Chef Daniel Boulud may be most famous for his eponymous Two MICHELIN Starred fine dining eatery Restaurant Daniel, but his more casual concept Café Boulud is where he would choose to dine for an elevated everyday meal.
“It’s a place where you can go night after night and be your go-to neighborhood restaurant and where I eat when I’m done working for the day,” he says. “But you can also go for a landmark occasion and feel like you’ve had a special experience.”
After being shuttered for more than two years, following the closure of The Surrey hotel on the Upper East Side, where it first opened 25 years ago, Café Boulud is back—this time in a new location.
Situated on East 63rd Street, near Park Avenue, Café Boulud opens to the public on December 15th. It currently has outposts in Palm Beach, the Bahamas, and Toronto, with Beverly Hills debuting next year.
Chef Boulud says that Café Boulud is named after a restaurant in his hometown of Lyon that his great-grandparents started and was around for 100 years. “It’s closed now but was very dear to my family,” he says.
The cuisine at his Café Boulud is based on four muses, as Chef Boulud calls them. There’s La Tradition, featuring classic French dishes such as the duck foie gras terrine with spiced pear on his new menu, and La Saison, inspired by seasonal produce like the pan-seared rainbow trout with red cabbage and apple featured this winter.
Le Potager is comprised of vegetarian dishes such as curried rainbow carrots with a shallot compote that Chef Boulud is particularly excited about while Le Voyage takes its impetus from global cuisines- the peekytoe crab soup with chili oil, for one, speaks to the flavors of Thailand.
Executive chef Romain Paumier, who worked at the original Café Boulud and was most recently the executive sous chef at Restaurant Daniel, will bring these dishes to life.
“At heart, this is a French American restaurant,” says Chef Boulud.
Café Boulud’s dining room is as inviting as the food on the plate: the stylish aesthetic includes Art Deco and vintage accents such as etched glass and bronze, copper and polished elements throughout.
The restaurant is a partnership with the hospitality division of BARNES International Realty, and its venue will also be home to Maison BARNES, which will open in early 2024. This second venture will be comprised of a bar, dining salon and speakeasy.
“It will be a Parisian-style salon where we welcome guests for themed events and host unique experiences,” says Chef Boulud. “It’s an extension of Café Boulud and another reason to come back here again.”
Hero image: Bill Milne/Café Boulud
All photos courtesy of Bill Milne/Café Boulud
