The burger segment has plenty of fine-dining ex-pats flipping patties these days, from Bobby Flay, at Bobby’s Burger Palace, to Marcus Samuelsson, at Marc Burger; Hubert Keller, at Burger Bar; and Laurent Tourondel, at BLT Burger. But when the spatula was taken up in earnest last month by Daniel Boulud, New Yorkers could barely slap their Zagats shut before they were off on a bun run.
Boulud, after all, is one of the most celebrated chefs of all time. His midtown cathedral to French cooking, Daniel, has been listed among the best restaurants in the world by Gourmet and the International Herald Tribune. His skills in and out of the kitchen have earned him the Outstanding Restaurateur and Outstanding Chef of the Year awards from the James Beard Foundation. Boulud’s native France has presented him with one of its highest honors in recognition of his art.
Yet, culinary knighthood aside, he’s no stranger to sizzling ground meat sandwiched between two pieces of bun. The Original DB Burger, the foi-gras-and-truffle-stuffed signature of Daniel’s more-casual sister, DB Bistro Moderne, is touted by many as the best of breed. Its popularity and margins, at $32, also have prompted salivating on the part of fellow restaurateurs. Alumni of DB’s kitchen say the sandwich is a major driver of the restaurant’s profits.
So when rumors arose two years ago of Boulud’s interest in opening a burger restaurant, New York’s food community definitely took notice. Eater.com, an arbiter of buzz for the sport-dining set, kept up a steady stream of reports, noting such minutiae as Boulud’s efforts to secure a liquor license, his consideration of a “Downtown DB Burger” for the menu and the date when the kitchen equipment was rolled into the premises. The place would be called DBGB, reported Eater and others, for “Daniel Boulud Good Burger.”
Boulud’s company, The Dinex Group, used the name but decided not to put the restaurant in a burger box. Indeed, only three of the 14 dinner entrées and 16 main lunch selections at DBGB Kitchen and Bar are burgers, with prices ranging from $11 to $19.
The Yankee consists of a 6-ounce patty garnished with iceberg lettuce, tomato and Vidalia onion and served inside a sesame seed bun. It’s accompanied by fries and a St. Essex pickle and can be ordered with Cheddar cheese and bacon for an extra $2 each. The base price is $11 at lunch and $14 at dinner.
The Frenchie features grilled pork belly atop the 6-ounce patty, all topped with arugula, tomato-onion compote and Morbier cheese. The bread is a peppered brioche bun, with a cornichon and mustard on the side. Served with fries, it sells for $17 at both lunch and dinner.
The Piggie, at $19 for both lunch and dinner, features the pulled pork of another New York restaurant, Daisy May’s BBQ, which also sells sandwiches at midday from carts. The shredded meat is piled atop the 6-ounce patty, along with jalapeno mayonnaise and Boston lettuce. The carrier is a Cheddar-cornbread bun, accompanied by mustard-vinegar slaw as well as fries.
All of the burgers are served with a condiment caddy that includes ketchup, yellow mustard and a coarser grind of mustard, along with salt and pepper.
Other DBGB entrées include house-made sausages in 13 varieties — with any two for $21 at dinner; Duck & Cherries, $20; and Roasted Leg of Lamb, $19.
Also featured are more than 30 appetizers and shareable samplers, including the DBGB Dog, a hot dog, at $9; oysters, at $3 each; and Jim’s Matzoh Ball Soup, $8.
Dinex describes the place as “the French brasserie meets the American tavern.”
“While the three burgers we serve represent only a small part of the menu offering, they appear to be incredibly popular,” said Georgette Farkas, a spokeswoman for Dinex.
One of the burgers ranks among the best-selling items at DBGB, Farkas said, though she did not say which of the three is ordered more often than the others. She also cited the house-made sausages as popular choices.
And why didn’t the restaurant limit itself to burgers? The space was too large to focus narrowly on just one item, and “I wanted for some time to do a brasserie,” said Boulud. “At the same time, I always fool with the idea that I am a New York sort of French chef.” Hence the inclusion of New York favorites like the matzoh ball soup, a hot dog and The Yankee and Porkie.
To accompany the food, DBGB features 65 craft beers, as well as an extensive wine selection and several cocktails.
The place opened in mid-June on the Bowery, an avenue once studded with flophouses, Salvation Army missions and down-and-out characters. It is now a cutting-edge neighborhood, known for its artsy, rule-flouting denizens.
In light of the setting, Boulud has given the place a dash of whimsy. For instance, he has said he uses Daisy May’s shredded pork on the Porkie because the meat is the signature of Adam Perry, who cooked under Boulud before opening his own place.
And the name “DBGB” is an obvious homage to CBGB, the birthplace of punk music, which was located just a block north of the restaurant.
If the place isn’t a burger joint, as Farkas is quick to point out, then what do those initials stand for?
“There is actually no official designation for the letters,” she says, attributing it to more whimsy.
Indeed, she says, Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin once challenged people via Twitter to come up with a name that would make it an acronym. Among the more intriguing submissions, Farkas says: “Daniel Boulud’s Got Balls” and Daniel Boulud’s Grand Bouffe,” or “the great eat.”
The restaurant opened to wait times of two-and-a-half-hours for anyone lacking a reservation, according to blogs and message boards for New York restaurant fans. On a recent visit, the bar was just about filled by 5:30.
The business “is more than what I expected. It was in line with what I hoped,” joked Boulud.
Does that mean other DBGBs may follow?
“It’s way too early to tell,” he said in a telephone interview. “I don’t look at one week or one month as a success. I look at 10 years.”
