DB Bistro Moderne
“Though I have never been to Daniel, DB Bistro Moderne is a great look into the culinary genius of Daniel Boulud.”
“My favorites: the foie gras burger, coq au vin, pate…and the chef always sends to your table a small 'amuse-bouche'.”
“For dessert, we had the Moelleux Au Chocolat, which came with passion fruit coulis, cocoa nib ice cream, and rich Guanaja chocolate mousse.”
DB Bistro Moderne
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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We came here to try the Original DB Burger (sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs and foie gras). My boyfriend thought the burger was good but I thought there was too much going on/too many items that didn't necessarily work well together. I feel that the most appealing part of the DB burger is the impressive amount of substance between the buns. I was not impressed by the actual taste of the burger.
The other dishes were underwhelming. The escargot dish was very dry and the textures in the pate en croute made me feel a little queasy. Our meal at DB Bistro was not terrible, but I don't think I will be coming back.
Bistro Modern is a small, almost upscale dinner. It's extremely easy to miss if you're not looking for the slight vertical sign outside, but I would recommend finding it! Came here with a group of 4 on a Sunday afternoon for brunch without a reservation and they were super accommodating in seating us right away. The interior is bright and inviting. Our waitress was very friendly and had no problem in explaining every item on the menu. We all ended up ordering from the Menu du Marche (two course meals). I got the fruit parfait which was outstanding, along with the eggs any style (I got mine scrambled). The eggs came out either extremely runny, or with an added ingredient that I could not quite pin point. I probably would not suggest ordering that way, however someone else in my party got them sunny side up and they were fine. Overall it was a good experience, but a bit pricey for what I would say is standard breakfast food.
First the good…or rather not so bad:
The ambiance, if you sit in the back, is nice and relaxed, although a couple of the overhead lights were out.
They offer a good wine list, with a nice range of options.
Service was decidedly lackluster, and I'm being overly generous…much like the level of salt in every dish we tried. For example, I'm used to my waiter switching out the white napkin for a dark one when I'm wearing dark pants. Not here! Most importantly, our waiter went missing for much of the dining experience–to the point that one of the other waiters came over a couple of times to ask if she could help us.
Okay, now on to the less than spectacular:
This place, despite repeated assurances when I called ahead multiple times to check, is most definitely not vegan-friendly…at all! First, there was not a single item on the menu that was vegan! Then, both the waiter and maître d' seemed completely flummoxed by the concept. I'm guessing a similarly clueless discussion went on behind the scenes before the three-course meal emerged (after an extensive delay), consisting of a couple of salads and three scoops of sorbet. With a month's notice and a reminder two days and one day in advance, surely we can come up with something a little more creative and interesting than…salty salad for $160! What is this? The 1980's???
This was a total fail, especially given their assurances BEFORE I ever made the reservation!!
If you're in the market for oversalted loup de mer or a fat-laden burger garnished with lettered wooden dowels, and care little about service, then this might be your spot. Otherwise, I would take my tastebuds elsewhere. Leave the salt shaker behind when you do.
A local recommended DB before a show. Had reservations at 5:30 just to be sure I would not miss my 8:00 show. No worries as the staff is extremely accommodating, asking the time of the show and planning our dining experience accordingly. However, by 6:30 the place was packed so it was very nice to have an hour when it was "slow". Had the price fix dinner. The beef short ribs are phenomenal!! !. Tasty w/o an ounce of fat showing. My wife upcharged her dinner for the burger (extra $14). That was also excellent. The wine is on the pricey side (but it is NYC) but the wine specials with the price fix dinner was a good value. Its my new favorite pre theater dinner place.
We really like db Bistro for late night dinner after the theatre. It's a short walk from Broadway, and an 11pm reservation is no problem.
The interior is stylish and well lit, and quite late in the evening, although I'm sure it can get loud earlier.
Service is friendly and efficient, and the menu offers a limited but interesting range of choices. The burger is famous, but because it is stuffed with short ribs and topped with foie gras, it is very rich, and should only be attempted if you are very hungry.
On this visit we started with some seared shishito peppers, these were smaller than usual and nicely seared, served with a soy dipping sauce.
My peekytoe crab appetizer was pretty, but didn't have a lot of flavor. However the sunchoke soup was rich and full of flavor.
Amish chicken is tender and succulent, and served with an interesting pickled cabbage slaw that complements it well.
An nice variety of wines are available in 5 or 8 ounce servings.
I am not sure how may times I have eaten at db Bistro Moderne, but it is probably approximately ten times. During those visits, the cooking has always been consistently strong. Dishes were always tasty. Our party of six had no complaints and all liked their dishes (fish, meat, poultry). Nice complementary sweets at the end of the meal. Good service and nicely appointed room.
I should first point out that I came here for a business lunch, which placed some restrictions on what I ordered – normally, I would have gone with the much-raved about burger, but to avoid looking like a greasy-faced mess while discussing business a partner…we both ended up for the 2-course lunch (Menu de Marche`). We both had the arugula salad (with apple chips and crutons), which I thought was alright, but was dressed with a bit too much oil and didn't have enough dressing (brown butter vinaigrette).
For the second course, I had the Flank steak with spätzle and carrots. The steak was nicely cooked – no complaints there, but thought the spätzle made the dish a bit too heavy or should have at least had more carrots. Someone else had the Tilefish, which looked great and came with a nice chickpea and cucumber salad.
While the food seemed a bit underwhelming, the service was fantastic and the staff was very attentive and helpful. That said, I'll reserve some judgment of the DB Bistro until I come back for the famed burger.
Modern and sleek hotel restaurant in midtown, falling short on trying to be a classy restaurant. The salmon was slightly under seasoned, not sure what the cabbage/lettuce under the salmon was about, however, the brussels sprouts were really nice. I didn't have the DB burger, but those that did were a bit underwhelmed for $35. And it was huge, I dont' know how you're expected to eat it without you shoving it in your mouth.
eh….that's all I will say.