Cafe Boulud

10/16/2014

This restaurant was recommended by a friend. So I had lunch with my husband here. I'm rarely satisfied with French cuisine, but this one was Good!
Nice atmosphere. Good service. I'm a  soup lover, and I ordered a veal soup with veggies, it was good, creamy, medium rich, good flavor, not too much spices Then I ordered some mushroom risotto - Yummy! Is not easy to cook a good tasty risotto, but this one was rich, flavorful, other words- Excellent!
Even though I was full with all i ate , I ordered a desert- Dulce de Leche- it was well represented, a small size portion, so that was a perfect ending of my lunch!

9/23/2014

The restaurant is fairly quiet for a Saturday lunch, and the crowd veered towards the older residents of the city.

Food:
The menu is split up into four different sections representing different flavors / feelings, which was kind of nice.

We got complimentary fried risotto balls (Arancini), which was a nice crispy/crunch start to the meal.

Our iced Arnold Palmer's came back totally iced tea and no lemonade, so we had to send it back to be re-done (which I think they just poured out some tea and added lemonade to)

Appetizers: Maine Peekytoe Crab and Painted Hills Beef Tartare. I would like to say the crab was not very mindblowing, but the presentation was nice (they added sauce to it in front of you) with a ton of colors. The tartar, on the other hand, was awesome...there was plenty of flavor and texture incorporated into this dish, and they were definitely not skimpy on the proportions.

Entrees: Long Island Duck Breast and Grilled Colorado Lamb Loin. Each dish comes in a pretty "messy" presentation (i.e. not very simple, but rather complicated and full of different things). It was kind of entertaining looking at the dishes because of all the stuff on one plate, haha. The duck was made crisp, tender, and moist while slightly pinkish/rare. I usually have my duck well done (in most asian dishes), but I enjoyed it being less fully cooked as well. Personally, I was not a huge huge fan of the lamb loin, but the empanada was pretty crispy.

Dessert: Raspberry Vacherin and Passion Fruit Flan. Personally not a fan of the raspberry vacherin -- it wasn't very impressive. However, did love the tangy flavor of the passion fruit flan. I would definitely say the desserts had cuter/prettier presentation haha.

Nearby suggestions: after this, we stopped by my favorite NYC gelato place, Sant Ambroeus (literally 1-2 blocks away). Then off to Laduree (which I still do not like due to how overly sweet it is -- I opt for my homemade macarons, thanks). After that was the cupcake ATM at sprinkles (just for the novelty of it -- the cupcake itself is a bit too sweet). Our final stop of the gastro-omnomnom-day ended up being at Alice's Tea Cup for afternoon tea, scones, and heart-attack s'mores dessert (which was ok). I won't say more about all these other establishments here, but you can take a look at my reviews on those locations on my page :)

9/20/2014

The French countryside in the heart of NYC!

Flavors, aromas and the meticulous complexity of French cuisine elegantly engrafted in masterpieces ready to release the senses. From the shrimp ceviche that captured the country's southern coast breeze and temperament, to the skate fillet carefully prepared and accompanied with veggies and potatoes to the chocolate cake and madeleines that the locals just baked for you, still warm, fluffy and moist, the microcosm of France unfolds in front of you. Overall, c'est magnificue!

Truly worthy of a visit!

10/13/2014

Went during Restaurant Week to be a bit disappointed with the meals. The beginning and the end was enchanting but the middle was very, very hazy. I expected more from this restaurant.

Appetizer (Shrimp Ceviche) really made me expect a lot of things. It was just an exceptional dish... I wish I had this as an entree instead.

Entree (9 herb ravioli) ended up being a complete disappointment. Really salty actually and I thought that the foam wasn't necessary.

Dessert (Fruity...... totally forgot what it was called) it wasn't horrible but it wasn't OMG THIS IS SO FREAKING GOOD either. Meh.

Madeleine = ORGASM. I shamelessy asked for another batch and they did not deny me heaven! :)

Staff was definitely nice, and the atmosphere was great. I would like to come back to give it another chance, but from restaurant week... this restaurant was just... alright.
You can read more of my detailed review here: wondersforthesoul.blogsp…

9/4/2014

I got to catch Gavin Kaysen right before his departure to his hometown and new restaurant Merchant. Lunch during midweek is busy with locals and tourists alike. One of the things that kept me entertained was to here this group of Koreans that spoke Spanish the whole time. turns out they are from Paraguay. It added to the interesting ambiance and flavor that Cafe Boulud provides. I was sat at the far wall by the kitchen with a great view of the whole dining room, plus the service stations nearby, offering a way to observe service from both sides of the equation.

