2020 wasn’t kind to restaurants across America, but some withstood the challenges, and are coming out even stronger. One such example is the New York City establishment Restaurant DANIEL, chef Daniel Boulud’s Michelin-starred fine dining eatery.
With a dining room redesign set for 2021, Chef Boulud also promoted his Chef de Cuisine, Eddy Leroux, to Executive Chef, and Shaun Velez, formerly Executive Pastry Chef at Café Boulud, to Executive Pastry Chef.
“Throughout the 28 years of Restaurant DANIEL, it has always been an honor to work alongside the most talented, passionate and creative executive chefs in the kitchen, as well as in pastry,” said Chef Daniel Boulud. “The entire team at DANIEL and I are thrilled to start a new chapter after this very long year of challenges and pivotal changes. We are eager to present a fresh, delectable experience in our artistic setting and warm ambiance. Our New York finest hospitality is back, and so is DANIEL.”
DANIEL’s refurbished main dining room
Thomas Schauer
Collaborating with Chef Boulud, Chef Leroux and the culinary team created a new menu rooted in French tradition, with modern refinements and innovations. A completely vegetarian menu is available, as is a $275 seven-course prix fixe tasting menu.
The 3,000-square-foot dining room has been reimagined by its original interior designer, Tihany Design. A new floor plan offers a contemporary vibe to the main dining room, featuring hand-crafted undulating wood screens and custom-designed carpets, furniture, and lighting to create an elegant guest experience.
The Paris-based Lalique Interior Design Studio also worked closely with Chef Boulud to create a bespoke bar experience featuring crystal glass and space in creative combinations.
Pennsylvania Sasso chicken
Thomas Schauer
As part of the interior renovation, Chef Boulud has created a dedicated series of biannual exhibitions to be installed in the historic neoclassical dining room, the intimate Upper Lounge and the private Bellecour Room. Curated with art advisor Janis Gardner Cecil, the initiative debuts with an exhibition of large-scale landscape paintings by contemporary American artist Alex Katz. On view in the Upper Lounge is a selection of works by Robert Mapplethorpe. The fine art program at Restaurant DANIEL is a celebration of New York City as the epicenter of art and culture in the world.