For more than 100 years, the residents of Saint-Pierre de Chandieu, Daniel's hometown outside Lyon, met daily at Café Boulud, the small café and not-quite restaurant that Daniel's great-grandparents, grandparents and later his parents took pride in tending on their family farm. It was the rendezvous point for generations of townsfolk. It was the place people went to begin and finish a day, to toast births and marriages and to mourn losses. It was where love affairs started and, of course, where some ended. It was warm, welcoming and a vital part of village life. Opened in September 1998, Daniel's this-side-of-the-Atlantic, fourth-generation Café Boulud is just that for latter-day café society. 20 E. 76th Street New York, NY 10021 Tel 212.772.2600 Fax 212.772.7755 Reservations: Recomended up to one month in advance to the date. Online: www.opentable.com American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard & Visa accepted. Hours: Brunch: Sundays 11.30-2.30 Lunch: Tuesday through Saturday Dinner: Monday through Sunday Closed: Sunday lunch and major holidays Café Boulud's dynamic menu, created by Daniel Boulud, Chef de Cuisine Gavin Kaysen, and Pastry Chef Raphael Haasz, is divided among four headings that reflect Daniel's four culinary muses: La Tradition The classic dishes of French cooking. These are dishes culled from the menu of the original turn of the century Café Boulud tended by Daniel's great grandparents, from the family meals his mother and grandmother prepared, and from the first recipes Daniel prepared as an apprentice in Lyon. But the classics are not immutable for Daniel. He prepares dishes such as a pot-au-feu or bouillabaisse with American ingredients, updated to delight a new, young audience and to rekindle fond taste memories in those who knew them years ago. La Saison The seasonal specialties of the market. The family farm in the Lyon countryside where Daniel grew up produced a wide variety of seasonal crops in its fields, orchards and vegetable gardens. Farm animals included cows for milk, goats for cheese, and pigs for charcuterie, while the farmyard was resplendent with geese, ducks, chickens, squabs, rabbits, guinea fowls, and turkeys. Since cooking in the United States, Daniel has established close relationships with the country's most passionate farmers and dedicated purveyors whose wonderful products inspire his dishes. Here at Café Boulud, the menu showcases the delicacies of each season's bounty. From foraged mushrooms, diver scallops with roe, hand-picked berries, wild grouse, line-caught halibut, to jumbo white asparagus, our clientele savor the season's best ingredients. Le Potager A celebration of the vegetable garden. Daniel's favorite spot on the farm was the vegetable garden where his parents grew the organic produce, herbs and flowers they sold at the Lyon farmer's market. Preparing each vegetable while respecting its flavor has been Daniel's favorite challenge as a chef. At Café Boulud, the dishes of Le Potager are completely vegetarian and, in most cases, very low in fat. Some of Daniel's signature soups, Chilled Five Spring Pea Soup, Swiss Chard and Bean Soup with Ricotta Toasts or Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup provide for light and flavorful appetizers along with vibrant salads. Le Voyage The exotic flavors of world cuisines. Forever curious about other cultures and traditions, Daniel constantly searches for new ingredients, flavors, and recipes to add to his repertoire. Just as he does with foods from La Tradition, Daniel passes the dishes of a region through his own culinary filters. Working with his team of cooks (a veritable global village), Daniel creates dishes that, while celebrating the roots, spirit and fundamental flavors of a particular place, also sing out with his signature style.