Many of my acquaintances from the Dinex group almost all came from this establishment so it was interesting to finally see where they passed through. My captain who took great care of me once worked for a friend of mine. Small small world. On his recommendation I got:

Aged Parmesan Ravioli
broccoli rabe, herb breadcrumbs
roasted tomato sauce

Banana Leaf Wrapped Halibut
roasted poblano peppers, yucca cake
scallions, black eyed peas

Chocolate Napoléon
sour cherry, nougat
pistachio ice cream

Passion Fruit Flan
mint marinated mango, lime crémeux
passion fruit-mango sorbet

Everything was delicious and crazy filling. I had to go walk off the meal in Central Park nearby or I would have probably exploded on my flight to Europe shortly after. Not only did they send out the desserts, they added a ton of macarons and other treats for the mignairdises. Talk about excess! The service as you would expect is top notch but I think having a lot of folks in common helped out too. Got a quick tour of the kitchen and Chef Kaysen described the old layout when it was still Restaurant Daniel. A little fact: Chef Kaysen competed in the Bocuse D'or with Brandon Rodgers who is one of my favorite chefs at Benu in San Francisco. The world is small indeed. Im sure Chef Aaron is well into taking over the reigns now and a return trip is order to see how they've evolved

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• See all photos from Kim N.

8/27/2014

My bf and I had lunch here during RW a few weeks ago. Not sure if it was because of RW but they were quite busy. The dining room itself is quite nice though. And they have some outdoor seating as well.

For the first course I chose the ceviche and my bf had a summer soup. I forgot what kind of beans it was made from exactly but the cold preparation was lovely and very good. For the entree he had the hanger steak and I had skate. We both preferred my dish for this round as the combination of flavors were delightful while the steak just felt average. The dessert course was the best of all and we enjoyed both the mocha torte and the passion fruit semifreddo. Over all the food was quite good. However the service left much to be desired coming from a top-tier restaurant. The staff was borderline unfriendly and not as attentive as they should be. Perhaps it's the RW influence but I've always felt that the quality of a high-end restaurant can be judged not just by the good but also by how well they treat their clientele. As far as RW meals go though, it was one of the better ones for sure.

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  Passion fruit semifreddo

  Passion fruit semifreddo
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  Mocha torte

  Mocha torte
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  Skate

  Skate
• See all photos from Ryna D.

8/13/2014

The price is the only thing that's upscale. I had a bowl of very high quality mac and cheese for an appetizer for $20. Well, that's what it tasted like anyways. Then for the main course I had about 6 ounces of sea bass. It was the most bland $40 dish imaginable. I've made salmon with a lemon butter sauce (literally, that's it, just lemon and butter) that tasted just as good.

For desert I had some artistic chocolate thing. It was very pretty, but didn't taste nearly as good. I'm not sure. This was a while ago. It was so unmemorable that I can't recall the exact dishes. I don't care about my food looking like a piece of art. I'd rather have it taste amazing.

The point is that if you want an expensive fine dining experience, this is the place to go. That is if you don't care particularly about the taste of the food.

8/12/2014

***BRUNCH REVIEW***

Food:28
Service: 23
Decor: Kill me

From the second you walk in you will instantly feel 63 years old.  That is due equally to the geezers that flood the place and the tablecloths.  However, food makes everything better and the food here is really good.  Really good.

7/31/2014

Came here for a restaurant week lunch. It was good and just enough food. Although the portions are smaller than other RW options I've attended. But for $25 I can't really complain!

Shrimp ceviche was truly an appetizer in that I was very appetized (lolol) couldn't really taste the mango here but the guac was nice and tart. A refreshing cold dish!

Herb ravioli with a foamy sauce. Wow very delicious ravioli. I'm used to really heavy creamy meaty ones but as a vegetation entree option it was extremely tasty. That orange purée on the bottom... Amazing whatever it was. I pretty much licked my plate here. Unfortunately it was an extremely small portion size :( The hanger steak was good... extremely well put together with a little side of potato and lightly dressed side vegs (no clue what they were but tasty none the less). You probably would be more full if you picked the steak option.

