Bar Boulud

February 14th-

We wanted to go out for Valentine's Day, but wanted to spend the majority of our cash on the actual meal and not on taxis, so that meant going out in our neighborhood, which is not known as being a foodie's wonderland. On top of that, we wanted to try something new, and of course, something good. Amazingly enough, there was such a place- Bar Boulud. We tried Chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant, Daniel, on the upper east side, but we had never been the the one closest to where we live, and since they had one reservation left, we took it!

The inside of the restaurant is shaped like a wine cellar. It's peaceful and surprisingly roomy. The bar is so long, when we saw it, we immediately began planning future outings for drinks here. Almost as soon as we sat down, they brought us some cheese rolls- yum. We weren't ravenously hungry, but wanted to try a lot of things, so we ordered several appetizers. First, we had the pate grand-mere. It was tasty. However, I had better pate at Citron, and it was free. (They bring it to your table with the bread and butter.) Next, much to my surprise and utter delight, we had the oysters. They were one of the special dishes of the evening, hence the surprise. We didn't get a run down of the daily specials and when we spotted them being escorted to another table, we immediately demanded to have them as well. They smelled and tasted just like the sea! They were so clean, and came with a nice very light vinegar, with went well with the oysters without overpowering them. I hate when oysters aren't properly prepared, and as you slurp them down, you end up with a piece of rock hard shell in your mouth. It just ruins the whole decadent experience entirely. Also, why do we serve them so often with nasty red sauce when it overpowers their delicate, amazing taste? Thank you Chef Boulud for knowing how to serve oysters! After the oysters came the escargot persillade. I loved them so much two days before at Le Gigot that I had to have them again. Once again, they were very good.....swimming in warm garlic butter and parsley......mmmmm......but the ones at Le Gigot were meatier. Finally, we ended our meal with the quail which came with pickled beets and arugula. I know, I know, I don't usually eat things that fly, but I figured if I was ever going to like any form of bird, it would be in a wonderful french restaurant. I was right. I really loved it! It was tender and moist and full of flavor and the pickled beets and arugula went so well with it. Delicious! We were both very happy with our experience and felt we made a great choice!