Eat This Now      11/13/2008  

Cafe Boulud Serves Up Mentor-and-Protege Menu

The Daniel Boulud organization takes a lot of pride in Cafe Boulud, and they’re right to — the place has functioned as a haute cuisine workshop since it opened, and its elegant informality have made it a mecca for serious eaters since day one. Now it’s ten years old, and to congratulate themselves, the Boulud group has created $75 dual five-course menus featuring wunderkind chef Gavin Kaysen’s creations, as well as classic haute-hamishe dishes from the Daniel playbook. For my part, I was skeptical at first of Kaysen, who was from out of town and not a product of the Boulud farm system, but the guy is a fantastic chef, already one of the best in New York, and he’s only 12 years old! (Or at least, he looks that way.) This mentor-and-protege menu duet speaks to the trust Boulud, a supreme judge of talent, has in the lad. Kaysen describes his relationship with Boulud at the restaurant this way: “Daniel told me, it says Cafe Boulud on the door, but you’re driving the car, and I’m in the passenger seat. He gave me the responsibility and a sense of ownership in the restaurant, and I’m trying to create the perfect balance to let Cafe Boulud be so many things to so many different people.”

Cafe Boulud 10-Year Anniversary Dinner

Hamachi Sashimi (Kaysen)
daikon radish, fried garlic, kabocha squash purée, ponzu

Scallop Seviche with Coconut (Kaysen)
peppers, cilantro, plantain chips

Wild Mushroom Soup (Boulud)
brioche croutons, watercress

Pumpkin Velouté (Boulud)
cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sage

Herb Crusted Chatham Cod (Boulud)
Yukon Gold Potatoes, Fine Herbes Celery, Cockle Emulsion

Seared Black Bass (Kaysen)
Fingerling potatoes, roasted figs
Caramelized fennel
sauce beurre rouge

Classic Daniel Boulud Red Wine Braised Short Rib (Boulud)
Celery Root Puree
Caramelized Root Vegetables
Red Wine Jus

Stuffed saddle of Lamb (Boulud)
Flagoulet beans, sun choke puree wild mushrooms, roasted garlic jus
Pear & Cranberry Clafoutis (Raphael Haasz)
Vanilla poached pear
Caramel-ginger ice cream

Honey Crisp Apple Strudel (Raphael Haasz)
roasted apple “chaud-froid”
walnut ice cream

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