The Early Word on Boulud Sud and Epicerie Boulud

Daniel Boulud debuted two new restaurants by Lincoln Center this month: the cafe and takeaway spot Epicurie Boulud, featuring upscale lunch-time fare; and the new fine dining restaurant Boulud Sud, which draws inspiration from the Mediterranean. Let's see what early diners are saying about Boulud's newest.

Boulud Sud

The So-So News: SKGChow posted a mediocre review on Chowhound: "The evening was good, not great. I think I was expecting more from this restaurant. The menu seems too large to me, some flavors from the different dishes we ordered seemed too similar/repetitive. We will be back, but will order more carefully (keeping the repeating flavors thing in mind)." [Chowhound]

The Great Yet Ominous News: NY Journal dined at Boulud Sud and had some interesting things to say. He started very positively with: "My immediate reaction, after falling in love with the room... was to think: we are going to get taken care of here... You can easily dine here for under $40 per head, before alcohol." However, NYJ has no confidence in the price staying where it currently is: "That probably won’t last, but for now Boulud Sud might be the best fine dining deal in town... It’s difficult to predict the trajectory of a restaurant on its third night of service, when the chef/owner has his A team on the floor, everyone is on best behavior, and the reservation book is being held down to 70 or 80 percent full. Boulud Sud will, if nothing else, be more expensive later on. If it becomes as busy as Bar Boulud, it might be a shade less charming... But for now, Daniel Boulud has another hit on his hands." [NY Journal]

The It Was Like a Performance News: Yelpers of course have some things to say, and they're all wonderful. Boulud Sud has two 5-star reviews. And there are only two reviews on the site. Here's what Burton S. had to say: "Quite aside from the food, which I'll get to, the service was nigh-on perfect, a beautifully choreographed "ballet" all its own... As the place's name implies, the menu offers specialties of southwestern France and the Mediterranean coast. We began with a shared small plate--rabbit porchetta with thinly-sliced asparagus and a splash of basil oil--that presaged the rest of our dinner--interesting, exciting food, beautifully presented... Joy really enjoyed her fish soup with John Dory, so reminiscent of the bouillabaisse at Chez Tétou in Golfe-Juan right by the Mediterranean. After a sip, maybe I could be forgiven for imagining West 64th as a coastline!... My own appetizer was a pair of small squid, stuffed with chorizo in kind of a pesto, topped with a lovely tomato-based sauce. Once again, the presentation was beautiful, with the tiny tentacles carefully placed atop each squid. Absolutely first-rate." [Yelp]

Facebook Lovers: Jody McCallum writes on the Boulud Sud wall about her fabulous time out with the girlfriends: "I cannot rave about it enough! My girlfriends and i celebrating there last night. Impeccable service and chatted with Mr Boulud who was kind enough to send over an amazing dessert at the end of our meal. LOVED the lamb dishes, waygu beef, and snap peas, and From the Field cocktail - the Coq au vin at Bar Boulud used to be my fave but Boulud Sud is my new go to!" [Facebook]

Epicerie Boulud

The Four-Yelp-Stars News: Jeni Y. of Yelp pens a glowing review of the new Epicerie Boulud. She was very impressed when she wandered in during the soft opening: "The shop... is stocked with a mouthwatering display of light bites - from terrines, cheeses, and quiches, to delicious sandwiches such as the DBLT with roasted pork belly, and the immediate best-seller Cubano, stuffed with suckling pig... The pastries section is worth a full several minutes of silent fantasizing. If you really can't make up your mind, I'll suggest the Brioche Suisse - it's out of this world." [Yelp]

The Ooh, Ahh News: Coasts filed a great review of the new Epicerie Boulud. They were fascinated and impressed by the whole establishment, although Coasts found some things a bit pricey: "I couldn't resist the Cuban - suckling pig on a baguette with gruyere, jambon, pickles and delicious mustard. At $10.50 + tax, the sandwich was either too small or too expensive, but the flavor was incredible. The pork oozed. Nine bites and three napkins later, I knew I'd come back for it. - no question... If it weren't for the fact that they close at 8PM, I'd be there tonight for an eclair and an espresso. Extended hours will start after Memorial Day, making it a great option for before and after the summer events at Lincoln Center." [Chowhound]

The News Which Compares Epicerie Boulud to Mean Girls: Interesting Yelp review from a certain jae z. who seems to be holding a grudge against those more popular than her in high school and Boulud. She writes: "Epicerie Boulud is the plastics of "gourmet markets". Sure, it's fancy as hell, all shiny and new with these branded bags and boxes whose robin egg blue and brown affects the aesthetics of mid-market plebeian. Hollow, hollow heart, Daniel. I was briefly charmed by the pastry section, until I had a macaron. After trying all the flavors, I wished that instead of spending the money and extra five minutes on tying a fucking BOW on treats I'm going to eat in 2 minutes, you'd spend more time on the content. The chocolate was the best flavor and actually quite good, but the other ones had dry shells and too sweet fillings... You're peddling sausage, pate, cheese and pastries. You're a monger, get the hell over yourself and put on a smock, and wrap the meat in newspaper. Well, not exactly, I understand the need to brand, but the brand can't fool for long." [Yelp]

The Underwhelming News: @collegecritic (Jason Bell, the Columbia Daily Spectator restaurant critic) tweets: "found epicerie boulud extremely underwhelming. cold sandwiches are pre-wrapped and not very good. wish I could have my appetite back..." Ouch! [Twitter]
—Jackie Goldstein