Dans le Noir…in NYC?

Word on the foodie street is that Dans le Noir is coming to NYC. The rest of the details are kinda hazzy… it might be in the East Village, or the West Village…or maybe perhaps somewhere on Bowery. Who knows? I’m going to call Bowery since low-key-yet-upscale-dining has seen in influx here within the past year (Double Crown, DBGB, etc).

Here’s the funny thing – Dans Le Noir’s global website claims their NYC restaurant will open up before the end of 2009 AND you can already sign up for priority reservations (which I did since I’m genuinely curious about this place). Yet there is no solid location yet? So NYC….

So why should we care about this place? Good question. This will be the first of the “eating in the dark” restaurants in NYC. A trend that seems to be sweeping the culinary capitals of the world (locations are in Paris, London, Barcelona, Bangkok, and Moscow). Menus are vague yet interesting: You choose from either: meat, vegetarians, fish, or the chefs surprise (which will be my personal choice). According to the restaurant they promise that “With the help of our blinded guides you are going to completely re-evaluate the notion of taste and smelling through our gastronomic and pedagogical process.” Re-evaluate my notion of taste ehh?? You’re ON!

Mind you, this isnt the first ‘dark eating’ experience in the US. California boasts Opaque which is in San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles. But its not the very global and very famous Dans Le Noir. Will this restaurant be a hit? Or will it close within the year – who knows. But you can be sure I’ll keep you posted.

Eating my Mantra

I’ve been to a lot of restaurants in Boston but the one that sticks out the most is Mantra. It has a French- Indian theme but likes to focus on New England ingredients. Confusing? Not really - its actually pretty delicious.

Positives: Out of all the food fusions in the world, French-Indian has to be one of my favorites. The cumin dusted Long Island duck breast is delightful; as is the goat cheese and potato tikki. I rather enjoy the atmosphere which is sexy without being too dark (unless I’m dining at Dans Le Noir I do NOT like eating in the dark). Its also conveniently located between the Theater District and the Downtown Crossing.

 Negatives: I dont know if its just me (and please correct me if you think otherwise) but I always get a ‘corporate’ feel when I walk into Mantra. Now, this probably has to do with the fact that I use to throw events here when I worked for Morgan Stanley…but I don’t know…maybe it has some validity. This place also tends to be a little too trendy for my liking and can be swarmed with college kids…but thats anywhere in Boston right? 

 
Mantra
52 Temple Pl
Boston, MA 02111-1332
(617) 542-8111
http://www.mantrarestaurant.com/

My Foodie Crush on Daniel Boulud

Daniel Boulud is quite possibly the classiest NYC celebrity chef ever. End of Story.  Now there is talk of a new Boulud restaurant and much like a 12 year old girl waiting for the Jonas Brothers show to come on - I am on the edge of my seat. There are few things we know. We know it will be located on the Bowery, we know it will have an intense beer menu, and we know he will focus on bistro/casual food.

My foodie crush with Daniel started when I was in high school. Around 1998/1999 I subscribed to all the culinary magazines I could afford –  Bon Appetit and Gourmet Magazine. Since I was still unemployed, I would save up my lunch money and spend it on both of these fine publications. Any chef/restaurant that was featured in the ‘Best Of’ section soon became my obsession. Daniel’s name was often brought up and was always followed with nothing but praise. His gem of a restaurant - appropriately named “Daniels” – was outrageously expensive compared to my high school budget of nada. I had to put my dreams of indulging in the luxury that was Daniels on the back-burner.

That is until 2002, my boyfriend (now husband) was turning 20 and I had saved $300 to take him to the classiest restaurant I could think of – I even bought myself a $125 Guess dress to wear to the occasion. This was already shaping up to be the most indulgent night of my life to date. I had never spent more than $75 on anything up until then. We arrived at 5:45 – the earliest time they had since we needed to catch the 10pm express bus back to Staten Island. The atmosphere was intense, lush reds and gold. I felt special automatically. Dave and I were terribly awkward ordering the food and trying to be as proper as we possibly could. The waitstaff was incredibly sweet considering how young and poor  we were – they treated us the same way they treated their other patrons – although I wouldn’t blame them if they snicked in the kitchen on these dining noobs. I don’t remember everything I ate. Only colors, scents, and flavors. Skate in brown butter, olive-rosemary bread, succulent sea scallops, and warm madelines straight from the oven. It was the best dinner I had the pleasure of savoring at age 19. After that night, I was hooked. I was hooked on his flare, his classiness, his flawless execution, and most importantly his ability to make my mouth water.

I returned to Daniels several times after that night, each time just as delicious as the first. Then I branched out to the other Daniel Boulud NYC restaurants: DB Bistro Moderne, Cafe Boulud, and Bar Boulud. Each restaurant having its own unique take on food and presentation – yet still managing to stay very ‘Boulud’ in execution. Now I hear he’s got a new restaurant opening this spring on Bowery: DBGB. I will be there opening week. Mark my words.I will eat and drink and be happy surrounded by all things Boulud.

Usually I steer clear of LES, finding very little – if any – charm in its neighborhood shenanigans. However for you Boulud I would walk from South Ferry to the door.

More to come on DBGB at a later date…

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