Bar Boulud

It's "country," but it's not coarse.

Charcuterie, the branch of cooking devoted to prepared-meat products like sausages, confits, terrines, and pâtés, as well as bacon and ham, takes center stage at this casual bistro — almost literally, if you sit at the communal tasting table. During Restaurant Week, I encountered the pâté grand-mère (above), a "fine country" version of chicken liver, pork, and cognac that was smoother-textured than its accompanying dollop of whole-grain mustard. I have yet to meet "grand-père," a coarse country pâté of foie gras, truffle juice, and port, but it's only a matter of time: The dégustation de charcuterie, a tasting menu in two theoretically sharable sizes, is now officially on my to-eat list.

Also shown (all from the Restaurant Week lunch prix fixe; $24.07 for three courses): cold carrot-coriander soup; beef ravioli with seasonal vegetables; roast chicken with chanterelles, onions, and fingerling potatoes; and an îles flottante, meringue set afloat (or, given the blueberry compote, anchored) in a thin vanilla crème anglaise.

Bar Boulud
1900 Broadway (63rd-64th Sts.)
212-595-0303
www.danielnyc.com/barboulud/barboulud.html