Bar Boulud
French restaurant · Upper West Side
1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
Highlights
French bistro with charcuterie, steak frites, and fine wines
French bistro with charcuterie, steak frites, and fine wines
"Earlier this year, Daniel Boulud closed a trio of restaurant on the Upper West Side in order to make way for something new. The upcoming project is called Brasserie Boulud, and it'll be a modern take on a French brasserie, with two floors, a big central bar, and a speakeasy. Open all day, the place will offer coffee and croissants in the morning, followed by bistro items and late-night cocktails." - Bryan Kim
"On a recent weekend night, a disastrous attempt at having dinner at Landmarc in the Time Warner Center resulted in an impromptu visit to Bar Boulud. Let me set the scenario before I get into the Bar Boulud review. The Time Warner Center Landmarc is essentially New York City's Rainforest Cafe...true mall dining at its finest. It was an absolute zoo, there were tables crammed into every square inch of available space, and the hosts and bartenders clearly hate their lives. I'm pretty sure they would have asked us to have dinner on the floor if the place got any busier. Needless to say, we closed out our bar tab and got the cuss out of there. Desperately looking for a civilized meal and a drink, we wandered over to Bar Boulud, sure that a Friday night walk-in would illicit some French snobbery. Surprisingly, they politely sent us to the bar for a quick glass of wine and we had a table within ten minutes. Bar Boulud is Daniel Boulud's "casual bistro", but by Infatuation standards this is a fancy restaurant. It's an older crowd, but a seemingly loose one as the restaurant feels upbeat and lively. The service is first class, but not the slightest bit stiff. As for the food, you'll find a long list of pates and terrines, but otherwise, it's a pretty straightforward bistro. Pay attention to the specials, and the fish selections are spectacular. Salads and starters are tasty, and the wine list is well priced and full of lesser known varietals that will have you taking notes and chasing down bottles online. What‘s the takeaway here? Don't let the French formalities scare you off. Bar Boulud is fantastic. Food Rundown Betterave et Escarole This is a roasted beet salad with escarole, hazelnuts, and a soft farm cheese. Beets and hazelnuts are a fantastic combo, and this salad was a nice light way to kick things off. Pate Grand-Pere Recommended by our waiter, this is a coarse pâte made of foie gras, truffle juice, and port. It sounds rich, but it's actually pretty mild. Also I don't know what truffle juice is, but I know I want more of it. There is one thing I should mention - it's a coarse pate meaning it has the consistency of an extremely high end cat food. Not that it bothers me - I'll eat anything ... but it may not be something to give a pâte novice. Mahi Mahi An incredible piece of fish with hen of the woods, trumpet, and like five other varieties of mushroom. The fish is delicious and meaty like a cut of pork. An excellent plate of food. Spaghetti Alla Chitarra with White Truffles A homemade spaghetti pasta in a parmesan cream sauce with white truffles. Indulgent, expensive, and absolutely amazing. Imagine a fettuccine alfredo that makes you poor." - Chris Stang
"A longtime Upper West Side wine-focused outpost that opened in 2008 and earned early critical praise, including a two-star New York Times opening review; it became known for terrines, pâtés and a strong devotion to wine. This location will close on June 23 as part of a redesign of the corner of 64th and Broadway to make way for a new brasserie, and popular items across the nearby restaurant group have included charcuterie boards, coq au vin, chicken tagine and grapefruit givrés." - Melissa McCart
"Experience Daniel Boulud in a more casual way at his Lincoln Center bistro, where escargot and tarte flambé share a starter list with honeynut squash and cauliflower sunchoke soup. Entrees include turkey with chestnut stuffing, wild mushroom fettuccine, salmon, and a burger with Angus beef, pork belly, and tomato compote raclette. A dark chocolate tarte is a memorable way to end the feast." - Beth Landman
"Daniel’s more casual sibling restaurant on the other side of the park is also offering a prix-fixe. The $105 version here includes three dishes of your choice, which could look like duck and foie gras wrapped in a puff pastry, followed by turkey with chestnut stuffing, and pumpkin crème brûlée tart with crème fraîche chantilly and cinnamon ice cream." - team infatuation
