Café Boulud

I went with my boyfriend for our mini vacation there in four season for a weekend. He booked the table with our room reservation. The sitting was late (8:30) and I expected to have better seat (I’m wrong) my boyfriend is a 6 feet tall big guy but they sat a us in the tidy table. With the bottle of wine and a large Seafood tower We order I thought they will offer to change the table. (I was wrong again) the seafood tower was great. We ordered a duck course as main to share but they didn’t not help us to divide it. I wouldn’t expect these service if we are out at a neigbourhood restaurant, but I would expect better service in a restaurant in the Four seasons hotel.

One of the few places I admire the most when it comes to their desserts. The place is like okay, the chef was great, he even greeted us and said hello. That’s a good thing considering this is our first time here at Café Boulud.
Moroccan Tuna Tartare was also good, never mind the other things just focus on the tartare.
Recommended

The food is excellent the furniture is not. The individual chairs are uncomfortable and strange looking, as if one found them in a garage sale. Part of a restaurant’s charm is the furnishings. This one does not cut it. The breakfasts are perfect. The service is perfect as it should be. I have not tried lunch or dinner yet.

When you hear Daniel Boulud you expect top notch quality and this is what I received. We went to celebrate my partners birthday and knew prior to arriving what we were having — the whole rotisserie chicken with potatoes and two sides. Why? because they use the rotisol machine — google it.
We decided for the sides to get the mushrooms and asparagus. The waiter brought out the chicken to show us how it looked before they cut it nicely and remove the bones, which had I known I would have asked that they keep the bones as I’m a fan :)
Everything was presented beautifully — the chicken was so moist filled with flavour and the potatoes WOW– clearly they were sitting in the juices of the chickens that were roasting. The asparagus and mushrooms although it may sound plain — they were packed with flavour.
Overall, a great experience as always and I must say for $ 68 you receive a lot of food for a 5 star dining experience.

The food was what fine, nothing extraordinary but it was good.
Appetizers were standard with any other restaurant at this price range. The meats on the charcuterie board were very basic and nonetheless unimpressing, while the tuna tartar seemed to be the better of the two it is still nothing special. The gigot d’agneau was the star of the dinner, with the meat falling right off the bones; cooked to perfection. Everything in the lamb dish just melded together and eggplant with the parsley salad brought perfect balance to the dish.
I would say that their desserts are nothing too spectacular, but it wasn’t bad either. The desserts just aren’t worth the money though, I’d recommend dinner here with dessert somewhere else!
Service at Café Boulud was exceptional and even if the waiters/​waitress don’t give a shit about you, they seem to be very good at making you feel like they do ! :] We were well taken cared of and overall the dining experience there wasn’t far off from the price.

This is a late post from Winterlicious 2016. I had the tartare de thon (bigeye tuna) with red pepper coulis, cilantro, tonnato sauce. Then the saffron and fennel bouillabaisse. And dessert was the savarin with baba au rum, mango, pineapple crème, and chantilly.
Overall, it was a pleasant meal. Nothing extraordinarily spectacular. I would visit again for a night out.

Had such a great time here this past weekend.
We ordered the Canadian oysters, fries and Beignets de Calamar to share and everything was fantastic. The ambiance was great with both the waitress and the bartender taking special care to make sure everything was to our liking. The waitress was also very knowledgeable about the food she was serving us and explained how the sauces were made. The view was great and the décor was perfect for the space.
The drinks (our main focus) were delicious! The led zeppelin was great and the other drink i ordered was the most beautful cocktail i have ever been served (cant remeber the name sorry!)

My husband brought me here for our Valentine’s day dinner. For that night, they were only offering the Valentine’s dinner menu, which is a four course meal. At $ 125 per person, I expected the food to be bit better.
The restaurant is on the second floor of the Four Seasons. When we got there, our jackets were checked, and we were seated right away. The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. And our waiter was very polite, nice and attentive. However, I think all of this is to be expected from a restaurant of this caliber.
The best part of our meals were the starting appetizer and the dessert. My husband and I got the steak tartare and foie gras. Both were very yummy, and both left me wanting me more it. For dessert, we got the tarte tatin and profiteroles, both were very good. The profiteroles was presented very nicely. The ice cream was enclosed in a dark chocolate ball, when the waiter poured the hot chocolate sauce over the chocolate ball, the ball melted and opened up to the ice cream inside. Unfortunately, the most important part of the meal, the main dishes, were not very memorable. Both items we got were very average, and we felt like that we could have gotten that same quality of food from any other restaurant.
Overall, it was a good dinner, I just didn’t think it was worth the price tag on it. For that price, there were a lot of other restaurants that I would rather have gone to.

