Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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R aising the BaR Bar Boulud unveils Boston's first dedicated charcuterie counter. You may want to start plan- ning your visit now. Timing is key at the recently opened Bar Boulud charcuterie bar, where only seven lucky guests can score the coveted seats at the marble-topped counter. Diners can choose from a selection of exotic terrines, pâtés, hams, and sausages that have been carefully chosen by Parisian charcutier Gilles Vérot, who worked on similar menus at Bar Boulud in New York and London. Terrines et pâtés maison include the tagine d'agneau, a lamb ter- rine with Moroccan spices, and the decadent pâté en croute, which marries duck foie gras with black mission fg. Diners can also indulge in the melt-in-your-mouth jamôn ibérico fermin from the Saucisson et Jambon menu. Each charcuterie tray comes with mushrooms à la grecque, coriander carrots, horseradish beets, celery- apple rémoulade, coarse grain mustard, and, our favorite, cornichons. clockwise from top left: Chef Daniel Boulud and Bar Boulud's chef de cuisine, Aaron Chambers; lobster aioli; the Cranberry Royale cocktail. ambience means you may find anything from a high-end spin on the hamburger to a decadent poached local lobster with handmade garlic aioli. There are also more straightforward examples of soulful French cooking, such as coq au vin, a red wine – braised chicken with bacon lardons, pearl onions, carrots, and mushrooms. And served at a sparkling marble counter is Bar Boulud's signature charcuterie, a selection of terrines, pâtés, and more from famed Parisian charcutier Gilles Vérot. Boston's Bar Boulud has been designed to feel more accessible to nonguests than the hotel's former restaurant, Asana, says Alain Negueloua, the Mandarin's general manager; there are even plans for patio dining on Boylston Street. Today the 200 -seat interior's main dining room sits beneath a dramatic vaulted ceiling, designed to evoke the curvature of a wooden wine barrel. The glowing, zinc-top bar boasts cocktails like the Cranberry Royale, a Champagne-vodka elixir with a billiard ball – size "ice orb" of cranberry compote, as well as French wines from bottles as big as 18 -liter melchiors. "They take two servers to pour," Negueloua says with a smile. "It brings the dining room a wonderful bit of theater." It should, given the marquee name attached. Boulud is the rare chef whose renown and brand expansion haven't obscured his original culinary gifts, which first became widely known at Daniel, his Michelin three-star f lagship in New York City. But in Boston he knows better than to rest on his reputation, as the city is disinclined to knee-jerk fawning. Just ask the last global chef to make a go here, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. His Market, at the W Hotel, opened amid great anticipation and earned gracious reviews, but closed in December after four surprisingly short years. Along with Boulud himself, Bar Boulud's driving force is chef de cuisine Aaron Chambers. The 33 -year-old wunderkind rose through the ranks of esteemed restaurants in the UK, Dubai, and Washington, DC, before landing with Chef Daniel in New York for five years, most recently as executive chef at Boulud Sud. Last year Chambers moved to the Hub with his wife, a Swampscott native, to ready the restaurant and immerse himself in the tight-knit Boston community. "Daniel pushes us to be the best ambassadors we can be," says Chambers. "He's the superstar but believes that people need to know me. He wants us to be approachable, walk the dining room, know the regulars, and be the face." Boulud himself says humbly, "I don't know if Boston needs Daniel Boulud. But it feels good to bring it a restaurant that is not just for the hotel, but for the city." 776 Boylston St., 617-535-8800; mandarinoriental.com/boston/ fine-dining/bar-boulud BC "boston is a smaller community of chefs with great fraternity." —daniel boulud 88 bostoncommon-magazine.com taste