A Gourmand's Life

There are an awful lot of restaurants in New York City, and occasionally – as a concession to both my schedule and parenthood – I must visit at that most inopportune time, brunch. To me, brunch is too often a meal designed for hung-over borderline alcoholics, dewey-eyed young lovers, and fence sitters who can’t even decide what meal they want to eat. In good weather, you can find them parked at sidewalk tables outside their neighborhood Chinese place, shoveling bacon and eggs into their mouths. Brunch eaters generally don’t care a whit about their food, and neither does the chef cooking it, who is usually the lowest ranking member of his kitchen and hung-over himself.


Brunch is also the curse of the traveler. I can’t remember how many times I have devised a perfectly organized eating itinerary for a new city, only to find that at least one of my designated lunch places will, in fact, be serving brunch instead, so as not to deprive their customers of pancakes at 2:00 in the afternoon.

By the look of things last Sunday DBGB Kitchen & Bar will be a big brunch place. Located two blocks down the newly gentrified Bowery from what was once CBGB, DBGB is third in the line of chef Daniel Boulud’s casual bistros and brasseries. While neither of its predecessors can be said to be outstanding restaurants, they do feature destination dishes worthy of a visit from far away. First came DB Bistro Moderne, which started the upscale burger craze with its amazing foie gras and braised short rib stuffed patty. Next was Bar Boulud, which features a disciple of Gilles Verot turning out some of the city’s best charcuterie and an astounding Boudin Blanc. Unfortunately, it appears that DBGB shares the first trait with its older siblings but not the second.

I sampled a broad section of items from the brunch menu, many of which are also staples at dinner, and while almost everything was good, there was nothing particularly notable in concept or execution. The Spicy Crabcake with Pickled Radish and Vadouvan Curry Sauce, was mostly crab - a good thing - but was barely heated through, and lacked a crust to provide textural contrast – not a good thing.



The Boudin Basque is a tasty little disc and its accompanying scallion-mashed potatoes are lovely, but it doesn’t have the livery kick the best Boudin Noir usually provides.



The Vermont sausage, a smoked pork link filled with pockets of cheddar cheese, was barely heated through, the cheese too cold to perform its intended ooze.

From the sweet section a Belgian Waffle was served with good whipped cream and fresh berries but was otherwise forgettable. The Brioche French Toast is the way to go if you are in a breakfast mood, and could also serve as an excellent dessert. The brioche is almost custard-like and is served with some lovely sautéed apples. DBGB is getting some attention for its ice cream sundaes. The Caramel-Cider version I sampled did share some of those sautéed apples, but its two-tone caramel and cider ice cream was strangely bitter. The advertised oatmeal crumble was barely noticeable, and the marshmallows were tiny, dry and day-glo green, like someone in the kitchen opened a box of Lucky Charms in a desperate moment.

The décor is attractive, with charming details like a wall of food quotes, ingredient fixtures, recessed tables for six and cooking pot hall of fame that warm up what could have been a clinical, industrial design. I intend to revisit DBGB to sample some dishes the brunch menu prevented me from trying. The food may not be hitting on all cylinders yet, but it is promising enough, and the room is enchanting in ways its modern counterparts often are not.