"Daniel" news and stories

If cooking is the way to one's heart, Daniel Boulud should be able to attribute much of his success to his understanding of food. "I think that every restaurant is the chef's soul," he says in documentary "A Certain Taste for America."

In an ongoing series entitled "Art de Vivre: The Art of Eating Today," led by the French Institute in New York City on Monday, a screening of the film (very doting on Boulud) was followed by a panel discussion reflecting upon the art of eating and, more specifically, the importance of sustainability and sourcing food.

As a world-renowned chef hailing from a small hamlet outside Lyon, Boulud has achieved his veritable empire -- 10 successful restaurants based in New York, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Beijing -- by striving to keep a strict culinary focus on seasonal cooking and high-quality ingredients.

More on Boulud's rise to fame, and the panel discussion on sustainable produce, obesity in America, seasonal cooking and its debatable expenses, after the jump.

Photo: Michelin.

Michelin's "New York City Restaurants 2010" dining guide was released this week, bumping up Daniel Boulud's Daniel restaurant to three stars while stripping Mario Batali's Del Posto of a star.

Daniel is in small company in the three-star category of "exceptional cuisine and worth the journey." Masa, Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin also retained their three-star ratings.

Del Posto dropped from the two-star category ("excellent cooking and worth a detour") to one star ("a very good restaurant in its category").

Other restaurants that saw significant changes include the Italian restaurant Alto, with a bump up to two stars and Corton, which also won a double star.

What do you think of guidebook ratings? Let us know in the comments below.

Raj Vaidya. Photo: Michael Harlan Turkell

In a career that has included wine jobs at haute dining and wine destinations Per Se, Cru and, since June, the head sommelier at Daniel Boulud's flagship New York eatery Daniel, Raj Vaidya has paired more than his share of his duck with vino.

Born in Jersey, and raised in his parents' native Bombay and Singapore, Raj's wine tutelage began well before he was of legal drinking age, enjoying vino and good food with family and company. It laid the groundwork for post-college (a degree in political science and philosophy from Rutgers University) career in the wine business, where he first started working at New Jersey's Ryland Inn and did time in the biodynamic fields at Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa.

As fall quickly approaches, we caught up with Raj to discuss the different elements one needs to consider when pairing wine with all those preparations of this wonderfully fatty, gamey bird, creamy foie gras and bloody duck à la presse.

There are few better role models for those wishing to whip up fare in the style of a seasoned pro than Daniel Boulud. Boulud grew up on a farm near Lyon, France, worked under renowned European toques before making his way to New York City and in 1993 opened Daniel. The eatery not only garnered a four-star review from the New York Times but was also was named one of the 10 best restaurants in the world by the International Herald Tribune.

This video for crabmeat salad hearkens back to Boulud's early days (when both his hair and accent were a wee bit thicker!), but his technique still looks masterful. The salad -- a simple mixture of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs molded into an eye-pleasing ring -- looks ideal for warmer summer months, reminding us that sometimes the basics are all that's needed to create a succulent, four-star meal.

Is it bad that I haven't visited any of the top 50 restaurants in the world? Not even once?

I guess it's not surprising, considering only 8 of the top 50 are here in the United States and none are near me. Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, CA is the top U.S. restaurant at #4. Other U.S. spots include Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Charie Trotter's, Daniel, Alinea, and Chez Panisse. The top restaurant is El Bulli in Spain (the site also lists restaurants 51 to 100).

I really have to get out more.

[via Gastronomic Fight Club]