Mike and I have walked by Bar Boulud many times on the Upper West Side (Broadway between 63rd and 64th to be exact). Mike and I were running some errands in the area and decided to grab brunch in the outdoor “patio” on a beautiful fall day. I have realized that I LOVE to eat outside if not only for the fact that my photos turn out so much better in natural light.
Right after our order was taken, we were presented with bread and pastry options. Mike picked an impressive looking croissant.
And I chose a cinnamon raison pastry (note: whenever faced with a choice of pastry, I will always choose something that looks like a cinnamon bun… always). And it was gooooooood.
Mike started with the Pâté Grand-mère, which I believe contained liver, pork, and something else… it was tasty, but I’m starting to discover that I may just not be a pâté person (not to mention the complexity in trying to type it in a blog with all those symbols!)
I played a bit out of my usual sandbox and got the quiche of the day to start.
It was very fresh with great flavors. Not too dense but not too light. Great balance of flavors.
Mike made a good choice with the Croque Madame. It was delish!
I ordered the housemade tagliatelle pastacolorado lamb bolognese, because it just sounded too good to pass up. It lived up to expectation!
Even after all that food, we split the “floating island” which said it had praline rouge, crème anglaise. I still don’t know what that is, and I still can’t tell you what we ate, other than it faintly resembled a meringue… but it was delicious.
And quite beautiful to look at.
AND we split my selection of the hazelnut chocolate torte (which I believe was their dessert of the day). It came with cherries, pistacchio, almonds, and all sorts of other goodness that I can’t remember besides the fact that it was RICH and DELICIOUS. Nom Nom Nom.
Overall, I was very impressed by Bar Boulud. This meal was $26 per person and included all 4 courses (bread & coffee were in there). For a meal that counts as 2, I think that’s a steal for food this artfully prepared and with such fresh flavors. Even if you don’t eat outside, the inside looked quite lovely.
Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10