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four-star power AcclAimed French cheF Daniel BouluD opens the newest outpost oF BAr Boulud At the mAndArin orientAl. by scott kearnan photography by dominic perri Tables are set. Wine glasses filled. The kitchen fired up. Only one thing is missing at Bar Boulud, Boston, which opened in September at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. "I wish I could invite Julia for dinner. She was a wonderful lady," says star chef Daniel Boulud. He refers, of course, to Cambridge's late Julia Child, who, among her many accomplishments, penned the classic cook- book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Long before his daughter was a student at Tufts University, Boulud received an introduction to Boston by visiting, dining with, and cooking alongside Child. She, born in California, introduced America to fine French cuisine. He, born in Lyon, built his culinary empire by refracting French cuisine through an American lens. Now he becomes the rare globally recognized chef to bring his cooking to Boston. The Hub's Bar Boulud is only the third location of his acces- sibly upscale urban bistro, and the second, following London, developed in partnership with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. As with all of Boulud's cuisine—and ref lecting the approach that cata- pulted the chef to fame—the menu is a marriage of French technique and American inspiration. "We think French but act American," says Boulud of his team. "Because the liberty and creativity in cooking—for me, that comes from cooking in America." Bar Boulud's relaxed Coq au vin, a traditional French comfort food, prepared with a modern twist by Daniel Boulud. Continued on pAge 88 bostoncommon-magazine.com 87 taste this Issue: Harvest Fare