Last week, we had the Winterlicious Set Menu. This is the first time dining here since the renovation and it was scrumptious. We ordered the Tuna Tartare, Mushroom Soup, Gigot of Lamb, Bouillabaisse, Warm Madeleines and Berry Sundae. The food came at a quick pace and we did not have to wait too long. The floor was busy and there was not a lot of people supporting our server so our service was lacking. The Gigot was overcooked and so we asked for the Chestnut Cavatelli instead. They did not hesitate at all and sent it speedily. Overall, my husband and I enjoyed the meal and will return. This is one of the few restaurants during Winterlicious that is not a total disappointment or impossible to book.

We there for dinner in Feb 2016.
The particular dining area is a bit dated in terms of its décor. The upholstery could get a touch up.
It is a cozy restaurant, with everyone seated pretty close by. We could literally hear/​eat from/​see the bill/​know everything happening at both tables on our left and right sides. So we had to make sure that we talk in a language other than english to keep our conversation among ourselves. We ordered food from the winterlicious dinner menu. Go there for the experience, not the food. The mushroom soup we ordered as appetizer was the best. The main course and the dessert were bad. The food is really not their highlight. Overall, excluding the food, it was a fun experience for us. The coat check at the entrance was wonderful and the people there were really polite.

They certainly ruined beef tartare for me. They try to make it an interactive experience so the server brought out a chunk of raw meat, like it came straight from the market, then he dressed it in front of us with the usual condiments. Definitely not appetizing. Entrees were just alright as I had higher standards for a Daniel Boulud restaurant.

My husband an I decide to go here for a date night. Generally we’ve had fantastic experiences at both the Four Seasons and Daniel Boulud restaurants elsewhere in the world, so we expected that this collaboration would be nothing short of spectacular. Unfortunately we were wrong.
There were some things that were very good. The space itself was amazing. I was instantly transported back to the bistros of Paris. The design was spectacular and really felt authentic. The sommelier, Drew, was also wonderful. He knew his stuff, as any great somm should, and when tasked with choosing a bottle of wine to suit our tastes, he was so spot on that he chose a bottle we had in our collection at home. C’est magnifique!
Now the food was completely disappointing. We ordered off the winterlicious menu (maybe our mistake?). The starters were okay. My husband had the tuna and I had the mushroom soup. Both were fine, nothing too impressive, but not terrible. The soup lacked some complexity and my husband didn’t rave about his tuna like he normally would had he really enjoyed it. As for the main course… I took one bite of my dish and never wanted to have a second bite. The pasta was dry and flavourless, the butternut squash under cooked, in general it was just bad. I ate a quarter of my meal because I felt obligated to but it was one of the most disappointing dishes I’ve ever been served at a restaurant. My husband had lamb which seems like it was better than my dish but once again, he seemed unimpressed.
The dessert was equally unimpressive. I had the berry sundae which was essentially two scoops of grocery store ice cream with some cool whip and strawberry purée. My husband had the «fresh madelines» which claim to be baked to order but were very clearly day old cookies warmed in the microwave. Again, dry, flavourless, disappointing.
I’d like to say I’ll go back to try the restaurant again, order off the full menu and chalk this experience up to a bad case of winterlicious mistakes but at that price point and with so many better restaurants in the city, I’ll get my french bistro experience elsewhere.
C’est la vie.

Was so excited to finally eat here. I’ve never had anything but a positive experience any other Boulud restaurant I’ve been to. Also, how can you go wrong to eat at the main restaurant at the flagship location of the world’s most consistent luxury brand?
C’est dommage.
What a letdown. Unfortunately so.
Sure, it’s a lovely room with great service. Delightfully informal while extremely attentive. And sure, the wine list is great and the Sommalier is even better. Suggesting a wonderful Nîmes to match our palate and particular pricepoint.
But the food… Zut alors. Ce n’est pas grande cuisine française.
All six of our combined dishes were pedestrian at best. Ranging from a somewhat decent lamb dish to completely terrible cavatelli. Something that appeared to be undercooked and wallowing in a bowl full of tears of forgiveness.
That’s fine at a lesser establishment. But you don’t come here for hit and miss.
I understand the anger M. Boulud must have felt when NYC’s iconic Daniel lost a star last year, but why did he take it out on the kind people in our fair village?
Vous né devriez pas perdre votre temps et d’éviter ce restaurant piétonne.

