There are several French restaurants in Manhattan. Some have a twist, others stick with the classics and this one, this one friends, was created by a masterful chef, which if you noticed the name of the restaurant you may have already guessed—I’ll spell it out, this is a D.A.N.I.E.L. B.O.U.L.U.D. restaurant.

It’s relaxed French food the way they wish they could make it in France. Save your airfare and reallocated it to your wine tab because Bar Boulud has a serious James Beard nominated collection collection curated by their Head Sommelier Joe Robitaille. If you head down to the bathroom, you will walk through racks and racks of their bottles—it’s super cool!

The award mentions don’t stop there. Beyond putting out an incredible menu with a great variety from Croque Madame to Trout Grenobloise, their Executive Chef Alexander Burger just this month won the title of Best Cassoulet IN THE WORLD! His winning version is comprised of a rich combination of Tarbais bean stew, smoked Toulouse pork sausage duck confit, and garlic. I feel like I don’t need to say this because it’s literally been dubbed the Best Cassoulet In The World, but you’ve definitely gotta order it—it’s for sure a must!

If you’re a lover of charcuterie, Bar Boulud also has an in-house Chef Charcutier. Chef Charcutier Viven Lallement grew up the son of a chef and enrolled in pastry school at the age of fourteen. This is not your average slice of prosciutto kinda charcuterie board, this is next level! Check out the photos, you’ll see. 

Really the question becomes, when are you getting to the Lincoln Center area to check out this powerful team’s restaurant?