Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway, nr. 64th St.; 212-595-0303
Thanks to Über-chefs like the Lyon-born Daniel Boulud, New York has hardly lacked for fine French dining. But even Boulud’s greatest efforts never made up for one glaring deficiency, according to him: Manhattan’s pitiful lack of authentic charcuterie. Enter Gilles Verot, a third-generation charcutier with two acclaimed Parisian boutiques, whom Boulud enlisted to collaborate on his new Lincoln Center bistro, Bar Boulud. Verot’s protégé, chef Sylvain Gasdon, relocated to New York, where he spent months tracking down the best heritage Berkshire pork for his pâtés, and the raw ingredients for creative terrines of beef cheeks, rabbit, and spicy lamb tagine with sweet potato. Best of all are his intensely flavorful pâté grand-père, a mélange of chunks of foie gras, pork, and truffles, all marinated in port for 24 hours, and his deep-pink, gelatinous headcheese. But don’t take our word for it. Grab a stool at the bar, share the degustation de charcuterie, and be transported to Paris without the security check or long line at customs.