The favorite part of the meal was hands down dessert. I had the passion fruit dessert with lychee and raspberry and  freeze dried orange garnish. The explosion of flavor!! Totally up my alley as I enjoy sour things a lot. So fruity and refreshing, perfect for summer and everything went so well together!

Also there were two complimentary plates: a taste of their risotto balls (DELICIOUS I WANTED MORE!) and Madeline's, which were also lightly and had a slight lemony taste... Also Delicious. I would think as a French restaurant the bread would be amazing but it wasn't. Actually I am not so sure what was French about my meal anyhow...

The restaurant itself is fairly small and not anything outstanding inside (nice bathroom tho!), and service... Varied. They were very busy and service was great in the beginning but nonexistent in the end. Although this was a nice treat for lunch, I'm not rushing to come back just yet...

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  Passion fruit dessert

  Passion fruit dessert
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  Hanger steak

  Hanger steak
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  Ravioli

  Ravioli
• See all photos from Christy L.

8/6/2014

Restaurant week review :

Service was polite and smilie just the bread had some delays.

I got gazpacho that was kinda big for appetizer but refreshing nothing very special though

Ravioli was a bit too salty for me, I tried my friend stake and I likes it better.

I got the mocha torte and I likes the crunchy element.

Overall nothing special but it was nice!

8/2/2014

I wanted to love Cafe Boulud and wanted my first visit to be a 5 stars experience.  My colleagues and I traveled from Flatiron to Cafe Boulud for our restaurant week.  It took us 25 mins to get there.  My hope was .. it's better be worth the trip, unfortunately it was slightly a let down .. more like 3.5 stars.

When we arrived, my first impression was .. it felt a bit stuffy, very dimly lit interior, but still classy.  And it was a room full of older crowds on that Friday lunch.  We weren't seated right away even though we had a reservation in advance and had to wait for our table about 7-10 mins.  Restaurant was busy so I tried to be patient.  We've been to a few restaurants during RSW.  Cafe Boulud is the first that we had to wait for our table.  Once we were seated, my friend made a comment that everyone looked at us because we were the youngest table there.  Later on, all of us agreed that it's too dim inside .. just made us feel sleepy afterward.

Anyhow .. We received a complimentary amuse-bouche from the kitchen, our server didn't look happy and mumble about the amuse-bouche as if he didn't want to serve us or he was in a cranky mood.  But I wasn't in a cranky mood and was eager to get started on my meal.

My 3 courses were Shrimp Ceviche, Pan seared hanger steak, and Passion Fruit Semifreddo.  

Shrimp Ceviche - very refreshing, got my palate excited for my next course, thumbs up!  Order it!  Mango and sourness from lime juice will make your mouth watering.

Pan seared hanger steak - now .. this was a HUGE let down.  There was very little seasoning to the steak.  I had much better steak from lower caliber restaurants.  There was nothing creative about this dish, except Pommes dauphinoise.  That was the most tastiest thing on the plate.  I actually blamed myself at first for ordering hanger steak medium-well.  It definitely was on a tougher side.  I should've gotten a medium particularly for hanger steak.  So I'm not blaming a restaurant for that.  2 other colleagues of mine also ordered hanger steak and they both agreed that flavor was really lacking.  But both of their steaks were tender and juicy.  I regretted for not ordering Ravioli or Skate Wing instead.

Passion Fruit Semifreddo - that was good.  Slightly on sour side, but refreshing.  My friend had Buttermilk Panna Cotta, that was pretty good as well; soft, light, and creamy.

Great thing about service was .. food came out promptly.  I was worried that it would be a very very long lunch.  So I was happy with the kitchen service.  Overall, Cafe Boulud left me wanting for more.  I'm just not sure when I'll make my way back here again.

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  Mocha Torte

  Mocha Torte
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  Passion Fruit Semifreddo

  Passion Fruit Semifreddo
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  Pan Seared Hangar Steak

  Pan Seared Hangar Steak
• See all photos from Kim S.

