Raising the Bar

Busy barely describes Daniel Boulud’s schedule. The chef and restaurateur owns six restaurants (four in New York, one in Palm Beach, and another in Las Vegas), runs the catering operation Feast & Fêtes, writes books, and tapes television shows. And this year his agenda includes promoting Bar Boulud, a 100-seat wine bar and bistro on the Upper West Side that opened in January, as well as finalizing plans for Maison Boulud in China, a French fine-dining restaurant in the former United States embassy compound near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square (that’ll be restaurant number seven), and an eatery on the Bowery (number eight).

For now the focus is on Bar Boulud, which faces Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza and the Metropolitan Opera House, just five blocks north of Columbus Circle. “The Lincoln Center area has a wonderful cross section of residential, business, and performing arts communities,” Boulud says about his choice of location. “It is a real crossroads. While it was not traditionally known as a great restaurant neighborhood, that has changed a lot over the last few years and just keeps getting better.”Although Bar Boulud’s proximity to the performing arts campus has some influence on the restaurant’s menu options, the chef still wants the space to be a casual bistro that highlights the pâtés and terrines from Parisian charcutier Gilles Verot. “[It’s] important to me to become an integral part of the neighborhood. This means having a broad à la carte menu with lots of flexibility: charcuterie, artisanal cheeses, classic bistro cooking, and great classic desserts,” he says. “While the charcuterie is just a small part of Bar Boulud’s offering, it is really the soul of the menu."

One thing Bar Boulud offers that a typical neighborhood bistro might not is a whole floor for private events and tastings: three rooms accessible through the lower level’s wine cellar and leading off from a central reception area. This is where the venue’s wine motif is most noticeable, with each room named for a different wine-related profession (e.g., Sommelier) and decorated with the associated tools and artifacts.

A 14-seat donut-shaped table at the rear of the main space makes for a more interactive wine tasting. “Thomas [Schlesser] came up with this design based on an antique 19th-century table traditionally found in the Burgundy negociants’ [wine merchants’] places of business,” Boulud says. “The cutout in the center of the table creates a space for a sommelier to lead a wine tasting, but the table can also be used just for a really convivial-style communal table.”

Even while juggling these various projects, the chef is still able to joke about the hectic year ahead when asked what he’s looking forward to the most. “To open 25 Bar Bouluds and then retire in ’09,” he says. “Just kidding! See you at Broadway and 64th.”