I visited with my family on Sunday morning. It was my friends birthday and we were six of us. We reached there at 10am and were given a table as soon as we arrived. We ordered our food at 10am but were waiting for 11am to order some champagne and wine to celebrate my friends. At 11am we were given the bill and were asked to leave.
They spoiled my friends birthday and it was terrible. When we complained the general
Manager had some weird explanation.
people don’t visit the place as this is very mediocre restaurant.
We are very upset with the experience at this restaurant.

I was here for the winterlicious lunch menu -$ 28/​pp
I was seated right away for my reservation at 1pm. When I was greeted, the guy asked if I was here for a special occasion, to which I replied «no, just here for lunch with my family to try out the winterlicious menu» and he replied «oh! Winterlicious, that was what I meant by ‘special occasion» huh?!? This left me a bit baffled. If ‘special occasion’ meant winterlicious, why not just straight up say it. It’s like he was hiding that there’s a winterlicious event going on. Oh well…
The meal went fine. There was nothing to rant about, but also nothing to rave about. The price was fair for what we received. The servers was polite and prompt with refilling our water.

My husband and I went for Winterlicious, and over the years, we’ve come to have low expectations for the food and service during Winterlicious. However, the service was excellent. Great ambiance, prefect for a date night.
I asked for a gluten and dairy free meal and they were willing to accommodate me, which many Winterlicious restaurants don’t. The lamb was delicious. They tried to substitute the yogurt sauce for a red pepper sauce, and sadly I’m also allergic to peppers, but they were so kind in getting out a new dish quickly. The manager also came over to check on the food and the new dish. As someone with food intolerance, I give big pluses to restaurants who are not only willing to accommodate us, but do it without makinh you feel bad or like you’re causing lots of trouble. They were excellent with that.
The charcuterie plate and sorbet dessert were average. We would return to try their regular menu rather than being limited to the Winterlicious menu.
Two people with the Winterlicious menu and two drinks came to about $ 130 after tax, before tip.

I visited Café Boulud this morning for a Sunday breakfast meeting with a client. Located inside the Four Seasons in the heart of Yorkville, our expectations were high. Having visited the Four Seasons on several occasions before, these expectations have always been met. But this visit, as I’m sure you can anticipate from my ¹⁄₅ star rating, did not meet these expectations — so much so in fact, that I felt the need to share this experience with the Unilocal community.
When you visit the Four Seasons, you expect to pay a premium price, because you expect to receive premium service. This is not simply my high standards, but it is the service standard that the Four Seasons has set out for themselves, and the only reason that any sane person would chose to pay their premium prices. If you visit the company’s website, you can find their clearly defined Service Culture. «We have chosen to specialize within the hospitality industry by offering only experiences of exceptional quality.» I strive to provide my clients experiences of exceptional quality as well, so it seems fitting that I would choose the Four Seasons to have a breakfast meeting.
I arrived at the restaurant at 9:55am for a 10am meeting, in order to arrive slightly ahead of my client — one step to ensuring that I provide my client with an all around 5 star experience. As I was shown to my table by the hostess, she mentioned that I could have the table only until 11am, and that at 11 the bar downstairs would open, and that I should plan to vacate the table by that time. Immediately put off by this information, I asked why, and was informed that they were expecting 300 guests to arrive at 11am for brunch. I decided to wait for my client to arrive so that I could discuss this with her, and together we would decide whether or not to stay for breakfast. When my client arrived, the hostess showed her into the café, and when she saw that this was my guest, she informed her too that we would need to leave by 11am. My guest too was clearly put off by this, but wanted to stay. I decided to bring it up with our waiter, who agreed that the restaurant usually gets busy for Sunday brunch, but that this is not the way to address it with the clients.
From that point forward, every action by every employee made it evident that they were silently going to try and hold us to that timeline. The waiter returned only seconds later to take our order, before we’d even had time to pick up our menus. Our food arrived quickly, and missing items from the order were brought out immediately when I mentioned them. Not far behind the delivery of the food was the person who busses the tables, ready to take our half consumed meals from the table. And, sure enough/​not surprisingly, not long after that, our bill was delivered to the table. At about 11:25, the waiter came over to our table and with a proud smirk on his face said to me «See, we were able to accommodate you past 11am», as if to point out that he’d done me some huge favour.
I am disgusted. I have no problem paying $ 97 for a basic breakfast for 2 (I had oatmeal and my client had an omelette), however, I could have enjoyed the same food with better service for a fraction of the price anywhere else. I chose the Four Seasons for an «exceptional quality» experience, and they simply failed to deliver.
For the record, as we were leaving, I took notice of at least 4 tables for 2 in our immediate area which were vacant — evidently the Sunday brunch crowd missed their calling, and the café wasn’t as busy as they had anticipated.

