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pastoralia Dec 19, 2006 07:03 PM

Restaurant near Madison and 75th

I'm going to be in this area and am looking for a nice mid-priced restaurant (so that means no Daniel)...any suggestions for lunch?
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›8 Replies . Latest Dec 21, 2006 by RGR
  1. p
     pastoralia Dec 21, 2006 02:01 PM

    I had a gala apple and butternut squash soup with a spiced cream. Smooth, warm and frothy.
    My fiancee started with a frisee and apple fennel salad. Very light with a delightful walnut oil dressing.

    My entree was a veal ragu and arugala over homemade ribbon pasta. So delicious. I want that ragu recipe.
    My fiancee had a beef combo of hanger steak and a braised short rib with a potato and watercress puree. This was OK. Hanger steak is notoriously tough and the short rib is notoriously fatty. Nonetheless, we cleaned the plate so it couldn't have been that bad. The pomme puree was amazingly tasty.

    For dessert I had a (I know I'm getting this wrong) a Buche Noel...the traditional french holiday dessert. So...so...great.
    My fiancee had a tangerine baked Alaska with citrus cream. Tart and sweet.

    And those tiny madeleines!!! Love them. Well worth the price.
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    1. re: pastoralia
      r
       RGR Dec 21, 2006 08:09 PM

      Thanks so much for those descriptions. I'm drooling all over my keyboard. lol
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    2. p
       pastoralia Dec 20, 2006 07:24 PM

      Well, went to Cafe Boulud. FYI: the delicious pre fixe is $38.
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      1. re: pastoralia
        r
         RGR Dec 20, 2006 11:44 PM

        Thanks for the update. I guess I lost track of when we were there. It must have been while they were still offering the all-summer-long Restaurant Week menu. But $38 is still a bargain for food of that caliber. Sounds as though you enjoyed it. Could you tell us what the choices were on the prix-fixe, and what you had?
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      2. p
         pastoralia Dec 20, 2006 03:30 PM

        Oooo....that Via Quadronno looks good but I'll check out if they have room at Cafe Boulud first since I'll be right there.
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        1. r
           RGR Dec 19, 2006 08:08 PM

          Daniel is on 65th St.; however, his second-tier restaurant, Cafe Boulud, is on 76th, just west of Madison. You can have lunch there without breaking the bank because they offer a 3-course prix-fixe for $24 -- a true bargain for cuisine of such high caliber. A basket of the seriously delicious madeleines are provided at the end of the meal. Worth going there just for those!
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          1. r
             rking Dec 19, 2006 07:20 PM

            On Madison & 73rd you have Via Quadronno a great little place for lunch with superb panini and much more, great cozy italian atmosphere.
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            1. re: rking
              MMRuth Dec 19, 2006 07:22 PM

              Great suggestion - I was having trouble coming up with one. If you feel like going further astray, Orsay is decent French at 75th & Lex.
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