Café Boulud - Toronto 

60 Yorkville Ave, Toronto, ON 

M4W 0A4, Canada 

+1 416-963-6000  

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Food: 

Tuna tartare: big eye tuna, beet, celery, cherry, tarragon, harissa mayo

Lyon-style northern pike quenelle; Cognac-lobster sauce

Molten chocolate cake; maple-black cherry ice cream 

Wine: 

2014 Bouchard Père et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet        88

This recent dinner out with the kids at Café Boulud – Toronto was a terrific opportunity to get back to Daniel Boulud’s Toronto outpost. Located in the Four Seasons Hotel, Café Boulud offers a menu rich in the classics under the direction of Chef de Cuisine Sylvain Assié. Wine Director Drew Walker’s list is small, but well chosen, with a number of gems sprinkled throughout a selection that focuses on France and the United States, with quite a few wines from Italy among the reds.

Tuna tartare: big eye tuna, beet, celery, cherry, tarragon, harissa mayo

Café Boulud – Toronto is much less formal in both cuisine and ambience than the New York original. The brasserie-style dining room is bustling with energy as we sit down for dinner. I follow General Manager Jeremy Geyer’s lead and go for a few tried and true favorites. The tuna tartare, served with harissa mayo, is a Boulud classic, with the richness of the mayonnaise playing nicely off the pristine, fresh fish. I also enjoy the Lyon-style northern pike quenelle with Cognac-lobster sauce. Bold, lusty flavors in the sauce work well with Bouchard’s 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet. Café Boulud’s molten chocolate cake with maple-black cherry ice cream is every bit as decadent as it sounds.

Lyon-style northern pike quenelle; Cognac-lobster sauce

My only regret is not having had a chance to explore the menu more fully. For that, there is always next time.

Molten chocolate cake; maple-black cherry ice cream