9/17/2014

We met some friends from out of town here.  The restaurant is very nice.  The service was excellent!  They treat you well.  I suggest dressing nice.  They have an extensive wine list.  Good place to impress a first date. I liked the atmosphere!  Food..apptz...i had the tuna and it was very good!  bf apptz was the sturgeon and it wasn't that great.  my apptz was better.  Main dish i had the Banana Leaf Wrapped Halibut with roasted poblano peppers, yucca cake, scallions, black eyed peas...i really liked it!  bf had the lamb dish and he said it was very tasty..delicious..came with 1 small empanadas and vegetables.  Dessert i had strawberries and creme...it was light and nice.  bf had the icecream..3 flavors.. all good!  We are def heading back.  One thing the portions were little on the small side...but all good!

8/8/2014

Restaurant week review (lunch):

- Shrimp ceviche: three small shrimps fighting on my plate... seasoning was alright but the shrimps were overcooked. (2/5)
- Hanger steak: Huge disappointment, I felt the size of the steak was a joke. I had 5 bites and was already done with it... Even though it was cooked right (medium rare), the steak was not seasoned at all. Quite shocking for a restaurant of that reputation, this is 101 steak, yes chef? Pommes dauphinoises were dry, it was most likely sitting out in the kitchen, briefly heated up in the oven to then be served.. Salad was over seasoned. The main course was just a huge miss on every aspect. (1.5/5)
- Panna Cotta: Deconstructed, flavors were there but again, it was such in small quantity that I left the restaurant hungry... (2.5/5)
- Small madeleines, served warm at the end of lunch: definitely the best part of our meal. (3.5/5)
- Service was good and friendly. (3.5/5)

I know that it is restaurant week and that the quality of the menu is not equivalent to the regular menu but this lunch was just a bad, overpriced meal. ($40+ with a glass of wine)

Special thanks to our table neighbor with the huge showing butt crack (pictures attached).

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  Hanger steak (showing butt crack in the back!)

  Hanger steak (showing butt crack in the back!)
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  Shrimp ceviche

  Shrimp ceviche

8/15/2014

Hands down, best duck I ever had. Service is where it needs to be at these prices, attentive and discrete. We also had the patè as starter and my wife's Bass looked awesome. ( she didn't give me any to try )

One minor negative that could have been a big problem , my olive bread role had an olive pit. A very hard pit that easily could gave broke a tooth.

7/16/2014

This restaurant serves amazing dishes that will satisfy a sophisticated palette. I came here for dinner one night and got the kale sweet potato salad for my appetizer and risotto with truffle oil for my entree. The kale was delicately dressed and had the sweetest grilled sweet potatoes tossed in. The risotto was the perfect consistency and the truffle oil added a rich, earthy flavor.

I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a divine and classy meal.

6/27/2014

If you want to impress, have a great meal, hear your dinner guests conversation and be treated like a princess then this is for you.
Pricey - of course, if you need to look then you can't afford it.
Start the occasion with a nice palate cleansing cocktail
Last Caress,Chartreuse Snow, Juniper Berries,Champagne, then dive into the
Octopus Niçoise, olives, fingerling potatoes, haricots verts, tonnato sauce - a favorite of mine executed divinely - slivers of octopus that will make you purr.
Banana Leaf Wrapped Halibut, roasted poblano peppers, yucca cake
scallions, black eyed peas, a small piece of fish perfectly cooked, more purring!
Split a napoleon dessert, and one glass of wine each, not much change out of $300.
Do dress well or you will feel out of place and heck it's good to dress up sometimes.

8/3/2014

The food was perfect, the service was amazing, and the atmosphere was enchanting.

I had the veal with sweet breads, the beef tartar from painted hills farm (best I've had), and the Duce de lece. I felt perfectly full.

10/6/2014

Very nice!   warming atmosphere and good food!

6/21/2014

Came here after spending the morning at the Met (it's walking distance) and I can speak for both the pre-fix lunch menu and the al a carte. Both were amazing.

For $37.00 (?!?!?!) they have a two-course lunch pre-fix that includes 3 choices of appetizer (a parmesan veloute, an avocado salad or a fluke crudo) and 3 choices of entree (fish, lamb or vegetarian risotto). For $6.00 more you can make it 3 courses and add a dessert. Our choices were hazelnut mousse cake or strawberry something.

With that being said, everything was delicious but a few things stood out more than others. The veloute was a very creamy soup that tasted similar to spinach artichoke dip, nothing too special. The salad was .. well.. salad. It was fresh and well-dressed but I try to avoid plain salads at fancy french restaurants. The fluke crudo was very fresh and lightly dressed with fragrant oils. It was definitely my favorite out of three.

