Cafe Boulud

Pictures of Café Boulud depict more of a high-end diner, and yes, in reality, that’s what we saw. A good proportion of the customers were elderly people. Nothing’s wrong with that. The restaurant just lacks a modern touch. Went there for restaurant week and was totally disappointed. The waiters were just okay and service was just not up to the standard. Had the soup, which was tasty. The fish was so over-cooked. As for the dessert, the cheesecake and ice cream just didn’t go together. The gram cracker crust was so hard to break that you end up eating the cheese first (what was tasty) and then try your best to crack the crust a total turn-off. Won't go back as there are better choices.

Love this place! I have never been disappointed in the years I have gone here and always look forward to going back for lunch. The menu is smart, edited and filled with flavor. While the portion size may appear small, it is absolutely perfect considering the quality and taste. You do not leave unhappy.

Other than the wine the good was good too. The Hamachi a must try, I should have had 2 of those. The Risotto was good too, app portion is enough for a woman. Wanted to try the Quail but they seemed to be out of it at 6.30pm and it was the special of the day, should have planned on that better. Would go back for sure.

I went during restaurant week and my first impression was that it was a really beautiful restaurant, with a great ambiance. Upon closer inspection, the restaurant was filled with the older set. That was fine with me, though there was only one other couple in their mid 20s there. I got the red bell pepper gazpacho as my starter. It had mango and poached shrimp, which tasted great even though there was one piece of half a shrimp. But once you were done with that, the soup was very one note. I was so disappointed and I hoped, prayed, that the rest of the meal would improve. The bread, which came readily, was a bit too hard for me and I hate having to struggle with my bread in nice restaurants. I mean come on, this is a fork and knife place can we have softer rolls please? Anyway, they bought this risotto ball that was cheesy and warm and wonderful. I felt a bit better, and the entrée was the whole reason I was here anyway. So once they took the soup away (which I barely drank mind you,) they bought THE ENTRÉE. It was a small portion, that was true, but the flavors were big and I’m not a heavy eater anyway. My entrée was the harissa marinated flounder. Now Im used to really spicy food so it didn’t bother me; the heat was warm, soothing, and wonderful with the flounder. They also gave me the cutest fork so it was easy to catch the couscous that came with the dish. I really loved the flavors, but wished there was a touch more brightness with lemon. That would have made the dish spectacular, instead of amazing. The dessert I got was the dark chocolate mouse. It was very deep in flavor, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have. The presentations for the dishes were beautiful. The attention to detail was also great. AND after the dinner the server bought me a basket of warm, lemony, delicious madeline’s! I would definitely come back here, but avoid the starters.

I have heard from numerous people that the food and experience at Cafe Boulud is phenomenal and it has been on my husband's and mine list of restaurants to go to for a while. We finally went for our one year anniversary and while the food was good, the service and experience was average at best. For one, we were probably the youngest people in the dining room and we're in our thirties. While we were seated immediately, we waited at least 10 minutes for our server to come over. She didn't offer to explain anything about the menu, which I found odd since it isn't laid out like your typical menu (appetizers/entrees) but with various options under headings like "Voyage". We also waited a while to get any bread and for the amuse bouche, which was somewhat pitiful: two risotto and pea balls in a little white bowl. ?Meanwhile, the couple seated next to us recieved an amuse bouche tasting of some sort on a large platter that had three different types. Seriously? Overall I felt the service was completely lacking given the amount we were spending (cocktails, a bottle of wine, appetizers entrees two desserts and coffee) and the dining room wasn't even completely ful. Maybe they had their C team on, who knows. But for what we spent vs. what we got there are too many other places in NYC to warrant going back.

Overpriced for what you get and choices limited. Main courses would not qualify as appetizers in most good restaurants. Salad Nicoise made with canned tuna instead of fresh tuna. Overall, a disappointing experience. For $100 a person, there are far better places to eat in the city.

It has been awhile since I have dined at CB. The room is as inviting as ever and reminds me of some of the newer restaurants in Paris. The welcome, sevice and "good bye" reminds me of the adadge told to me by the late great Jean-Claude Vrinat of Taillevent in Paris: the experience begins when your foot first enters to the exit when it is over. This place gets it. The food was wonderful - immaginative, colorful, plate wise and delicious. While the foie gras portion could have been larger, it was well made and very tasty. The loup de mer in green curry and the rare duck breast in a cherry glaze were super. The bill was high, but not prohibitive. It is a very civilized place that any serious diner will enjoy. Amities Gourmandes, ally's dad