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Café Boulud
20 E. 76th St., New York, NY, 10021
nr. Madison Ave.
212-772-2600
| 7.0 | "Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
Exceptional lunch
jbrown413 from 01108 | Posted on 11/1/09
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Took my 82 year old Dad here as a treat. Contrary to earlier reviews, service was exceptional, especially given that he had some special needs in form of using a walker and cane. Had the 3 course fixed price lunch, and every single one was outstanding. Wine by the glass was superb. He is a slow eater, but there was no rush whatsoever. And to top it off, before we left, we got to see Mick Jagger as he came in for lunch also.
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The service here was AWFUL
te08 from 10012 | Posted on 2/16/09
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The service here was AWFUL and one of the managerial staff downright rude. The food is what you'd expect, but is unfortunately overshadowed by the service.
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So glad our concierge recommended it !
margaretmdalbey from 30350 | Posted on 12/12/08
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My husband and I were in NYC for us to attend the final Yankee series at the Stadium, so dinner after a game had to be less than "black tie." Concierge at The Palace recommended Cafe' Boulud (we'd heard of Daniel before), and we found the cafe' very charming and warm, although we were seated late and had to accept a back banquette (the place was still full at 10:45 p.m. Friday night). But beyond our seating location (we were dressed better than many guests, to be honest), the tomato appetizer, the endive salad, and both of our pasta entree's were beyond exceptional. Freshness of ingredients was the key, as well as originality and presentation. Plus, we weren't given "skimpy" portions, as we have experienced in many finer dining establishments. Our table manager went to extremes to make our experience delightful, and the FOUR different wait staff we had smoothly circulating our meal were friendly, helpful, and not in the least bit "stuffy" or snobbish. We left a deserved note of thanks to the staff and chef, and we will definitely return again when we enjoy our Christmas in NYC.
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Mediocre
omeko3 from 10590 | Posted on 5/16/08
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I went to Cafe Boulud for lunch, it was a mediocre experience, the food was ok, not nearly as good as DB Bistro. The decor was very nice but the service was pretty bad; my party was looked down upon during the entire meal, from almost every staff member, and we were served the wrong dishes, just like the table next to us!!! I will not return in the future.
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great experience
deeaitch from 10029 | Posted on 4/24/08
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My experience at Cafe Boulud was great. I'm surprised there are bad reviews about the service, because I was very impressed. Our server never interrupted our conversations, was polite, knowledgeable and made us feel very comfortable taking our time. The decor is not my style, but again, the service and food compensated us. Big time.
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Exquisite
littleblackdress from 96815 | Posted on 8/16/07
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Cafe Boulud can be intimidating in its decor (very Upper East Side, bright lighting, formal tone, etc.). But once I got over my insecurities, it was a fabulous dining experience, bar none. We went very early (around 6pm) so the cramped table spacing was a non-issue. Great heirloom tomato salad to start, and tasting my mother's lobster dish made me wish I had ordered it, too, although my duck was perfect. I loved how my dessert was described as hazelnut marjolaine with a "chocolate popsicle" that turned out to be a miniature eskimo pie with the tiniest, perfect pieces of hazelnut I have ever seen. Truly magnificent.
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Elegant cafe dining within tight quarters.
martin_chamois from West 50's | Posted on 4/7/07
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Cafe Boulud provides a stylish, quality dining experience. The total experience is only compromised by the tight seating, in which you are as likely to experience the conversation of the neighboring table as with your companions and guests. I assume the demand for tables has caused management to “double up” the tables, which presents a formidable challenge to the wait staff. After getting comfortable with the tight quarters, the dining experience is a pleasure, great menus, quality ingredients and preparation. A recent lunch proved again that this is an outstanding dining place and the prix fix menu yields a real value. Overall, elegant café dining on the Eastside.
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Very Very disapointing
Alex1983 | Posted on 12/9/05
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The service is awful! You really want to leave the restaurant before you even get to eat something. We got our appetizers 20 min before having someone take our order for the wine! Unbelievable. The food is very good, but the service is so bad, it is not worth it.
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Disappointing
erzsikem | Posted on 1/3/05
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Service was so poor that I felt like leaving before we even started eating. Food was good but certainly not the levels that Daniel has gotten us used to. Wouldn't go back and don't understand the hype at all.
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A Noble Endeavor
godsavethequeen | Posted on 3/8/04
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She's a real beauty, oh yes! Not the best; not even close - but a teriffic experience. Classy dining with an older, sophisticated crowd - no riff-raff please. A little cramped, but what do you expect - this is not London after all. GSTQ.
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