I don't usually go to brunch on the UWS, but Lav and I had just spent a nice early morning at the MoMa and we decided to just walk around the city and ended up near Bar Boulud. I always had this vision of the UWS being older, more high brow, more expensive and just not my scene. My brunch here didn't really change my view. While my meal was totally fine, I spent way more than I wanted on brunch and the vibe was just too stuffy for me. I mean I rolled into the restaurant in jeans and sweater and there were some people there in 3 piece suits (ok, there were only 2 people like that but for the most part the crowd here is older and not dressed in ripped jeans like me).
I generally like French food and they have your usual line up of eggs (or ouefs) florentine, croque monsieur, croque madame, quiche, salad nicoise, and omelettes. They also had a brunch prix fixe but at $32 not including tax and tip, no thank you. With all our walking, I had developed quite an appetite, so although I usually go for eggs in the morning, I got the Frenchie Burger ($18). It was made with beef and pork belly confit, roasted tomato, raclette cheese, arugula, and french fries. Compared to most places, the burger here was a bit on the smaller size, but from a health perspective, I was fine with that. I will say that the burger was tasty - the pork belly confit was a nice touch and really added a great flavor and moisture profile to it. The fries were the skinny salty kind and were totally fine. I demolished the entire thing in a matter of minutes and did enjoy its every bite but I'm just not sure how I feel about paying almost $20 for it. The restaurant was kind enough to let Lav order the frittata off the prix fixe menu (it was not listed under the a la carte section). I had a small bite and it was a solid frittata with cheddar cheese and spinach and onions.
All in all, it was totally a fine brunch experience if not a bit too high brow and expensive for me. I guess I'll always be more of a downtown/Brooklyn gal, but if you are looking for the that UWS experience this place isn't a bad choice. Total bill: $29/pp with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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