Boulud Sud
Focaccia and Wheat with Olive Oil and Butter
Moroccan Flatbread M’smen – Wild Acacia Honey, Greek Yogurt
Warm Lemon Custard – Soft Pistachio Amaretti, Sour Cherry, Caramelized Brik Dough
Lamb Burger with Feta, Harissa, Eggplant, Tzatziki and Sweet Potato Chips
French Toast – Orange Marmalade, Pistachio Butter
Merguez En Cocotte – Tunisian Sausage, Harissa Soffrito, Baked Egg
Trio of Gelato – Rose Marzipan, Dolce, Toasted Almond with pinenut cookies
Vanilla Budino – Pear Lime Compote, Hazelnut Gelato
Grapefruit Givre – Sesame Halva, Rose Loukoum, Grapefruit Sorbet
Epicerie Boulud
Almond Croissant
Blueberry St. Honore
Largely impressed by each of my previous visits to Daniel Boulud’s ever evolving empire it was only Boulud Sud and the attached Epicerie Boulud that had eluded me on previous trips to New York and working to rectify that situation I happily met two of my favorite tablemates for brunch as the restaurant opened on Saturday. Conceptualized as a Mediterranean space, light and airy with light wood and modern cantilevered chairs, plus a menu encompassing everything from burgers and pastas to egg dishes and pastry plus a number of Southern French and even African inspired specialties it would take a bit of debate before determining how to order but eventually settling on two appetizers, three mains, and three desserts everything that reached the table was excellent – particularly the sweeter selections. Typically small in portions aside from the spicy, supple burger and the oft-raved Grapefruit Givre personal favorites from the menu included the Warm Lemon Custard served in a Tagine with a multitude of textures forming a semi-sour parfait punctuated by soft balls of pistachio cake and the French Toast which found fantastic between citrus and savory, both these options easily serviceable as dessert though I’m unsure why anyone would want to order them in that capacity as the proper dessert menu from Tyler Atwell also proved divine…a fact making me wonder why the chef isn’t more involved in the creations at Epicerie where an overpriced St. Honore proved vastly inferior to anything I’ve found at Dominique Ansel and the Almond Croissant, doughy and dry, rivaled the worst in the city.
http://www.bouludsud.com/