DBGB Kitchen and Bar

I was expecting DBGB to be pretty awesome based off the fact that it is Daniel Boulud's restaurant. He didn't let me down (for the most part). I decided to visit because it is restaurant week, and the restaurant week menu looked decently large. My sister is visiting so she dined with me, but opted for the regular menu.

For appetizers I had the chilled corn soup with queso fresco sprinkled on top, and my sister had the shrimp cocktail.

The chilled corn soup was good, but it lacked depth of flavor. It had some flavorful extras added to it (green onion & sriracha) but there wasn't enough of them to make an impact. I liked the soup, but it could've been better. The shrimp cocktail, on the other hand, had plenty going on. With two dipping sauces, sliced avocado, and tomatoes, flavor was not an issue. The shrimp were delicious and the sides made the dish playful and unique.

For main courses, I got the pork and parsley farmhouse sausage link, and my sister got the salmon. The sausage was incredible. It was crispy, flavorful, tender, and rich. The sausage was served over a bed of ratatouille that was the perfect complement to the earthiness of the parsley in the sausage. My only qualm is that I could have eaten twice as much sausage as they gave me. I think that's because I was doing the restaurant week menu--I find portions are always slightly smaller during restaurant week.

I had a hard time finding anything particularly inventive about salmon dish because salmon is such a predictable staple. This salmon was served over a bed of farro (even more predictable) with a tomato-pepper vinegar. At least the vinegar addition makes the dish unique. 

In the dessert/drinks category, DBGB definitely pulled through with unique and inventive dishes. Their cocktail menu is fun and offers a wide array of options, like the Na Na Na Na Na, made with banana puree and an assortment of alcohols. The restaurant week dessert options were black forest cake or a sundae, and I opted for a chocolate peanut butter sundae. Best decision I made all week.

The sundae was made up of chocolate ice cream, peanuts, caramel corn, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle. It really was as good as it sounds. I finished the sundae in about 60 seconds.

Overall, I really liked the ambiance of DBGB (open kitchen and a lot of open space), and the food was great, with the exception of the soup and the unoriginality of the salmon dish. Definitely stop by if you're a foodie and want to eat at Daniel Boulud's more relaxed French-American fusion bistro.

DBGB Kitchen and Bar -- 299 Bowery (Between Houston and 1st Street) New York, NY