325 replies to this topic

[Rail Paul]

NY Post has some information on Daniel Boulud's bar (1900 Bway @ 64th). Eater has a link to the article also.

The casual, 100-seat French-American bistro will offer 500 wines, communal tables, a walk-through wine cellar, private rooms and a paté and cheese sommelier.

http://www.nypost.co...ce_pagesix_.htm

[Wilfrid1]

I wonder if that's anything like the bar which self-appointed community activists prevented him opening on the LES? :fume:

[Aaron T]

New York has been lacking a paté sommelier for way too long. I am glad that Daniel recognized this void and is rectifying the situation. Bravo!

[Wilfrid1]

What we really need is a sommelier sommelier - along the lines of a maven maven. This imposing figure would be responsible for consulting with each table to determine which of the restaurant's many sommeliers' services would best suit their needs.

[Daisy]

May I assume these services would include touching?

[Chambolle]

Well, I guess today is the day for sharing my personal emails.

I received a highly-confidential, overseas email today from the previously-outed agent DBB. I outed DBB in the appropriately-named Summer Outings thread here:

http://mouthfulsfood...p...st&p=808130

Agent DBB has been doing additional clandestine work in Europe under the auspices of visiting her sister, brother-in-law and their kids. She covertly communicates to me as follows:

While minding her own buzzz-ness last Tues, enjoying the end of year concert of her niece and nephew on a steamy Paris evening. A joyful tear in her eye, Agent DBB inadvertently stumbled across some very important information about a certain wine bar in the NY area.

She was sitting in the back of the small auditorium, watching the sweet innocent faces and listening to the pure tones of the young angelic voices,... a lump in her throat. She scanned the room and spotted a smartly dressed woman, middle aged, noticed more for her resemblance to someone else than for any other reason. Perhaps she too had a young relation in the performance and felt the same tug on her heart.

After enduring, ahem ...appreciating roughly an hour of music the parents began herding their young. This mystery woman approached agent DBB while she was conversing with her sister and her niece's teacher. Her son is in the same class as the agent's niece, and she too enjoyed the concert.

Now here is where things get interesting...

When the Madame discovered where the agent called home, she made mention of a future endeavor involving a wine bar in NY, its location........ Broadway and 64th street!!! Jackpot..... Agent DBB's ears perked up and now was the time for her instincts to takeover. Agent DBB in her own sly professional sleuthing way was able to find out the following information. (Earlier in the day, the agent's sister had mentioned that one of the parents at the school would be opening a wine bar/deli in NY.)

The woman she met was the Madame Verot. Of the "Gilles Verot" Charcuterie (with the award winning Fromage du Tete) on the corner of Notre Dame des Champs. Madame Verot and her husband are partnering with Daniel Boulud, and she says they will be opening this fall. (Daniel has a very great heart by the way.) Agent DBB informed the Madame of how the NY Community was eagerly awaiting the opening of this wine bar. And how one Mr. Phelps has frequently passed by the location, taste buds at the ready, to sample their large assortment of wines /meat products, only to be disappointed by the lack of progress on the site.

The next day Agent DBB and family went over to the Charcuterie to sample some of their delicious morsels, hoping to get more answers to pressing questions, unfortunately the couple was not there to take part in the inquisition.

Darn... so close and yet so far.

For those who do not know, Gilles Verot in New York City would be a very good thing.

Uggh, additional research is showing this sleuthing effort to be yesterday's news:

http://www.epicuriou.../news/021705_th
http://www.foodandwi...sy-october-2006

Well, at least the analysts in the field are starting to connect the dots .........

[Sneakeater]

It's hard for me to get very excited about a place that I won't be able to get into for at least the first year it's open.

[Chambolle]

UWS. Charcuterie. Tete du fromage. 100 seats. Not cheap. Can't get into for a year?

HOGWASH! A total bunch of baloney!

Nevertheless, I don't leave anything to chance. Here is some of the ensuing communcations:

ME: "Okay DBB, now that I have complimented your work, here's the true assessment. Other agents in the field have informed me that this is yesterday's news. Agent DBB, let me be clear, your work seems to be slipping. Additional details on this budding partnership or lifetime VIP status pour moi at the NY outpost, if not both, are expected. And samples, samples, samples. Am I supposed to believe some bozo-the-clown handing out awards and balloons as to who makes the pre-eminent Parisian pates. Puh-lease.

