One more feather in Daniel Boulud's cap

[Jenise]

Interesting news about what's to become of one of Vancouver's top restaurants after the huffy departure of star chef Rob Feenie (who famously beat I-can't-remember-who on Iron Chef), from the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail:

French-born star chef to replace Feenie
ALEXANDRA GILL

March 8, 2008

Vancouver -- Daniel Boulud, one of the world's top chefs, is coming to Vancouver.

The French-born chef is going into business with Manjy and David Sidoo, the owners of Lumiere and Feenie's restaurants.

Mr. Boulud will be the executive chef and a partner at Lumiere, replacing Rob Feenie, who left last November.

After briefly closing for renovations at the end of this month, Feenie's will reopen as dB Bistro Moderne Vancouver.

Mr. Boulud is the chef/owner of six award-winning restaurants in the United States, but is best known for Daniel, his fine-dining restaurant in New York.

[Jenise]

No comments? I thought this was stunning news. It's the first foray so far as I know of a superstar American chef into Vancouver dining. Wonder if we'll see the rest arrive soon now that Boulud has annointed Vancouver a foodie city, a la Vegas--Ripert, Jean-Georges, Flay, etc.

The closest we get to a "superstar chef" in JC, MO, is when the Natural Born Grillers come to town for our bar-b-que contest. But, Hubert Keller just opened a place in St. Louis, which is only two hours away. I will be checking his place out.

Jim

No comments? I thought this was stunning news. It's the first foray so far as I know of a superstar American chef into Vancouver dining. Wonder if we'll see the rest arrive soon now that Boulud has annointed Vancouver a foodie city, a la Vegas--Ripert, Jean-Georges, Flay, etc.

Sure. If I was closer to Vancouver.

This is as close as I can get to a celebrity chef around me...

Unfortunately Jo Jo's = So So

[Jenise]

No comments? I thought this was stunning news. It's the first foray so far as I know of a superstar American chef into Vancouver dining. Wonder if we'll see the rest arrive soon now that Boulud has annointed Vancouver a foodie city, a la Vegas--Ripert, Jean-Georges, Flay, etc.

Sure. If I was closer to Vancouver.

This is as close as I can get to a celebrity chef around me...

Unfortunately Jo Jo's = So So

That's pretty funny, Scott. Can't imagine wanting to brag that I knew Janice Dickinson. But hey, I did not know that Michigan was "America's Third Coast". I have a feeling that would come as a surprise to people on the Gulf.

My self-interested opinion is that he will be spending less time at the 3 restaurants in New York, and that might be a bad thing.

I love db Bistro and I love Café Boulud even more. I don't know why I haven't gotten around to going to Daniel.

One annoying thing about the NYC db Bistro is that so many people order the stupid hamburger. What a wasted opportunity when you can order anything on the menu, to get a high priced burger. I have to wonder if the Canadians will show a little more good taste and ignore it.

Frank

[Jenise]

My self-interested opinion is that he will be spending less time at the 3 restaurants in New York, and that might be a bad thing.

I love db Bistro and I love Café Boulud even more. I don't know why I haven't gotten around to going to Daniel.

One annoying thing about the NYC db Bistro is that so many people order the stupid hamburger. What a wasted opportunity when you can order anything on the menu, to get a high priced burger. I have to wonder if the Canadians will show a little more good taste and ignore it.

Frank

Frank, hey come on, you've got all those amazing chefs to console yourself with. And...and...New York's been robbing other cities for years (Keller, Masa, etc), surely you can do without a few hours of Daniel's time. I can't wait to file an in-person report.

Jenise, if you want to get frothed up even more, you might try reading "The Fourth Star" by Leslie Brenner -- it's about Daniel but it will give you a lot of insight into how Boulud runs his kitchens. Also I recommend "The Cafe Boulud Cookbook." Compared with Thomas Keller's cookbooks, it's pretty easy stuff. I have a few favorites, and whenever I see blood oranges (this time of year they are in the stores in New Jersey) I make his codfish with endive and blood orange sauce served over creamy rosemary scented grits. If you see the spring pea soup on the menu by all means order it. Beautiful stuff, will change your whole idea of what pea soup is about. I've tried making the recipe but it's hard to hit the same high note that they do in the restaurant.

Frank

I am so there this summer!

[Jenise]

Jenise, if you want to get frothed up even more, you might try reading "The Fourth Star" by Leslie Brenner -- it's about Daniel but it will give you a lot of insight into how Boulud runs his kitchens. Also I recommend "The Cafe Boulud Cookbook." Compared with Thomas Keller's cookbooks, it's pretty easy stuff. I have a few favorites, and whenever I see blood oranges (this time of year they are in the stores in New Jersey) I make his codfish with endive and blood orange sauce served over creamy rosemary scented grits. If you see the spring pea soup on the menu by all means order it. Beautiful stuff, will change your whole idea of what pea soup is about. I've tried making the recipe but it's hard to hit the same high note that they do in the restaurant.

Frank

Thanks for the tips, I have two of his books but neither of the ones you mention. I admire him greatly and he seems like an enormously likeable guy--I've even watched every episode of his After Hours show, and a few weeks ago he was on one of Bittman's programs, where they cooked together. I don't make a point of watching Mark's shows, but because Boulud was on I did see this one. The contrast between the beautifully complex dishes Daniel made and the really simple (flavorful, no doubt, but so not in the same league) thing Mark put together was rather amusing. (One could conclude that he's The Minimalist because he doesn't have the talent to be a Maximist.) Point is, even on a show like that, Daniel does or says something one inevitably gains knowledge from.