DBGB Kitchen & Bar

Posted by bellastraniera - 15/06/09 at 11:06 am

When you think of tenacity and Daniel Boulud, maybe you think of the effort it takes to keep up four-star restaurant Daniel, launch Bar Boulud, or generally run a multi-national food empire. But no: the Boulud project that seems to have required the most effort in recent years is opening a restaurant on the Bowery. After being denied a liquor license in 2006 by Community Board 2 for a spot on the Bowery and 4th – bafflingly, because they thought a Boulud place would be some kind of nightclub – Boulud went back to bat for a space on Bowery between Bleecker and Houston and finally won in 2007. (Lord knows we wouldn’t want to attract the wrong element to the Bowery.)

But it’s clear from the outset: This ain’t no Mars Bar. The sleek glass doors open to an even sleeker space inside, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors screened with quotes about meat by everyone from Hemingway to Homer Simpson. The double-height

ceilings and reflected light give it an airy, industrial feel, and best of all, unlike Bar Boulud, there is a bar here. The space functions like Gramercy Tavern, with a sizeable no-reservations area of bar seating in front, and a more formal reservations-only restaurant in back. The decor in the back, which seemed depressingly industrial when it was still in the works, looks much better now due to sexy mood lighting. Metal restaurant-supply-store shelving creates a hide-and-seek effect between banquettes and the dining room, the dining room and the open kitchen. It’s a clever take on the hide-and-seek decor that started in the most traditional Paris bistros – a sort of tilted-mirror effect for the 21st century.

We didn’t have reservations for the back room (you can book them online), but we managed to get a seat in front right away at prime dining time on a Saturday. Tragically, the bar menu is a limited version of the full menu in back, but all the greatest hits are here, most notably the burgers and the DBGB dog.

I experimented with the fruits de mer platter ($30 for the size small). The presentation was quite beautiful, and the quality of the seafood matched. Fat, saline East Coast oysters were Winter Point from Maine, and the sweet West Coast ones were Kumamoto. These came with a variety of shrimp, mussels, clams, tuna tartare (interestingly made with cucumber and cilantro), and four artisanal sauces. At $30, it wasn’t cheap, but it was a generous amount of seafood.

There is an almost obsessive attention to beer here, with dozens of microbrews and even a 750 ml bottle clocking in at $67. Hefferweissen ($7) came served in an elongated goblet. It was intensely flavorful and – beware – more alcoholic than most, though D. quibbled with the fact that the glasses were small. “At Spuyten Deyvil, this would be a pint.”

Although I wasn’t a huge fan of Bar Boulud at first, over the years I’ve developed a real appreciation for the charcuterie there. It’s such a treat to leave Lincoln Center or the UWS movies and head on over for an impromptu meal of wine, country pate and bread. At DBGB, the DBGB Dog ($7) was as gourmet a hot dog as they come, topped with a special relish and served with the most divine Dijon mustard I have ever tasted. The dog itself was mildly seasoned, plump and juicy, and the bun adhered to it nicely – more Alsace than Bavaria.

The Yankee Burger with bacon ($16) was fresh and flavorful, but I have to admit, as far as straight forward burgers go, I’ve been totally ruined by Pat LaFrieda’s burger at Minetta Tavern. By comparison, the Yankee Burger seemed a little dumbed-down, though we did order the simplest one on the menu – alternately, the “Piggie” is dressed with pulled pork, and the “Frenchie” with pork belly. The only problem with the Yankee was the weird slaw-like hash of lettuce on top. As D. put it, “Lettuce shouldn’t look like that.” The fries served alongside were worth every calorie, especially when dipped in Dijon.

One issue with going to a place right when it opens: the service was extremely sloooow. This simple dinner clocked in at two hours, during which time the staff was doing things like bringing our entrees to a tiny crammed table before they’d cleared the huge seafood platter. It seemed like they were saving the experienced waitstaff for the main dining room, pictured below.

Nevertheless, as with Bar Boulud, if I can go get Boulud’s food on the spur of the moment for $7-19 an entree, I’m there. Next stop: the real dining room and the Frenchie Burger.

DBGB Kitchen & Bar
299 Bowery, between Houston and Bleecker Streets
NoHo
New York, NY
212-933-5300