He's One Fastidious Frenchman

And our stomachs are a lot happier because of it. Celebrity chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud will soon open his latest restaurant (no. 10) in the lower east side of Manhattan. It will be called DBGB, and it's slated to open within a few weeks.

As this N.Y. Times article reveals, Boulud remains very meticulous to detail, especially when he is grading potential dishes for the new restaurant:

. . . during Round 8 of recipe tests, on Tuesday, [Mr. Boulud] refuses to grade on the curve. He stoically appraises entrees and appetizers in what feels like a marathon episode of “Top Chef” — except that this judge has helped conceive the dishes and never seems very pleased by the results.

The lamb ribs confit with roasted lamb leg and spring beans? “Maybe a little more herbs in it,” he suggests. The Maryland lump crab cake with a curry sauce and pickled radish? “More crab, less garnish.” The passion fruit crepe with mango slices? “We’re still not there.”

One of the dishes he tested sounded very tasty -- beer-battered haddock beignets. I hope that makes the opening menu.

Experts have calculated that Boulud's new restaurant DBGB will have to generate $4.5 million a year in revenue in order to be profitable. That's a lot of business, especially when you consider that DBGB envisions the average bill for a three-course meal coming to roughly $32. For NYC dining, that's simply "moderate to expensive."

Well, it definitely provides another excuse to return to NYC for a weekend this summer.