Postscript to Bar Boulud

My friends Monique and Jose were back in New York recently and asked me to join them at Bar Boulud. When I told them I’d just been there and loved it they reminded me that their talented friend Sylvan had moved from Paris to work with Gilles on the restaurant’s charcuterie. This was a meal I could not pass up.


We went for lunch and had a little tasting of just about everything. We started with the boudin blanc. This is like no other boudin blanc I’ve ever had. It is light and the flavors are all in perfect harmony with a welcome hint of black truffle. When I asked Monique what made it so good she said they use no fillers. Most boudin blanc has bread in it but not this version.


Next we had the cervelas Lyonnais en brioche, a specialty of Lyon made with saucisson aux Lyonnais, a sausage with pistachio and black truffle. These are baked individually each in its own brioche. Again, it was perfect. Then we had the rillons croustillants au poivre, hot, crispy pork belly that was delicious and decadent.


Our charcuterie tasting resulted in a new favorite-- the compote de veau en blanquette, a shredded slow braised veal short rib.


Sylvain told us that they had just been written up for having the best Croque Monsieur in town. Of course I wanted to try this classic warm sandwich filled with ham, gruyere cheese and béchamel. It really was amazing; the ham was sliced extra thin and layered like a mille feuille, a perfect touch.


Before we left I spied someone at the bar having a simple ham sandwich on a baguette with a glass of wine. It looked like the perfect lunch. Next time.

Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway
New York, New York 10023
212.595.0303