All three people I was with got Arctic char as their main course and were very pleased with it. I did not do the pre-fix and instead ordered the banana leaf wrapped halibut and it was quite delicious. The fish was tender but still had a meaty/steak-like quality. It had a tropical (mango maybe) glaze and was served with black eyed peas and delicious yuca patty, or as my grandmother called it, a latke.

When it came time for dessert I ordered poached apricots. We also ordered the chocolate Napoleon and one person had the hazelnut cake from the pre-fix. I think the a la carte dessert were significantly more beautiful than the hazelnut, but to be fair, they were all outstanding. I would even come back here just for cappuccinos and sweets. At $14 a pop they are pricey, but so worth it. My apricots came with a fluffy marshmallow, sorbet, and other nuggets of goodness. The chocolate Napoleon was dense with pistachio ice cream and sour cherries. It had a great tanginess, which is rare for a cocoa dessert.

We also had a bottle of rose wine ($50) and the bill came out to $85 a person. That is definitely expensive for a lunch, but keep in mind this is the UES. If you stick to the pre-fix, you can get out of here for under $50 per person!
The service was impeccable. I love waiter bread service and this was the epitome of class. Thick circular slices of Plugra butter served alongside hearty fresh slices or butter rolls. You can taste the difference.

In short- go here! Boulud knows what he is doing.

6/16/2014

One of the best French restaurants I've ever eaten!!!
Oh those delicious craft cocktails. Elegant/attentive service, appetizer, dinner, dessert! 4.5x****s for you, Cafe Boulud.
My French girlfriend who was visiting Manhattan said that their food was more French and delicious  than any food she had in Paris!
Must try.
But after 2x cocktails, wine, the food, the bill was so high that I probably would not go back for a while ;).

10/5/2014

I would not return to Cafe Boulud.  The wine, at $16 a glass, was a ripoff, plain and simple.  Exactly one teaspoonful was poured into my glass as a taste.   I thought, "Oh, dear, can they spare it?" but when my glass was poured, it was at most 2.5 ounces, (they claim a 5 ounce pour).  I have never seen so little wine in a glass (and the glass was not large).  When my nicoise salad was served, no bread was offered - I had to request it.  Seating, at the bar, was not comfortable.  The waitress was terrific, but she does not set policy at this establishment.  I will take my busines elsewhere.

7/9/2014

Enjoy yourself here because you probably deserve it.

I came here for dinner, and the service was just so amazing. Friendly. Approachable. Attentive. Polite. Classy
Being called "mademoiselle" just makes me extremely happy, you know.

Ok the food. I ordered both my appetizer and entree from La Salson (Summer Flavors)

Appetizer:
Maine Peekytoe Crab
haas avocado, chamomile - ginger gelée
cashews, chilled carrot broth
$23

It. Tasted. Amazing. There was a thin layer of jelly on top of the crumbled/shredded(?) crab salad (they say) that shaped like a cake.

Main Course:
Long Island Duck Breast
baby beets, arugula, hazelnuts
riso venere, cherry balsamic jus
$42

I usually hate beets, but the beets here is amazing. My duck breast is cooked medium, as recommended by the server. It was really good tasting. I like how they put riso venere underneath it to give it a soothing kick. And also yogurt on the side. Pretty amazing.

For dessert I ordered from La Tradition (French Classics)
Poached Apricot
toasted almond mousse, pain de gênes
basil, apricot sorbet
$14

I guess I didn't expect it to be sour? But it was very good tasting. Creamy. Not too sweet. And everything.

For cocktail I order Roses on the Bottom.
And I would strongly recommend this drink if you're into sweet stuffs. The drink itself is subtle and smooth and a kick of the gin (of course). And on the bottom it's this sweet rose jelly thing waiting for you. It tasted amazing after I finish my drink. Yum!

That's it and I strongly recommend this place!!!

p.s. The people who dine here are usually kind of old. But you know, grandparents are cute, right?

6/13/2014

The gazpacho was delicious.
Professional and friendly staff. The place was packed on a weekday afternoon, probably due to restaurant week.

