an argument we couldn't win, and what's more that we shouldn't win, given the fact that Platt is arguably the city's top critic, but we also know he would respond to us like the big baited bear that he is. The debate played out via our favorite medium, Instant Messenger.
A Restaurant Gala on a Scale We Can Live With
Good meal, good cause, and a haircut, too.Photo courtesy C-Cap
A Taste of Fall [C-CAP]
A Voce’s New Pastry Chef Is Homegrown
Joshua Gripper: local boy makes good.Photo courtesy of A Voce
New Café Boulud Chef a Young Buck
Boerum Hill: Lazy artists have nothing better to do with their time than wait in line for the unopened Trader Joe’s. [A Brooklyn Life]
Chelsea: Next Tuesday Del Posto will host a Wine. Dine. Donate. dinner with Epicurious to benefit America’s Second Harvest. [Gothamist]
Meatpacking District: The Inn Lw12 has a new fall menu. [Grub Street]
Upper East Side: Café Boulud’s replacement for Betrand Chemel is 28-year-old Food & Wine Best New Chef for 2007 Gavin Kaysen who’s riding into town all the way from Rancho Bernardo. [San Diego Tribune via Eater] From now through Sunday, the Garden Court Café at the Asia Society will feature a special Indian-French menu from Vikram Garg, executive chef of D.C.’s Indebleu. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Exclusive: Chemel Leaves Café Boulud and NYC; Head Chef Named at Bar Boulud
Bertrand Chemel is on his way to Washington.Photo: Zandy Mangold/Retna
Your Chance Has Come at Last to Eat Boulud’s Food for Free
Just another day at the stove at Williams Sonoma.Photo courtesy Daniel Boulud
What Do You Mean? We Love the Upper East Side!
There's only one Sandro, and he isn't in Park Slope.Photo: RJ Mickelson
Dear Grub Street,
The Upper West Side is teeming with activity, as is every other area of Manhattan, but I very rarely see anything on the Upper East Side. What have you got against the several hundred thousand people who live there and their restaurants and chefs?
— A reader with a valid gripe.
Monkey Bar Gets Hit; Three Stars for Café Boulud
Paul Adams liked some things about Monkey Bar, but it’s never a good sign if you hire a famous Chinese chef (Patricia Yeo) and the review includes the words “My neighborhood Chinese takeout does better dumplings.” [NYS]
Café Boulud, in an important rereview, gets three stars — enough to add momentum to Daniel Boulud’s empire building. [NYT]
Insieme looks dull, observes Lauren Collins in The New Yorker, but “profligate flavor and spirited service” show themselves once the food starts coming. [NYer]
‘Next Food Network Star’ Contestant Accused of Fudging Past; Scott Conant Has Projects in Play
Ex-Marine Josh Adam Garcia, one of the standout contestants on The Next Food Network Star, is accused of lying about both his military service and graduating from cooking school. [Marine Corps Times]
Scott Conant has Miami and New York projects on the horizon. And his go-to restaurants in New York are Daniel, Café Boulud, Daisy May’s, Blue Smoke, and Tsushima. [RG]
Some food-world heavy hitters recollect their greatest meat moments, as a follow-up to yesterday’s Times story about the fatty times we live in. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Appearing Tonight: Soft-shell Crabs at Anthos and Lamb Trio at Café Boulud
Feeling crabby?Photo: Jed Egan
Anthos: Pan-fried soft-shell crabs, breaded in water chestnut flour, served over a smoked egg vinaigrette with lovage, white asparagus, spring green almonds, and pickled pearl red onions. 36 W. 52nd St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-582-6900.
Café Boulud: Lamb trio: braised lamb neck, roasted and confited lamb loin, and lamb kefta (spiced ground-lamb turnover), garnished with red lentils, carrots, and almond-stuffed prunes. 20 E. 76th St., nr. Madison Ave..; 212-772-2600.
Gramercy Tavern: Suckling-pig porchetta, stuffed with house-made fennel sausage and Swiss chard, and served on a bed of rutabaga purée with grilled Swiss-chard leaves and braised Swiss-chard stems. 42 E. 20th St., nr. Park Ave. S.; 212-477-0777.
JoJo: Grilled organic pork chop, marinated with Chinese cumin and honey, and served with wild ramps and fava beans. 160 E. 64th St., nr. Lexington Ave..; 212-223-5656.
Blue Smoke: Barbecued organic turkey with apple sausage stuffing and bacon-braised collard greens. 116 E. 27th St., nr. Park Ave.; 212-447-7733.
Haute Brazilian at Café Boulud — Limited Time Only!
Prawns in cream of cassava with salmon roe, up close and personal.Photo courtesy Cafe Boulud
Boulud at Red China’s Service
Soon, the sun will never set on Daniel Boulud’s empire: The chef is opening a restaurant in China. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, someone from high up within his organization confirms that construction is about to start and that the opening is slated for the end of this year or the beginning of next. The restaurant, currently unnamed, will be in the style of Café Boulud and located in an area of Beijing called the Legation, a quarter of former embassy buildings. Just don’t expect any Chinese touches — Boulud’s not turning into a fusion chef just because he’s headed out of town. “It will be primarily French-influenced cooking,” our source confirms.
Tables Available at Brasserie LCB and Cru; Balthazar Mostly Booked
Tables Available at Café Boulud and Savoy; Blue Hill Mostly Booked
Table Available at Picholine; Balthazar and Le Bernardin Mostly Booked
Tables Open at Cookshop and Savoy; Barbuto and Blue Hill Mostly Booked
Tables Open at Barbuto and Prune; Blue Hill and Café Boulud Mostly Booked
Tables Open at Savoy and Tocqueville; Perry Street Booked Until 9:30
Tables Open at Cookshop and Savoy; Blue Hill Mostly Booked
Gulf Shrimp Make a Comeback
Tabla takes on the great white shrimp.Photo: Melissa Hom
You can't keep good shrimp down. Hurricane Katrina nearly wiped out the tasty specimens inhabiting the gulf, but replenished stocks mean that in the past week white shrimps have begun to reappear in New York. Big and sweet, with a hint of iodine, the fall shrimp are the best of the year. (Their brown brethren, which were brought in over the summer, also have a certain charm.) Here's a short list of restaurants that buy them fresh from Louisiana.
Ssäm's Ssecret Chef's Table
Photo by Jeremy Liebman