With 20 Michelin-starred restaurants spread over 18.4 square miles, Lyon, France, has the largest concentration of such celebrated dining spots of any city in the world. (New York, in contrast, has 68 Michelin star recipients spread over 300 square miles.) Lyon also happens to be the birthplace of Chef Daniel Boulud, who just shared the details of his latest New York restaurant, scheduled to open on May 6. Dubbed Le Gratin, the new venture will be a paean to the cuisine of his hometown, especially its vaunted baked casseroles.
“From the time I could hold a spoon,” the chef is quoted as saying on the restaurant’s website, “I remember savoring my favorite potato dish at home — Le Gratin Dauphinois, and Gratin de Cardons. All along my life, to this day, we make these specialties on many occasions. No dishes remain more classic than these.”
The restaurant, which will occupy the ground-floor space vacated by Keith McNally’s Augustine in the Beekman Hotel in the Financial District, will serve both savory and sweet gratins, including the French classic quenelles de brochet au gratin (pike mousse dumplings in a rich sauce). Time was when you could find this marvelous dish on virtually every French restaurant menu in New York. For those interested in attempting the dish at home, Chef Andrew Soltner’s recipe can be found here.
Le Gratin, 5 Beekman Street, New York, 212-597-9020.
See also…
Andre Sotlner’s Quenelles de Brochet, Alain Sailhac’s Hazelnut-Crusted Lamb Chops