7/30/2014

Our appetizers were ok, I found the flavours to be lacking - I usually like my seafood with clean flavours however this one simply tasted bland. The entrees were good, steak cooked medium rare was perfect. But the highlight was the dessert. The passionfruit semifreddo was so deliciously light, the passionfruit added much tanginess to the dish. I found the lychees there to be a little out of place as the taste did not blend in with the rest of the dish. However overall a great great dessert.

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• See all photos from Weich Y.

5/24/2014

We were not exactly wow-ed. Service kept on interrupting us or addressing us before actually reaching the front of our table - as if they were in a hurry.
The food was good but I have had more creative and more succulent at other places like Dovetail or Picholine.
It remains a great culinary place but for the same money you can be more impressed elsewhere in the city.

4/7/2014

This is an outstanding restaurant!

For my 30th birthday, my wife picked Cafe Boulud and we were both pretty excited to try out a nice new restaurant. I made a reservation on Yelp and we got there about 5 mins before our reservation.

The friendly hostess seated us almost immediately. The gentleman who waited on us was probably on of my favorite waiters of all time. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and was very friendly, warm and forthcoming. My wife and I both felt that he really did a great job.

We first ordered our drinks while we looked over the menu. The menu is simple and well laid out. We decided to get the appetizer portion of the Garlic Gnocchi to start, along with some Broccoli Rabe. The Gnocchi was REALLY delicious! The Broccoli was a bit salty for my wife's taste but I really liked it.

For my main course, I ordered the Lamb Loin. It was cooked  and seasoned perfectly! It is hard to explain just how succulent and tasty it was! My wife ordered the chicken and as per custom, I ate half of it! :)  The chicken too, was very well prepared.

We got the pear cake dessert to share. That too, was very good. Not as good as the rest of our meal, but good nonetheless.

Overall, we had a really good time. The food is excellent, and the service is fantastic.

If you were on the fence about visiting Cafe Boulud, get off it and go check this place out!

3/2/2014

It's with a small amount of embarrassment that I admit the fact that it took me over a year to finally visit a Daniel Boulud restaurant. It was by no means intentional; I had long heard of his mini-empire in NYC, but the plethora of other options always delayed the initial visit. Nonetheless, when a few friends and I needed a place to hold a farewell brunch, we came to an immediate consensus on Cafe Boulud.

We arrived on a rainy weekend afternoon at the time of our reservation. After getting our coats and umbrellas checked in, we were shown to our seats and promptly given the requisite menus and glasses of water. Cafe Boulud's brunch menu is a little unique in that it gives diners the choice to choose either a two-course or the full three-course brunch prix fixe, which covers a starter, a main, and a dessert. The two-course can include any combination of the three, which offers a good deal of flexibility for diners. As none of the appetizers looked particularly attractive to me, I decided to order a main and a dessert.

I was slightly thrown off at the presentation of the bread which came in the form of a mini baguette, accompanied by a block of butter. Although I would have preferred it served warm and pre-sliced, it was nice to have it while my friends began on their starters. In due time, my Maine Peekytoe Crab Benedict arrived and I was delighted with one of most creative interpretations of the classic egg benedict that I've yet to encounter. A generous serving of crab cake was served on top of a bed of wilted spinach and topped off with a poached egg and a bright sauce choron. The pairing of ingredients was spot on and the preparation of each element was close to flawless as well. The crab cake had just the right amount of breading and crunch, the hint of tomato in the sauce choron was well balanced, and the egg perfectly poached.

Dessert was quite the event as the happenstance of four girls and four dessert options led to an obvious decision; we were presented with a molten chocolate cake, a slice of lemon tart, a dark chocolate mousse, and mango financier. My friends immediately went after the two chocolate plates, and understandably so; the chocolate was rich, not overly sweet, and smartly paired with a vanilla ice cream and an earl grey ice cream. The financier was also satisfactory; a warm  pastry topped off with coconut ganache, and served with a meringue yogurt sorbet. My favorite, though, had to be the lemon tart - bright, acidic, and with a delightfully light meringue, it was the perfect spring dessert. In what seemed to be a matter of minutes, all of our plates were cleared.

It, perhaps, goes without saying that service was exemplary; from the knowledgeable recommendations our server made, to the timing and transition between dishes, we were ensured a wonderful dining experience. It's not simple coincidence that Cafe Boulud has maintained a Michelin star in the most recent year; a pleasant dining ambiance, delicious food, and a high standard in service make it one of the stand-outs in New York City's innumerable restaurants.

