Daniel Boulud Brasserie is a nice place to end up on a Sunday night when you are in this town. Casual, uncomplicated and a tad more serious than a bistro. I have heard so much a about Daniel Boulud's food, have some of his recipes, read his columns in Elle Decor, and admire him for making French cuisine comprehensible. I enjoyed my caramelized onion soup with Gruyere and beef shanks. Simply divine. The little cup made up for its scant size, in robust flavor and texture. If I were to paste an image of an unforgettable country dish, this would be it! TLO ordered an artfully-laid beet and endive salad. It was enough for me to look. I kept my fork away from the salad. I also ordered the much-talked about DB burger as my main course. I call it my Gordon Gecko burger. The DB burger, set (or rather, upset) the burger scene, from its humble patty origins to its fancy filling evolution! The patty was stuffed with braised short rib meat and foie gras with a toasted Parmesan crusted bun. We polished off our meal with a lemon verbena ice cream. Nice touch.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Daniel Boulud Brasserie at the Wynn Resort
Las Vegas - We arrived shortly before 9:00 in the evening and with no time to make proper reservations for dinner, decided to take a chance with the restaurants in the hotel. We walked down and had drinks at the patio facing the waterfall with the light and sound show - very Vegas, I must say, a pure and earnest, yet very posh, homage to the endearingly tacky Vegas we all know. That said, we nursed our cocktails and made fun of the rowdy girls seated in front. About an hour later, we checked in and got our table.
Final verdict: I was underwhelmed by the burger. I guess it is highly personal bias against any corruption of the classic incarnation of the beloved burger. As for now, In-N-Out still rules and warms my heart on a late school night. No DB burger will evoke that feeling, I guess. Call me an unsophisticated brat, but I guess a short rib and truffle-stuffed burger on a fancy Parmesan-crusted bun is slightly pretensious and may have an appeal in certain circles. I consider it an earnest piece of culinary art that will not resonate with a serious burger denizen, because 1) it may not be replicated successfully, 2) the ingredients do not lend themselves to convenience, a hallmark of an honest burger, and 3) the price is frankly not worthy all the patty slapped on the humble bun. A burger is a burger. If you want a heavenly burger experience, Sang Yoon may be the guy to call. In Santa Monica. Hat's off to you, Mr. Daniel Boulud, I still love your food and waited years to try your burger, but it just does not resonate with me. However, I would maim, battle or kill for a little pot of your onion soup with beef shanks, sir. Anytime.
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