Headed downtown to Daniel Boulud's Beer Garden of a bistro. Located at Bowery at Houston Street, as soon as I walked in I was enamoured of the double wide bar benches. How fun! I had a glass of the house rose while waiting a few minutes for Alan and Patty to arrive. There were already a few other patrons there eating, some in the small tables in the bar area. I covertly eyed up their dishes as I checked out the neat decor of copper pots, wine bottles, quotes and homey yet modern chic feel. We were seated as soon as we approached the host to a table in the main dining room amid the shelving built into the walls that served as both decor and serving stations. Near us, lots and lots of wine glasses and the bread baskets. Of worth to note - the brown leather, open ended both seating was clean looking and super comfy. You can really settle in there for a night of culinary exploration. Fun!
We had all individually checked out the menu online (http://www.danielnyc.com/dbgb.html) before arriving and were full of ideas of how the meal should progress. We landed on salads first, a second course and a main entree. We never discuss dessert ahead of time! So to start, I went with the Chop Chop Salad with Lobster. No matter which Daniel restaurant in which city, if there's peekeye toe crab or lobster salad on the menu it's a must have for me. And what a great way to start off! a light ginger-sesame dressing complimented the greens, generous portions of perfectly (and lightly) cooked lobster along with avocado, pepper, carrot and watermelon. Loved this salad ~ tried not to lick the plate. Alan's Iceberg & Blue was also quite nice with bacon, tomato and walnuts. Something stopped his from being the standout...perhaps it was the dressing? I liked it but it didn't compare to the Chop Chop in my book. Patty's Butter Lettuce & Chive salad with mustard garlic dressing was the disappointment of the evening. A salad that could have, should have rocked was blend and boring. But onto second courses!!
I had decided on the asparagus & fried egg with duck days before so I was all set. Patty & Alan wanted to sample the restaurant's claim to fame giant sausage selection. They opted to share the Thai link and the Beaujolais. The Thai was pork, lemongrass and red curry links, green papaya, basil fried rice, chili sauce and quail egg while the Beaujolais had pork, mushrooms, onion, bacon & red wine link with lentils du puy. I didn't taste either sausage so I shouldn't comment - I trust then to add remarks. They were pretty clear throughout that the Thai link was something special. Back to my dish. WOW, super awesome!!! Stand out dish. Enormous asparagus spears surrounding an almost tart looking pastry holding the perfection of a fried egg. All of this with duck and a mustard-egg dressing. There's a beautiful picture of this dish on the web site that's worth looking at to get a sense of the magic involved. Perfection in the blend of flavors and textures and temperatures. Ahhh...so happy.
And on to main courses. I ordered the pappardelle bourguignon with slow-cooked brisket, red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms, smoked bacon and fines herbs. This dish was intriguing and smelled amazing but being both full and feeling like it was a little more bland than I expected, I ate a little and packed the rest up to take home for leftovers. Side Note: the pasta the next day earned rave reviews from Alan who said that once the flavors had a chance to meld it was a standout dish. Back to the evening at hand...Alan did what any American Male would do in this situation - he ordered a burger! And what a burger...The Piggy. Topped with daisy mays bbq pulled pork, jalapeno mayonnaise & boston lettuce on a cheddar bun with mustard-vinegar slaw and served with fries. Quite lovely, juicy and decadent and it tasted pretty damn good to boot! Patty opted to order the steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with basil pistou, grilled summer squash, grape tomatoes and house made focaccia. I helped Patty eat some of her mussels since no one should eat mussels alone. :) The temperature of her dish went down fast but the sauce was flavorful and the mussels steamed to the exact right doneness. Very nice.
I'm not sure why at this point we decided to keep going, but we did. We ordered a dessert to split amongst the three of us that was called the OMELETTE NORVEGIENNE. A Baked Alaska for two with vanilla & verbena ice cream, raspberry sorbet, fresh meringue and flambée with chartreuse. Yes, they set it on fire. A very pretty dish - the raspberry sorbert was wonderful but I didn't like the overall combination of flavors.
Fun place. Great bar. Potential for rocking individual dishes...would go back. Nice and casual if you're in that neck of the woods.
Jenn's Rating: 85
Zagat Rating: 22-23-21
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