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  Madeleines

  Madeleines
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  Molten Chocolate Cake

  Molten Chocolate Cake
• See all photos from Lori L.

4/2/2014

Went here for restaurant week last month. My husband and I both got the mushroom and barley soup, which I found pretty underwhelming, but he thought it was good. If you  told me that it was from a can, I wouldn't bat an eye. For the main, I got the pot-au-feu with marrow toast, which was good, but nothing special. My husband got the rutabaga agnolotti, which he said was really good. For dessert, I got the chocolat financier, which was AMAAAAAAZE. So delicious, I could eat five of them. My husband got the citrus tart, which he let me try, and it was really good. And then we got the complimentary madeleines after that too. And I ate them all. Also, we got the white wine to accompany the restaurant week menu and it was really great! And it was only $9!

So....pros and cons, but I guess it was worth it for restaurant week.

6/23/2014

One of my favorite French restaurants in the hood. I prefer it to the main Daniel restaurant which is too open and a people-gawking scene. The café is more private. I was in Café Boulud last week with a guest from FL. It didn't disappoint. I tried all the specials of the day, truffles, squid, risotto and calves liver for main course. Attentive wait staff, wine glasses filled promptly. When in authentic French eateries I always make sure to order French wines only and a café au lait (if that's too wimpy for you ask for a double shot). Cafe Boulud never loses its touch.... highly recommended.

5/28/2014

Dinner on Saturday May 24 was our first experience in one of Chef Boulud's restaurants. Have tried to get into Daniel unsuccessfully on many occasions so we opted for the Cafe and were not disappointed.

Service was attentive and the lead Elena was very well informed about the menu and the wine list. The menu is divided into four concepts with additional daily specials. First courses were an amazing beef tartare and a melt in your mouth Terrine of Fois Gras. Mains were a lovely Risotto dish and Bacon wrapped pork loin. Both excellent. The dessert list was beautiful. We enjoyed a lovely Blueberry Crisp and the Dulce de Leche. Both amazing.

The wine list is extensive and pricey. A little difficult to find my $200 value but we managed with an awesome Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Great date night in New York and an added bonus we found street parking two blocks away thanks to it being a holiday weekend.

Definitely a lovely experience!

8/1/2014

The food here was good; however, the service here is terrible. The guy serving the bread kept skipping us and when we finally called him, he just plunked down the bread without explaining what type it was (despite us hearing him explain to other people). Waiters here were not that attentive either.

5/18/2014

Lunch prixe fixe. I got the salmon tart, sea bass? And mango budino. The budino was superb.

Outdoor patio is lovely. Service was good. Although can be slow sometimes.

Will come back anytime

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  Budino

  Budino

7/21/2014 Updated review

Off to a good start with a Risotto ball. New Zealand Venison is really great paired with La spinetta 2009, Italy and end it with Molten Chocolate cake with coffee ice cream.

7/13/2014

Good brunch that could be pushed to excellent with some minor improvements. Entrees and dessert were good-if-simple recipes but wish the appetizers had the same level of quality. Cocktails are steeply priced ($17 to $25!) but don't let it scare you: the sizes are larger than normal to compensate.

3/25/2014

Food wise my dishes were pretty good (Strip Bass and Foie Gras), but my companion's turbot were fishy and bland.  She decided to go with the most expensive seafood on the menu, thinking it was going to wow her.  Turn out to be a bad mistake.

The whole experience was just way off for us.  I had no plate when bread service came around.  The wine I ordered never came, after appetizer arrived the server came around to ask me to remind him which wine I picked.  Our table was next to the waiter station so we get to overhear all the waiters coming and going, including when one yell at a busboy to go to another table for example.  Finally when I mentioned the bad turbot to the waiter, he misunderstood what I said and laughed.  I was too tired to explain.

Normally I couldn't care less about these service issues.  I probably get 10x worse treatment when I go to a Chinese restaurant.  But this one has Boulud's name on it, I would have expected better.

2/24/2014

** Restaurant Week 2014 Review **

Their RW menu includes 3 options for appetizers, entrees and dessert - this is pretty standard for most RW menus. After we ordered, we were presented with the Amuse-bouche of truffle risotto balls, which were served hot and crunchy.

I opted for the Duck Terrine, which was served with whole grain mustard, pickled vegetables and toasted sourdough bread. The terrine was very good - it was quite smooth and not too salty at all. I wished there was more sourdough to go with it though.

