DB Bistro Moderne

The choucroute is well-composed at Daniel Boulud's sophisticated and amiable bistro.

The full name, choucroute garnie ("garnished sauerkraut") does a disservice when this dish is so laden with meat — in this "traditional" version, pork tenderloin, bacon, a variety of sausages, and chunks of yielding mustard-braised shoulder. The kraut itself wasn't very sour, perhaps so it wouldn't overwhelm the more delicate notes of the "garnish"; to add the occasional kick, a pot of very sharp mustard sat ready.

Also shown (all from the $24.07 Restaurant Week lunch prix fixe): a piece of flammenküche, thin dough baked at high heat with Alsatian white cheese, bacon, and onions; and a chocolate passion fruit mousse held fast in stiff dark chocolate cream and circled by orange cardamom sauce.

DB Bistro Moderne
5 West 44th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.)
212-391-2400
http://www.danielnyc.com/dbbistro/cuisine.html