DBB: Perhaps I can get the sister to finagle an invite to the opening.

ME: Perhaps? Perhaps!! Just the lousy opening? The lousy opening!!

DBB: [just silence, dead silence.]

[Wilfrid1]

If I remember, this is the place where patrons will be able to pay a sizeable fee to have the restaurant store their wine. Right?

[Chambolle]

Right.

http://eater.com/arc..._numbers_on.php

[Sneakeater]

I didn't say you wouldn't be able to get into it, Chambolle. I said I wouldn't.

PS -- Daniel Boulud? Across the street from Lincoln Center? Where even the bad places are mobbed? Able to get in without engaging in undercover activities? Hogwash!

[Chambolle]

Even the bad places are mobbed? Um, how about not showing up at 7pm when all stagelights are on that evening at Lincoln Center on Thursday and expecting a table in the next 5 minutes.

I am at a loss to think of a restaurant, any place, even one lousy or not-lousy joint on the entire UWS (defined as north of Jean-Georges) that you cannot eat at virtually any day you so desire, even being so bold to claim that on many if not most nights you wouldn't even need a reservation to do so, if you choose your arrival time with some care and are not in a rush. Fine, maybe maybe maybe there is one exception to this that requires the heavy burden of lifting a finger and making a reservation a couple days in advance.

And now magically, some new place with 100 seats, although advertised as casual, trust me, it will not be cheap when all is said and done, and we know that most UWSers like their food cheap and their deep sleep, so this new place is going to be abracadabra packed like pigs in a pigsty for a solid year before you can squeeze in?

I'm sorry to squeal this from the rafters but: Boulud WooHoo Voodoo NotTrue!!

Just tuck in your shirt and don't wear sneakers.

[Sneakeater]

Well, since the only times I'd be eating at that spot are pre- or post-Lincoln Center, yeah.

[Chambolle]

Based upon your newly added time restrictions, you sound more like an UWS Peakeater than a Sneakeater.

And something is suspicious about those self-imposed time limitations, considering that our UWS Peakeater has also been an UWS Greekeater at Kefi and an UWS Beakeater at Picholine, all without having heard any music, seen any dance or taken in any theatre on the specific nights in question.

Even still, I will work within your sneaky twist-and-turn-and-tweak-the-topic-to-attempt-to-trouve-a-tie-in-this-tiny-tussle time restrictions. Due to the previously mentioned deep sleep requirements of most UWSers and Lincoln Centerers, and considering that these folks are neither Sleepwalkers nor Sleepeaters, post performance pecking, pickling and partying will not ensue at Bar Boulud after the first month zoo unless the moon is blue. And if I must be true, I don't even believe in my first month zoo, as you do.

Supporting facts, your honor. You can virtually always walk into Fiorella post performance without any advance planning, if you are courageous enough to do so. If Telepan is still open upon your LC exit, ditto. The Picholine bar even opts to close early on some performance nights due to lack of traffic. Imagine the possibilities if advance planning via OpenTable were employed.

People turn into pumpkins well before midnight around these parts.

Now, my advice to the Sneakeater at this point, for goodness and his credibility's sake, is that he should not try to find a hidden piece of cheese in the above words and he should simply turn tail and run away, before I set a trap and he gets hurt.

Cuz I'm hunting wabbits, wodents and wild boar.

Okay, I'll put that gun away and try to play nice from now on. I can actually be weal sweet.

Now if you had identified yourself as an impetuous SweetEater or TreatEater, then I might have reached some charlatan's compromise with you, cuz pre or post, UWS or not, for better or worse, there is alway a line at Grom.

[Sneakeater]

I can honestly tell you that I have never gone to Picholine EXCEPT in connection with a Lincoln Center performance.

I can also honestly tell you that half the (two) times I've gone to Kefi, it was in connection with a Lincoln Center performance.

I can also honestly say that 100% of the (one) times I've been to Rack N Soul, it was in connection with a performance at Symphony Space.

So I guess I really AM a UWS Peakeater. (Too bad it's too late to change my posting tag.)