BOULUD SUD

Daniel Boulud’s restaurant may be located on the Upper West Side, but its preoccupation is strictly Southern. Not fried chicken (though with the chef’s famed db Burger you’d be forgiven for thinking it), but hop across the pond for a tour of the Mediterranean and you’ll get the gist of the flavours here.

Like a floozy summer spent hop scotching from seaside resort to island idyll, the menu crosses France, Spain, northern Africa and Sardinia and Greece, the gourmand’s equivalent of a jetsetter’s designer-laden suitcase. With Brit Aaron Chambers as the executive chef on board, where do you begin?

Fill up on a variety of the smaller plates to get the best breadth of flavour, and work your way towards the mains if there’s still room. The cured Spanish anchovies come highly recommended followed by seaworthy choices from the de la mer seafood section, from baked cod to spiced swordfish.

Less salty tongues will appreciate the de la ferme (from the farm) options such as roasted red tail venison, house-made lamb kibbeh and Tuscan style rib eye, whilst vegetarians have an entire garden to pick from with the du jardin selection, including tabouleh, classic Greek horiatiki salad or pumpkin cappelletti in brown butter and sage.

The wine list is perfectly curated by Michael Madrigale, who’s also working his magic at Bar Boulud – the more casual brasserie a block up, connected via the basement restrooms – with everything pitched to bring the bright sunshiney flavours to the fore.

The place is pricey – there’s always Épicerie Boulud on the corner for a more affordable DBGB hot dog fix – but you don’t necessarily have to own Cavalli’s credit card to eat here; come between 17 and 18:45 and the pre-theatre menu is yours for $55, or make a lunch reservation where two courses come at $39 and three for $47. Set sail – and book your berth at least two weeks in advance.