Cafe Boulud

We went to Cafe Boulud under recommendation from a trusted foody-friend. Our 9pm reservations had us seated at 9:45, but not before we stood the entire 45 minute wait (in a very crowded foyer), then when we were offered complimentary drinks, we had to remind them of the comp drinks. When we were FINALLY ready to be seated, they tried seating us at a table that we had to sit side by side, so we had to wait even longer! I'm generally pretty easy going about restaurants, but this was not what one should expect when paying good money for a dining experience. I don't understand how they have nowhere for patrons to wait? If it was cold outside, I may have actually left it was so poor. The appetizers were decent; I had chilled pea soup and my boyfriend had shrimp salad. For dinner I had the duck and he had the pork loin. Hands down the duck at JoJo's is MUCH better more flavorful, as was the pea soup at JoJo's. The pork was good, but the pork at Eleven Madison Park was much better. Overall, I will never go back and will not recommend it.

This place was designed modern and I liked the atmosphere and ambiance. The food was really good but I love french food and I think Le Bernardine is better than this place. One of my fav dishes were the squash raviolis. I also got the veal totellinis which were really good but I wish the sauce had more flavor to it and wasn't so light. Overall, this place is good but not something that just stands out in my mind. Service here is friendly and not snobby.

I LOVE the food there. I had the risotto for appetizer. The best by far from any other ones I've tried. The duck was amazing and moist, perfectly cooked! This place is smaller than I thought. The tables were really close to each other. My friend and I requested to switch the table and waiters were very helpful about it. The bread was good, the desserts were good. The fresh madelines we got at the end of the meal were so good that the waiter gave us another small batch of them! I would love to go to this place again!

Lunch at CB: Room is very cozy, muted and understated...Could use some more color. Gracious staff...Service attentive...Amuse was a small perfectly fried crabcake...delicious but somewhat lonely on its plate...My fiance had salad which she enjoyed...My app was the seared foie gras which was superb...Came in rich broth which was excellent. We both had salmon which was good...Came with veggies...At these prices a side of potatoes wouldn't hurt...We are not big eaters but, oh well....The bread was good, but could have been warmed up...I must say CB must have the best breadboy in the city...Must feed him steroids...You'll never have an empty breadplate here...Desert ...Coffee Ice Cream Sandwich was great...My apple tatin clafoutis good...found the cake a bit dense...apple sorbet a bit bland. Here's the deal...CB is a "Cafe" with high end restaurant prices...The food, while very good just seems to miss the mark...Somewhat of an anomaly it is still worth trying...Once...

The Romaine salad was amazing.... and so was the ginger ice cream. Our entree's however (tunisian lamb shank & maine shrimp risotto) were disappointing. The bread was cold, dry and hard. The service here is excellent, the wine selection amazing. Overall, we were a little disappointed. Will try Daniel next time around.

When I got engaged last July, I went to Daniel. It cost a LOT, but my fiance loved it more than enough to justify the $$$$$. Cafe Boulud is designed and managed by Daniel Boulud as well so they share many traits: bread, wine, bathroom design, demeanor of service, quality and quantify of food, etc. Cafe Boulud is more modern and simple in decor, menu, and serving wares...oh and it's ~2/3 the price and ala carte. Complimentary appetizers were nice and interesting. Appetizers, however were quite memorable. Heirloom tomato salad with lemon basil ricotta came dressed perfectly to enhance but not interfere with the exquisite tomatoes. The birthday girl's tomatillo gazpacho with jalapeno guacamole offered complex balance and movement of flavors. My atlantic cod could have been more inspired, with a more generous serving of mashed potatoes and stronger truffles. Still it was cooked perfectly and had an excellent choice of accompaniments. The lamb, I highly recommend. I only had a couple bites, but it was on par with my appetizer. For dessert I could not decide between the chocolate trifle and the artisinal cheeses. Fortunately, after we orded the cheeses and a molten chocolate cake, we were give a complimentary chocolate trifle for my fiance's birthday...and the usual lemon madeilines. I was now officially in heaven. All I can say is, you should get all three. No you won't be able to eat everything, but we managed to get pretty close. As for the wine, we had a 2003 bordeaux and 2004 riesling by the glass. The bordeaux was peaked and completely satisfying. The riesling was quite sweet, but pleasant, not syrupy and perfect for the wine novice. Restaurant felt just a little crowded and I would have liked a little more interesting decor (this is where Daniel is a major step up). Service was exceptional. Despite our waiter having mutliple tables (unlike Daniel) we were never kept waiting. And, everyone was extremely Pleasant and Helpful.

Had a frog leg appetizer that was oriental tasting, made the frog secondary; incredible. And the most scrumptious duck breast I've ever had anywhere. We love this place.