My boyfriend and I came here on Friday for Winterlicious and we both had a great experience! The $ 45 dinner menu is definitely worth it — portions were good, everything was plated beautifully — and the great service/​ambiance made for a wonderfully relaxing date night.
Appetizer:
I ordered the mushroom soup and my boyfriend got the tuna tartare. The soup was definitely one of the highlights of the meal for me — very creamy and savoury without the mushroom flavour being too overwhelming — and the tartare was quite tasty (and fresh) as well. Would recommend both of them.
Main course:
The fish stew was the only dish that I felt could be better; the seafood was cooked nicely but the stew itself was very salty. However, this might just be me (and my unusually low tolerance for salt) as my boyfriend didn’t think it was too salty and ended up finishing it for me. I didn’t try the lamb that he ordered but he enjoyed it!
Dessert:
Both of the desserts that we ordered (warm madeleines and the savarin) were lovely but I especially liked the madeleines — simple but super yummy, and you get a lot of them too.
Overall, dinner was delicious and it was a great start to Winterlicious — would highly recommend!

We went for brunch and it was wonderful. The selection of courses are well chosen and the service is really good. It’s probably the best steak tartare I’ve ever had.
The room can get loud as it fills up, that’s the only downside to the restaurant.

Nice atmosphere.
Food: Overall, food was average. Coffee was average — very bitter. Berry tartine– the sheep cheese was nice, but would have preferred it on a nuttier bread. Lemon ricotta hot cakes — they were mediocre; actually, they were pretty disappointing. Definitely wouldn’t order them again. They were thin almost like Scottish tatties and without a lemony zest that I was looking forward to. The spiced cherry on the side was far too sour and way too watery. Dont dump all of it on your hot cakes like I did.
I also don’t understand why they leave the orange juice out without a lid and not on ice. Who likes warm OJ?
Service: average. Empty packets of sugar were left on the condiment tray.

I’ve come here twice for brunch. Pretty average. I’ve tried the Kale Salad, Eggs Benedict Florentine and the Scrambled Eggs with goat cheese. The eggs are standard. The Kale Salad is good and nourishing.
I’ve stopped eating meat, but my brunch friends said the beef tartare here is really good.
Service and décor ⁵⁄₅.
And the coffee is outstanding.

When I was in Vegas a few years ago, I hit one of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants and really enjoyed it. But after the initial word was so negative for Café Boulud, I wasn’t in any rush to give this place a try.
The renovations and retooling brought a new wave of positive notices, so the time was right to give the restaurant a try. I arrived on a Satuday at around noon and was immediately seated and given a glass of water.
I wanted to start off with a cocktail but decided against it after noticing they’re around $ 16 each. So I just ordered the Boudin Blanc as my main. The dish is advertised thusly: «white sausage, caramelized onions, apple, mashed potatoes.»
This is an exceptionally rich plate of food. The sausage is delicate and delicious, while the mashed potatoes are almost unreasonably creamy. (I shudder to think how much butter and cream is in them.) The slices of raw apple don’t seem to add much, however, but there are also caramelized apples and onions and they’re delicious.
The service was decent, although my water glass stood empty for a few minutes longer than I would’ve liked. And as tasty as the dish was, $ 24 just seems a little outrageous. Still, I would return to try other items on the menu were I to come into a lot of money.

