DBGB

For her birthday, Lindsay wanted to cross a restaurant off her bucket list, which means I got to do the same.  Chef Daniel Boulud is known for his ultra high end restaurants - the kind that I can't even dream of going to til I get a new job in finance.  However, his latest venture, DBGB, is a more reasonably priced gastropub so Boulud's cooking is now accessible to all most.

We started with a round of apps.  Lindsay got steak tartare that she said was wonderful, especially the pickled ramps - a nice seasonal touch to a traditional year-round dish.  Rachel ordered the fried egg and asparagus with smoked duck and violet mustard.  When I saw the egg was not the regular diner-style over easy fried egg but a whole egg, deep fried, I had to have a bite.  The crispy layer was thin and the yolk was just less than firm.  I've started seeing prosciutto, asparagus, and poached egg in Italian restaurants and this was a nice twist to that dish.  I ordered a creamy and delicious romanesco cauliflower soup.  At the bottom of my bowl I found a mussel - what a little treat!  Another goodie: laying atop the bowl was a crostini of saffron aioli, shaved cauliflower, and another mussel.  The soup may seem more like a Fall dish, but I would eat it any time of the year.

Lindsay and I split two sausages for our entree.  I'm not sure whether I preferred the espagnole or the tunisienne - both were the type of sausages you usually have to go to Europe to find.  The only downside was the extra pricy drink menu.  The cocktails were smaller than normal and not cheap.  You can get a wonderful meal for $25-$35, but you'll spend at least that much on alcohol and you won't get drunk.  Not a problem, I'm just as happy stuffing my face with the food.