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What others are saying about Café Boulud
...Café Boulud, is the sort of neighborhood restaurant you could only find in the most sophisticated neighborhood in America, serving the flawless, clean-lined French cuisine of [Daniel] Boulud's disciple Andrew Carmellini...his cooking is as detailed as a dish at DANIEL while uniquely capturing the spirit of the original. Café Boulud may be my favorite restaurant of [Daniel] Boulud's, a place I could happily visit several times a week without getting bored.
Jonathan Gold, "Restaurant Review : New York," Gourmet, December 2001
Daniel Boulud is widely acknowledged to be among the great chefs in the world, not just for his influence in saving French haute cuisine from the "Is this really worth it?" doldrums and the absurd excrescences of fusion cooking, but for raising refined European and American comfort food to the culinary sublime.
...[At Café Boulud] you may choose among gnocchi that has sucked up meat juices flavored with black truffles, or Boulud's grandmother's chicken fricassée, or barbecue-braised pork with red beans and corn bread.
John Mariani, "Best New Restaurants," Esquire, December 1999
If you have ever wanted to find out what happens when a great chef at the top of his form stretches out and takes chances, this is your opportunity...You never quite know what the menu will offer. Most days there are 30 or more dishes, and none are ordinary. You might discover a seviche of scallops and oysters pavéd with caviar listed as a seasonal dish. All delicacy and luxe it offers a stunning contrast to the hearty casserole of tripe, pure peasant food that is being offered as a traditional dish. What do either of these dishes have in common with the gorgeous salad of beets, endive and apples laced with pistachios, which looks like a picture from an English garden magazine? Just this: They are all completely delicious.
Ruth Reichl, "Café Boulud: Daniel Boulud in a Laid Back Mood," The New York Times, December 9, 1998
We admire Daniel Boulud and his prodigious talent, but his notion of a café is akin to Stephen Sondheim's notion of a Sunday in the park. No, Café Boulud doesn't fit any acceptable definition of a café and the sensational food has little to do with bistro fare. It starts with the freshest and finest ingredients and involves labor-intensive precision in preparation, as in the "simple" appetizer of a dozen exceptional garden vegetables, sliced and diced and infused with basil, ginger and olive oil.
Gault Millau, "Café Boulud," Gayot's NYC Restaurants, 1999
The food at Café Boulud is nothing if not distinctive... The meals that I ate there were wonderful. Since Andrew Carmellini took over as executive chef in January, the restaurant has only gotten better and better.
Moira Hodgson, "The Show Moved to 65th Street, The Food is Another Story," The New York Observer, May 17, 1999
Daniel Boulud becomes more impressive with each new enterprise...Now Café Boulud emerges triumphant.
Bob Lape, "Boulud Outdoes Himself, Creates Air of Casual Chic: With signature dishes and more, East Side café is starworthy effort," Crain's New York Business, November 9-15, 1998
Nothing quite prepared me for the overwhelming range of dishes, which are divided into four categories: La Tradition (classic French), La Saison (seasonal highlights), Le Potager (meat-free dishes from the vegetable garden) and Le Voyage (a changing roster sampling world cuisines). The sheer number of choices is daunting, but don't sweat it: Mixing and matching is easy and besides, everything tastes so good.
Kelly Alexander, "The Thursday Review," Sidewalk.com, December 1998
The unique Boulud magic continues to overwhelm and captivate. It is enhanced by his savvy management team and exceptional kitchen crew. This is the ultimate neighborhood place in one of the city's ultimate neighborhoods. It has been packed with a flock of enthusiastic diners since opening night.
Peter and Amy Meltzer, Passport to New York Restaurants, December 1998
Despite Boulud's professed ambition to be, this time around, less unstintingly ambitious, his guests are certain to recognize the chef's God-is-in-the-details perfectionism, no matter the number of stars he's targeting...Somehow, we're not entirely convinced that the man's capable of holding anything back.
Robin Raisfeld, "French in the Works: Daniel Boulud dares to unplug his four-star joint and start a casual 'café,'" New York Magazine, September 14, 1998
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