Had lunch here last week for my birthday. Talk about incredible service, food and overall experience. Once a staff person told us to head upstairs, we were greeted and the hostess took our coats. We were seated immediately. Décor is a classy modern version of a 1960s bistro. Lots of green and brass with banquette seating. Service was excellent. Quick but not rushing, chatty but not intrusive.
Food was exceptional. Clean, good portions, simply prepared. Cocktails/​wine list was lovely.
Once it came out to the wait staff it was my birthday, they brought a small tray of Madeleine’s with a candle alongside our desserts and tea/​coffee. Such a nice touch.
It was a lovely experience and I look forward to going back for a special occasion another time!

I struggled between giving this place a 3 or 4.
Here’s why:
1. I called to make a reservation because open table for was down. The hostess that answered was very nice and asked if I was coming for a special occasion. I was taking my friend here for her bday so I was impressed she asked and made a note of it.
2. Place and ambience is beautiful. The bar looked stunning. The restaurant is classy and elegant.
3. The server was helpful in making recommendations and letting us know that there was only one fish left for evening. It was a great recommendation!
4. We ordered:
PÂTÉ 17.
duck, figs
— pâté was cold, which wasn’t what I expected
— pâté tasted good with the fig jam
— nothing too special
— would recommend trying something else
— B
CONFIT DE CANARD 34.
slow-​cooked duck, périgord style
sautéed potato, parsley salad
— potatoes were dipped in butter and tasted delicious.
— duck was a bit dry for my liking, but my friend loved it.
— B+
Fish: $ 40
— amazing! As recommended, top notch quality and cooked just right.
— A+
Baked Alaska $ 21
— different from other baked alaska’s Ive had, but very good. Less cake, more ice cream I found
— a waitress comes and lights the marshmallow top on fire, which was super cool to see. Definitely a cool bday cake!
— she serves it to us as well
— I tasted each layer of the ice cream
— A+
Dip coffee: $ 5 per
— very expensive and didn’t taste that great
5. while the server was nice and knowledgeable, I found him a bit pushy. He came up to us the moment I sat down and asked if we wanted champagne. I felt obligated to say yes because it was my friend’s bday. Secondly, he kept asking if we wanted the special appetizer even when we said we didn’t want it. They didn’t give any freebies for my friend’s bday.
Overall the food was a 3.5 for me. It was expensive and I didn’t really feel It was worth the price we paid. I spent over $ 200 for 2 people. I think there’s over places that are better for this price. Service is a 4 for me!

Good ambiance; lighting was really nice… not sure why I noticed that.
Staff were friendly’ish. Hostess kept looking over my head when she was talking to me. Our waiter was really nice.
The profiteroles desert was amazing! Tar-​tar was okay. Chicken liver appetizer was delicious!
Not really worth the price, but I’m more of a Motel 6 kinda person and less of a Four Seasons, so my opinion should have no real bearing on your choices of where to dine.

This was a planned visit for a friend’s birthday dinner. We got a call a day before to confirm our reservation, special mention to the person on the phone for being very courteous. Upon arrival the initial impression is nice until one sits down and the music thumping downstairs starts to seep up. Hmm not for everyone specially with some of the guests in our group as they wanted to chat a bit.
I had looked at the menu before hand and wanted to order the yardstick item for a good bistro (steak frites) so ordered the Striploin. Others in the party ordered a flat iron steak and shared a whole chicken for 2. Service was decent from start to finish.
The chicken was brought table side before being carved, kudos for the beautiful presentation. Now for the main event the steak I ordered it rare and it was cooked to my liking however it was way over salted. The person who had ordered the flat iron steak commented their steak being over salted as well. The frites would have fared better if they were warm because the one’s we got were cold. The bernaise sauce on the side was done well. I also tried the chicken and wasn’t wowed.
The saving grace here is the dessert I guess. I really enjoyed the Grapefruit Grive’ a complex dessert with a refreshing finish. Sorbet topped with rose flavored turkish halwa, grapefruit jam and sesame seed foam. Wine list though pricey is decent.
I would have given a low score given the price point but the dessert and the chance sighting of an impossible to locate Unilocal Friend (you know who you are :) pushes it up to 3 stars.
Update: Having enjoyed the dessert offerings here. We decided to visit this spot again (mains are forgetabble) as one can even overlook the main and just wait for desserts.
This was a planned visit with reservations and all as we were a group of 3 and we showed up on the dot. After checking in our coats the wait began and then it went on and on (over 40 min) with the only explanation being they are looking for our table! Unacceptable IMO. The wait was so long that by the time we got our table we had lost our appetite. The desserts again were great (choclate coulant being mediocre) and Rotisserie pineapple being very good and Givre’ exceptional like the previous visit.
I am sure they will get the crowd day in day out being in this location and in a hotel but unless hard pressed I won’t be back.

