Cafe Boulud: Daniel Boulud Journeys to Palm Beach
Daniel Boulud has come to Florida. Yes, that Daniel Boulud. Of Daniel in New York (4 stars from the New York Times). Cafe Boulud. DB Bistro Moderne. Inventor of the $30 DB sirloin burger (stuffed with braised short rib, foie gras, and black truffles on a parmesean bun). French cuisine with a modern twist. It would have been more courteous of Mr. Boulud to open on South Beach, but perhaps Palm Beach is a better market with this style of dining.
Cafe Boulud is therefore ensconced in the newly-renovated Brazilian Court Hotel on Palm Beach. The bright and cheery room is done up in sorbet colors (lemon, lime, and orange). The waitstaff is professional, polite, and efficient. However, this being summer in Palm Beach, the room was rather quiet on a weekday at noon. Moreover, the summer menu was disappointingly limited, though to be fair, the website does advise of this. Most of the selections were either salads or sandwiches, and nothing particularly exciting stood out. There was a three-course prix fixe lunch menu for $25, which seemed like a good deal, but the selections again were uninspired--churrasco or salmon. Boulud's menu seemed to make an effort at adopting some local ingredients--there was a Cuban sandwich and the aforementioned churrasco (either on its own or in a sandwich). Again, though, these compenents should more properly be placed in Miami.
However, there was mussels and frites (moules marinere), and the Baron always likes mussels. Unfortunately, while plentiful, the mussels turned out to be small and rather standard. Better mussels may be found at newly-opened Le Bon on Lincoln Road, or at Cafe Pastis. The mussels were also swimming in enough butter to fell a rhinocerous. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The frites were excellent--thick, square cut and crispy, with plenty of herb and garlic. The churrasco sandwich was good, but not exceptional. Again, this sort of thing is available at any number of places.
While there was no DB Burger, the Baron did note a neighboring diner consuming a Classic American Burger. It did look superb. Extremely thick and medium rare. According to the menu, it was three-quarters of a pound. That's twelve ounces of artery-clogging goodness. However, that is not enough reason to make the trip. Now for the DB burger, that's a different story.
The desert turned out to be the best part of lunch. Fig and marscapone tart with peach sorbet. Perfect summer fare, and surprisingly light.
As it is summer, and the menu is limited, Cafe Boulud will require a follow-up visit once the "season" begins in the fall. The full menu will likely make a difference, and if the DB burger is available, then we will likely have something special.
Daniel Boulud has come to Florida. Yes, that Daniel Boulud. Of Daniel in New York (4 stars from the New York Times). Cafe Boulud. DB Bistro Moderne. Inventor of the $30 DB sirloin burger (stuffed with braised short rib, foie gras, and black truffles on a parmesean bun). French cuisine with a modern twist. It would have been more courteous of Mr. Boulud to open on South Beach, but perhaps Palm Beach is a better market with this style of dining.
Cafe Boulud is therefore ensconced in the newly-renovated Brazilian Court Hotel on Palm Beach. The bright and cheery room is done up in sorbet colors (lemon, lime, and orange). The waitstaff is professional, polite, and efficient. However, this being summer in Palm Beach, the room was rather quiet on a weekday at noon. Moreover, the summer menu was disappointingly limited, though to be fair, the website does advise of this. Most of the selections were either salads or sandwiches, and nothing particularly exciting stood out. There was a three-course prix fixe lunch menu for $25, which seemed like a good deal, but the selections again were uninspired--churrasco or salmon. Boulud's menu seemed to make an effort at adopting some local ingredients--there was a Cuban sandwich and the aforementioned churrasco (either on its own or in a sandwich). Again, though, these compenents should more properly be placed in Miami.
However, there was mussels and frites (moules marinere), and the Baron always likes mussels. Unfortunately, while plentiful, the mussels turned out to be small and rather standard. Better mussels may be found at newly-opened Le Bon on Lincoln Road, or at Cafe Pastis. The mussels were also swimming in enough butter to fell a rhinocerous. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The frites were excellent--thick, square cut and crispy, with plenty of herb and garlic. The churrasco sandwich was good, but not exceptional. Again, this sort of thing is available at any number of places.
While there was no DB Burger, the Baron did note a neighboring diner consuming a Classic American Burger. It did look superb. Extremely thick and medium rare. According to the menu, it was three-quarters of a pound. That's twelve ounces of artery-clogging goodness. However, that is not enough reason to make the trip. Now for the DB burger, that's a different story.
The desert turned out to be the best part of lunch. Fig and marscapone tart with peach sorbet. Perfect summer fare, and surprisingly light.
As it is summer, and the menu is limited, Cafe Boulud will require a follow-up visit once the "season" begins in the fall. The full menu will likely make a difference, and if the DB burger is available, then we will likely have something special.
posted by TheBaronOnTaste at 11:37 PM
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