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“Bar Boulud”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	French	Upper West Side	Moderate	Great

leg warmers and on wheels, they’re having as much fun as they can in crisp pumpkin-striped shirts, long aprons, and sturdy wheel-free shoes. And honestly, when the gravel-caged walls (a nod to the terroir of Burgundy) reflect the light, they twinkle not unlike a disco ball.

Bar Boulud is a Xanadu of sorts. It’s a magical place where Daniel’s hometown cuisine of Lyon meets New York City foodies. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with crowds (myself included) assembling outside at the hour of 5 p.m. (when they open for dinner) and the media going nuts over the food. The place has had quite an effect on one food writer in particular, Ed Levine. From the sound of things, he may in fact name his next child Pate Grand-Mère. I don’t blame him. After my charcuterie experience at Bar Boulud, I might name my first-born Gilles, after Gilles Verot, the consulting charcutier who’s responsible for this meat heaven. Gilles is a third-generation Charcutier from the Rhone Valley who has been practicing this dying art since the age of 17, and has won the Tour De France of charcuterie, the Charcutier de L’Année (1999). Gilles’ protégé, Sylvain Gasdon, was relocated to New York to create the menu for BB, and together they’re turning out food that is truly both rare and extraordinary.

First, you must relieve yourself of the notion that charcuterie is just a plate of prosciutto or salumi. That’s not how they roll in Lyon. In Lyon, charcuterie refers to a culture of intricate artisan saucisson (sausage), patés (often pork-based, prepared in loaf pans and either made smooth or coarse for country pate), terrines (made from a combination of meat and fat from pork, poultry or game), en croutes (paté or terrine wrapped in a savory pastry or brioche), and headcheese (no cheese, just the boiled head meat in gelee). Think of it like this: the equivalent of our chopped liver with schmaltz and onions is Lyon’s Pate Grand-Mère, a smooth paté of belly-stretching richness made from chicken liver, pork and cognac ($10). Perhaps it’s my Jewish roots and love of chopped liver that made the Pate Grand-Mère my favorite of the charcuterie, though I have to say it’s hard to pick a winner with choices like Pate Grand-Père ($13)—a coarse country pate made from foie gras, truffle juice and port, and the paté de ... [more, click below]

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Posted: February 18, 2008

Other restaurants in Upper West Side :
+ 'Cesca   + Asiate   + Blue Hill Stone Barns   + Per Se   + The Neptune Room   + Spigolo   + Telepan   + Aix Brasserie   + 'Cesca   + Bar Boulud   + Dovetail   + BarBao   + Dinosaur Bar-be-Que   + Kefi   + Bar Luna   + Ed's Chowder House   + Red Rooster, by Rachel Barbarotta   + Loi by Dara Pollak   

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