A summer food series highlighting the most delicious options from the south of France is underway throughout Chef Daniel Boulud‘s restaurants in New York City.
Entitled “Boulud Sur Mer,” this is the third iteration of the summer meal series hosted by The Dinex Group. Each one of Boulud’s restaurants offers new menu items and unique rosé pairings from the esteemed Château d’Esclans’ portfolio.
“I lived in the south of France for many years and I have spent a lot of time going on vacation in the south of France and the Mediterranean. We wanted to do a promotion where all our restaurants were participating in, creating dishes that are reminiscent of the cuisine of Provence-Côte d’Azur region,” said Boulud. “It’s also affordable and delicious and tasty, so it’s fun.”
To prepare for the summer series, Boulud meets with his staff to plan out the menus. Depending on which restaurant you go to, you are met with either a Prix-Fixe menu (Café Boulud and Maison Barnes) or a la carte and seasonal items.
“It’s teamwork. We make a meeting, we discuss strategy, we discuss the menu, we discuss the ingredients, we discuss the sauce, we discuss the presentation and then we start to cook dishes and tune it,” said Boulud. “We have a sense of what to cook and what we like to prepare, we just try to do it authentically.”
The menus feature fresh seasonal ingredients putting a delicious twist on classic French dishes, such as Atlantic Red Mullet, Ratatouille, Bouillabaisse Mouginoise and Encornet farci à la Provençale, just to name a few. On top of that, the dishes are paired with wine pairings from Château d’Esclans, which helps complement the summer season.
“The food itself, the flavor always resonates with summer. It’s what we call ‘cuisine du soleil,’ which is the sunny cuisine and the sun is the highest in July and August,” said Boulud.
“We are honored to continue our partnership for another season with Chef Daniel Boulud and his culinary team for Boulud Sur Mer,” says Sacha Lichine, Founder and President of Château d’Esclans. “We’re thrilled to continue to bring the rosé lifestyle to these prestigious establishments worldwide so that all can experience the true essence of the South of France.”
Guests who order items from the special menu are given a passport to stamp at the participating restaurants. Those who fill the passport are awarded a $100 gift card and entered into a drawing for a chance to win a dinner for four in Restaurant Daniel’s Skybox.
With the current series underway, Boulud says that it has been a hit among customers, with some returning to places they’ve already stamped on their passports to try items they haven’t had before, and also preparing their next visits at one of the other restaurants while dining.
“People love it. They just tell a story every time they go from one place to another and they sometimes often make reservations, let’s say if somebody is at cafe, they say, oh, can you make me a reservation next week at Le Gratin?” said Boulud. “A lot of people like to make reservations directly with us for another one of our places to just add the other dish.”
Participating restaurants in Boulud Sur Mer are The Bar at DANIEL (60 East 65th St.), Café Boulud (100 East 63rd St.), Maison Barnes (100 East 63rd St.), Le Pavillon (One Vanderbilt Ave.), Le Gratin (5 Beekman St.), Bar Boulud (1900 Broadway), Blue Box Café (Tiffany & Co. – 727 Fifth Ave.), and Épicerie Boulud (1900 Broadway, One Vanderbilt Ave., Westfield World Trade Center, The Lipstick Building, 919 Third Ave.).
Boulud Sur Mer will continue through Labor Day Weekend.