Service: excellent! From the moment you are greeted to the moment you depart, you are treated with care. The staff is very attentive and always with a smile.
Location: downtown, valet parking or green P parking in the area.
Busy during lunch hours.
Food: we had the calamari as an appetizer. Really flavourful, small dish.
For entrees we had the chicken and frites. I felt the chicken needed more flavour.
The burger and fries also needed a bit more pizazz.
Price: I felt the prices were a bit high however the service, atmosphere and experience are what you are enjoying the most.

I can’t even begin to explain the loveliness that is Café Boulud. We came here on US Thanksgiving with several people who were unable to travel back to the US to be with their families. The intention was to order their signature dish (as a Thanksgiving meal): the poulet à la broche.
However, after looking at the menu, we went a little crazy with the food and wine (it was all so so good) and ordered the charcuterie, various pâtés, the steak tartare, a 30-​day dry-​aged côte de boeuf, the sea bass, escargot, the confit de canard, and some very good but very expensive wines.
The food and wine were so well timed with the conversation that I don’t think we were ever out of food; and, the waiters were so inconspicuous that we didn’t notice them (unless we wanted something) so there was no interruption to the conversation or the experience. Many at the table had already heard of Daniel Boulud and his restaurants but none had experienced them first hand. I don’t think anyone went away disappointed.
Tip: to get to the café you need to go into the Four Seasons, into the lounge on the first floor (dbar), and up a spiral staircase. Once at the top of the stairs the hostess will take care of you.
Another tip: They do offer warm gluten free bread if you ask… and alternate cracker options for the pâtés.

My meal here was phenomenal. From the wine to the desert. The service was excellent too.
Café boulud changes its menu daily, I hope these recommendations are helpful:
We started with the foi gras appetizer −5÷5
I had the duck confit — ⁵⁄₅ omg this is the best duck confit I’ve ever had.
Husband had the flat iron steak which was excellent. At first it was overdone but they brought out another one right away.
For desert we had the baked Alaska. I’ve never had this before, it was so delicious and also a fun presentation.
We ended the evening with a glass of champagne.
I will definitely be back and highly recommend Café boulud.

This is the place to go to if you’re feeling fancy and want to eat deliciously made food. There is a good possibility you will see someone famous since it is located in the newly built Four Seasons Hotel (I ran into Tony Parker). But celebrity sightings come at a price. This Sunday brunch is a 2 course meal at $ 42 a pop including fresh juice, coffee and tea. Choose from 9 menu items for the first course and 11 items for the second course. A mimosa or caesar will cost you $ 12.
For the first course, I tried the buttermilk biscuits which were melt in your mouth fantastic and the chacuterie board. You can never go wrong with cured meats, cheese, pâté and pickles veggies. Although it still doesn’t beat other meat boards in the city.
For the second course, get the poached eggs which come with zucchini fritters and salad with a dill dressing. This dish had a great mixed of flavours but was still very light and refreshing. If you’re look for something a bit heavier I recommend the duck confit hash.
I absolutely love the décor. Your eyes will feast on colourful graffeti-​like artwork of Kate Moss, Madonna and others.
Service here was impeccable as expected. The lady beside me complained about how her poached eggs were cooked and they quickly offered to make her new dish. The manager even personally came to apologise and removed it from her bill.
The experience was great but it was one of the most expensive brunches I had in Toronto for 2 people. Probably will come back again but will save it for special occasions.

Excellent restaurant dans le haut de gamme du quartier Yorkville. Cuisine pleine d’imagination, service impeccable, un chef très sympathique et une attention particulière aux désirs et souhaits de la clientèle.