The Boyfriend opted for the Escarole Salad, which contained grilled red onions, sunflower seeds, shaved sunchokes tossed in a parmesan vinaigrette. We both thoroughly enjoyed this salad. We don't often rave about salads because it is a pretty standard appetizer but this one was very fresh and light.

For my entree, I went with the Pan Seared Trout, which is served with winter bean fricassee, black olives and lemon zest. I loved it! The trout was seared to a perfect color - just a tad pink on the inside. The skin was crispy while the inside was soft and melted in my mouth. I'm usually not a big fan of beans, but the fricassee was pretty good.

And finally, it's time for my favorite part of any meal - the dessert! I opted for the Citrus Tart, which is served with blood orange sorbet. I loved it! The combination of the tartness from the citrus was cut by the sweetness of the blood orange sorbet. Together, it was a little bit sour and a little bit sweet in each bite.

The Boyfriend went with the Red Velvet Gateaux, which was gorgeous to behold. The piece of cake was served with toasted almond ice cream, which helped to temper the sweetness of the red velvet. I liked that they didn't use cream cheese like in all other red velvet cakes I've had - this one was light and delicious.

Halfway through our dessert, we were presented with a complimentary small basket of Madeleines, which were served nice and toasty. I  loved them!

Service was prompt and we never sat too long with empty dishes. I do wish that the service wasn't as prompt because we ended up feeling a bit rushed throughout our meal. The food was very good, but I do wish we had more time to enjoy it and the atmosphere.

For RW, I think it's definitely worth the visit. But if you want me to pay $40 for a salmon dish on a regular basis, I just don't think so. Hence, 3 stars.

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  Complimentary Madeleines

  Complimentary Madeleines
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  Citrus Tart

  Citrus Tart
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  Red Velvet Gateaux

  Red Velvet Gateaux
• See all photos from Michelle T.

7/25/2014

Went there for restaurant week. Food is ok, but not exciting.  The salad is very salty and the service is just horrible! The servant serves me medium steak without even ask. The salad is unacceptably salty and never an exchange. Service is slow. I think this place is just overrated!

3/9/2014

I tried the pre-fixe brunch menu with a group of four friends. Service was slow, but everything was delicious, from drinks to food to dessert.

The best part was that the food was fresh, and they had great healthy options in addition to the obviously not-so-healthy items. Overall an excellent place to dine in the UWS. I will be back!

12/9/2013

Staid, dependable, and dated both in clientele and menu, Cafe Boulud is a pretty mediocre restaurant by a world-class chef that has undoubtedly seen better days.

I am aware of this restaurant's Michelin star as well as Chef Boulud's quite notable achievements (especially with Daniel and DBGB). However, those two restaurants get me to my point: Where DBGB is fun, has a SUPER nice staff, as well as a menu stocked with inventive food; and where Daniel stands proudly as one of NYC's finest restaurants, Cafe Boulud is decidedly neither.

The deep-fried amuse-bouche here is worth the trip but that is pretty much where the positivity ends. Tired fish dishes, half-hearted takes on authentic Korean cuisine, and stuffy desserts that seem like they are straight out of 1999 abound. You intrepid diners who are reading this and have eaten here in the past, I ask you, do you not agree that this restaurant has one of the most strangely confusing and ill-plotted menus in the city?

Anyway, Daniel is a masterpiece and you can tell that Chef Boulud is spending some serious time in the kitchen there. DBGB is awesome; always really fun and full of pretty amazing food (I had a squash soup there that might be the best I have ever had) but Cafe Boulud is tired and really overrated. I don't even want to mention the staff because I don't want readers to think I was remotely swayed by anything but the food but Holy Moly are the hosts rude here. The bussing staff, however, are all really cool.

Anyway, when I am here I often get the strangely muted House Smoked Salmon to start, the kind of so so tuna tartare if it is lunch and the Pan Seared Arctic Char if it is dinner. The Char comes with a mushroom reduction some diners might call subtle but I just call bland.

Look, this is expensive food and if you are reading this you are about to eat in a city that has restaurants like NoMad, Mission Cantina, Spotted Pig, Minetta Tavern, heck even DBGB! Please, please choose wisely.

7/23/2014

Too expensive .but they have a great wine list . Still u want to try something different in the city they are good