Bar Boulud Boston

          Bar Boulud is the newest addition to the Back Bay dining scene, and since it's the closest thing to a Michelin starred restaurant in Boston I tried it as soon as possible! Bar Boulud is located in the Mandarin Hotel, in the space formerly occupied by Asana. The food, atmosphere, and experience were outstanding and unlike anything else in Boston.

          We started with a small charcuterie board which included an assortment of pates and cured meats from the charcuterie bar. The Chef's selection for us that evening included lamb terrine with Moroccan spices, beef cheek terrine with herbs and cornichon, pate grande mere with chicken liver, pork, and cognac, cured sausage, and sliced jambon. The entire spread was served with toast, whole grain mustard, and pickles. I honestly loved the whole thing and couldn't pick a favorite, these were some of the best pates I've ever had.

          There were so many appetizers that sounded good, we decided to order several and share one entree so that we could try more. The tuna was probably most impressive because it was some of the best tuna I've ever had, definitely on par with some of the best sushi restaurants in town. It was prepared simply with just a bit of lemon and espelette (French pepper) so as to not overpower the fresh, clean flavor of the fish and finished with bottarga caviar.

          The Maine peekytoe crab with green apple, celery root and chicory was also excellent. The crab meat was like the tuna, about as high quality as I've had, and the portion extremely generous.

 
           The last (but not least) of our apps was the steak tartare made with handcut ribeye, confit egg yolk, caper, cornichon, and sour dough crisps. The textures and flavors on this were perfect, especially the confit egg yolk.

          We shared the veal trio as an entrée, and with all of the apps this was more than enough food! The trio included roast loin, braised cheek, crispy sweet breads, and sides of artichoke and kale. The braised cheek was my favorite, but the loin was about as tender as I've ever had.

          Bar Boulud was one of the most anticipated restaurant openings this year, and it definitely lived up to all of the hype. This place easily has potential to become one of the most popular in Boston. The menu is designed in such a way that it's perfect for any occasion - sip wine and enjoy bites from the charcuterie and raw bar, have a burger and a beer (there are two burgers on the menu that look amazing), or go all out with a multi-course dinner like we did! I will be back very soon!