Having read the post on carbonara on Ruhlman and noting that my wife would be in the city this day, I called before she left home, asked as to the time of her appointment and suggested we have lunch afterward. My suggestion, especially the restaurant met with enthusiasm. Bar Boulud has been open for just four months we were told. Around the corner from where I work and next to my bank. One block south of Leonard Bernstein Place and two blocks south of Peter Jennings Way. Across the street from the slums where they shot the movie West Side Story, of course the slums are long gone.

Bar Boulud has unusual, perhaps unique, items hanging on the wall. 21 of them to be exact. If you go to the web site they run down the right wall. 21 framed winestains. Each from a different bottle from their wine list. I noted a 1945, they are of course carefully labeled and even I could recognize some of the names. My wines tend to be California or Ausrailian not French.

I had the headcheese and the house aged ham sandwich, my wife a chicken terinne similar in aspect to the headcheese and a crab salad. All excellent.

Bar Boulud would seem to specialize in charcuterie, there were several chef's choices of charcuterie plates on the menu. This was the lunch menu of course.

Certainly a place to return to.