COURTESY:DINEXGROUP (2)
Operatingmultiple restaurants inNewYorkCity and
satellites inPalmBeach, Vancouver, London, andBeijing
(with locales inMiami and Singapore todebut this autumn),
Daniel Bouludhas comea longway from the family farm in
Lyon, France. His latest outpost, Bar Boulud— featuring a
full bistromenuwithawine list focusedonBurgundy and
theRhoneValley—opened this past spring inLondon’s
MandarinOriental HydeParkhotel. Butwhether onedines
inhis high-endflagship, Daniel, or at themore-humble
DBGBKitchenandBar, the fare is always finely focused,
executedwith superb techniqueand impeccableattention
to theessenceof each ingredient.Whilenearly infamous
for serving a $150 hamburger during truffle season (the
patty is stuffedwith red-wine-braised short ribs, foie gras,
andpreservedblack truffle, then toppedwith freshblack
truffles), Boulud’s greatest showmanship ismanifested in
his restrained luxuriousness. His influence is abundantly
apparent on dishes such as the lobster masterpiece
(oppositepage) and this utterlyartful foie gras au torchon,
both servedat his restaurants. A standardBoulud strategy
is to employ an ingredient inmore than oneway on a
single plate. With the foie gras, pistachios turn up
crushed, candied, andpureed; rhubarbmakes anappear-
anceas apureeand in the formof poachedbatons. In the
end, thedish comprises essentially three ingredients. Less
ismore never looked so good. danielnyc.com
aniel Boulud
D
FOOD
Perfection on a Plate
